General anesthetics selectively modulate glutamatergic and dopaminergic signaling via site-specific phosphorylation in vivo.

Isoflurane, propofol and ketamine are representative general anesthetics with distinct molecular mechanisms of action that have neuroprotective properties in models of excitotoxic ischemic damage. We characterized the effects of these agents on neuronal glutamate and dopamine signaling by profiling drug-induced changes in brain intracellular protein phosphorylation in vivo to test the hypothesis that they affect common downstream effectors. Anesthetic-treated and control mice were killed instantly by focused microwave irradiation, frontal cortex and striatum were removed, and the phosphorylation profile of specific neuronal signaling proteins was analyzed by immunoblotting with a panel of phospho-specific antibodies. At anesthetic doses that produced loss of righting reflex, isoflurane, propofol, and ketamine all reduced phosphorylation of the activating residue T183 of ERK2 (but not of ERK1); S897 of the NR1 NMDA receptor subunit; and S831 (but not S845) of the GluR1 AMPA receptor subunit in cerebral cortex. At sub-anesthetic doses, these drugs only reduced phosphorylation of ERK2. Isoflurane and ketamine also reduced phosphorylation of spinophilin at S94, but oppositely regulated phosphorylation of presynaptic (tyrosine hydroxylase) and postsynaptic (DARPP-32) markers of dopaminergic neurotransmission in striatum. These data reveal both shared and agent-specific actions of CNS depressant drugs on critical intracellular protein phosphorylation signaling pathways that integrate multiple second messenger systems. Reduced phosphorylation of ionotropic glutamate receptors by all three anesthetics indicates depression of normal glutamatergic synaptic transmission and reduced potential excitotoxicity. This novel approach indicates a role for phosphorylation-mediated down-regulation of glutamatergic synaptic transmission by general anesthetics and identifies specific in vivo targets for focused evaluation of anesthetic mechanisms.

Evaluation of neuronal phosphoproteins as effectors of caffeine and mediators of striatal adenosine A2A receptor signaling.

Adenosine A(2A) receptors are predominantly expressed in the dendrites of enkephalin-positive gamma-aminobutyric acidergic medium spiny neurons in the striatum. Evidence indicates that these receptors modulate striatal dopaminergic neurotransmission and regulate motor control, vigilance, alertness, and arousal. Although the physiological and behavioral correlates of adenosine A(2A) receptor signaling have been extensively studied using a combination of pharmacological and genetic tools, relatively little is known about the signal transduction pathways that mediate the diverse biological functions attributed to this adenosine receptor subtype. Using a candidate approach based on the coupling of these receptors to adenylate cyclase-activating G proteins, a number of membranal, cytosolic, and nuclear phosphoproteins regulated by PKA were evaluated as potential mediators of adenosine A(2A) receptor signaling in the striatum. Specifically, the adenosine A(2A) receptor agonist, CGS 21680, was used to determine whether the phosphorylation state of each of the following PKA targets is responsive to adenosine A(2A) receptor stimulation in this tissue: Ser40 of tyrosine hydroxylase, Ser9 of synapsin, Ser897 of the NR1 subunit of the N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptor, Ser845 of the GluR1 subunit of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid-type glutamate receptor, Ser94 of spinophilin, Thr34 of the dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, M(r) 32,000, Ser133 of the cAMP-response element-binding protein, Thr286 of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and Thr202/Tyr204 and Thr183/Tyr185 of the p44 and p42 isoforms, respectively, of mitogen-activated protein kinase. Although the substrates studied differed considerably in their responsiveness to selective adenosine A(2A) receptor activation, the phosphorylation state of all postsynaptic PKA targets was up-regulated in a time- and dose-dependent manner by treatment with CGS 21680, whereas presynaptic PKA substrates were unresponsive to this agent, consistent with the postsynaptic localization of adenosine A(2A) receptors. Finally, the phosphorylation state of these proteins was further assessed in vivo by systemic administration of caffeine.

Regulation of phosphorylation of the GluR1 AMPA receptor by dopamine D2 receptors.

In the striatum, stimulation of dopamine D2 receptors results in attenuation of glutamate responses. This effect is exerted in large part via negative regulation of AMPA glutamate receptors. Phosphorylation of the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA receptor has been proposed to play a critical role in the modulation of glutamate transmission, in striatal medium spiny neurons. Here, we have examined the effects of blockade of dopamine D2-like receptors on the phosphorylation of GluR1 at the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) site, Ser845, and at the protein kinase C and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II site, Ser831. Administration of haloperidol, an antipsychotic drug with dopamine D2 receptor antagonistic properties, increases the phosphorylation of GluR1 at Ser845, without affecting phosphorylation at Ser831. The same effect is observed using eticlopride, a selective dopamine D2 receptor antagonist. In contrast, administration of the dopamine D2-like agonist, quinpirole, decreases GluR1 phosphorylation at Ser845. The increase in Ser845 phosphorylation produced by haloperidol is abolished in dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of 32 kDa (DARPP-32) knockout mice, or in mice in which the PKA phosphorylation site on DARPP-32 (i.e. Thr34) has been mutated (Thr34-->Ala mutant mice), and requires tonic activation of adenosine A2A receptors. These results demonstrate that dopamine D2 antagonists increase GluR1 phosphorylation at Ser845 by removing the inhibitory tone exerted by dopamine D2 receptors on the PKA/DARPP-32 cascade.

Regulation of AMPA receptor dephosphorylation by glutamate receptor agonists.

Phosphorylation of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptor subunit GluR1 at Ser(845) enhances AMPA channel activity. This study demonstrates that Ser(845) is rapidly dephosphorylated upon AMPA receptor activation in nucleus accumbens slices. AMPA-induced dephosphorylation at Ser(845) was blocked by CNQX, an AMPA receptor antagonist, by nifedipine, an L-type Ca(2+) channel antagonist, or by cyclosporin A, a calcineurin inhibitor. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) treatment also decreased phosphorylation of Ser(845), an effect that was blocked by MK-801, an NMDA receptor antagonist, but not by nifedipine. Accumbens neurons are enriched for dopamine- and cyclic AMP (cAMP)-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32,000 (DARPP-32), a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) when phosphorylated by PKA (at Thr(34)). We tested the hypothesis that the AMPA/KA or NMDA-stimulated dephosphorylation of DARPP-32 via calcineurin, leading to increased PP1 activity and dephosphorylation of GluR1. AMPA or NMDA treatment decreased phospho-Thr(34)-DARPP-32 levels, effects that were blocked by receptor antagonists, or cyclosporin A. However, dephosphorylation of Ser(845) mediated by AMPA or NMDA receptors was unaffected in DARPP-32/inhibitor-1 knockout mice. These data suggest that AMPA- or NMDA-induced dephosphorylation of GluR1 at Ser(845) occurs by a mechanism that is independent of DARPP-32 and PP1, but involves activation of calcineurin. Thus, Ca(2+)-dependent dephosphorylation of GluR1 may serve as a negative feedback mechanism for the regulation of AMPA receptor activity in neurons.