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The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is an ionotropic glutamate receptor, which plays crucial roles in synaptic plasticity and development. We have recently shown that potentiation of NMDA receptor function by protein kinase C (PKC) appears to be mediated via activation of non-receptor tyrosine kinases. The aim of this study was to test whether this effect could be mediated by direct tyrosine phosphorylation of the NR2A or NR2B subunits of the receptor. Following treatment of rat hippocampal CA1 mini-slices with 500 nM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 15 min, samples were homogenized, immunoprecipitated with anti-NR2A or NR2B antibodies and the resulting pellets subjected to Western blotting with antiphosphotyrosine antibody. An increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of both NR2A (76 +/- 11% above control) and NR2B (41 +/- 11%) was observed. This increase was blocked by pretreatment with the selective PKC inhibitor chelerythrine, with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor Lavendustin A or with the Src family tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP2. PMA treatment also produced an increase in the phosphorylation of serine 890 on the NR1 subunit, a known PKC site, at 5 min with phosphorylation returning to near basal levels by 10 min while tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2A and NR2B was sustained for up to 15 min. These results suggest that the modulation of NMDA receptor function seen with PKC activation may be the result of tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2A and/or NR2B.

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor contributes to synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system and is both serine-threonine and tyrosine phosphorylated. In CA1 pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus, activators of protein kinase C (PKC) as well as the G-protein-coupled receptor ligands muscarine and lysophosphatidic acid enhanced NMDA-evoked currents. Unexpectedly, this effect was blocked by inhibitors of tyrosine kinases, including a Src required sequence and an antibody selective for Src itself. In neurons from mice lacking c-Src, PKC-dependent upregulation was absent. Thus, G-protein-coupled receptors can regulate NMDA receptor function indirectly through a PKC-dependent activation of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase (Src) signaling cascade.

Several protein kinases are known to phosphorylate Ser/Thr residues of certain GABAA receptor subunits. Yet, the effect of phosphorylation on GABAA receptor function in neurons remains controversial, and the functional consequences of phosphorylating synaptic GABAA receptors of adult CNS neurons are poorly understood. We used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of GABAA receptor-mediated miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs) in CA1 pyramidal neurons and dentate gyrus granule cells (GCs) of adult rat hippocampal slices to determine the effects of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (PKC) activation on the function of synaptic GABAA receptors. The mIPSCs recorded in CA1 pyramidal cells and in GCs were differentially affected by PKA and PKC. In pyramidal cells, PKA reduced mIPSC amplitudes and enhanced the fraction of events decaying with a double exponential, whereas PKC was without effect. In contrast, in GCs PKA was ineffective, but PKC increased the peak amplitude of mIPSCs and also favored double exponential decays. Intracellular perfusion of the phosphatase inhibitor microcystin revealed that synaptic GABAA receptors of pyramidal cells, but not those of GCs, are continually phosphorylated by PKA and conversely, dephosphorylated, most likely by phosphatase 1 or 2A. This differential, brain region-specific phosphorylation of GABAA receptors may produce a wide dynamic range of inhibitory synaptic strength in these two regions of the hippocampal formation.

The ability of the constitutively active fragment of protein kinase C (PKM) to modulate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-activated currents in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons and acutely isolated CA1 hippocampal neurons from postnatal rats was studied using patch-clamp techniques. The responses of two heterodimeric combinations of recombinant NMDA receptors (NR1a/NR2A and NR1a/NR2B) expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells were also examined. Intracellular applications of PKM potentiated NMDA-evoked currents in cultured and isolated CA1 hippocampal neurons. This potentiation was observed in the absence or presence of extracellular Ca2+ and was prevented by the coapplication of the inhibitory peptide protein kinase inhibitor(19-36). Furthermore, the PKM-induced potentiation was not a consequence of a reduction in the sensitivity of the currents to voltage-dependent blockade by extracellular Mg2+. We also found different sensitivities of the responses of recombinant NMDA receptors to the intracellular application of PKM. Some potentiation was observed with the NR1a/NR2A subunits, but none was observed with the NR1a/NR2B combination. Applications of PKM to inside-out patches taken from cultured neurons increased the probability of channel opening without changing single-channel current amplitudes or channel open times. Thus, the activation of protein kinase C is associated with potentiation of NMDA receptor function in hippocampal neurons largely through an increase in the probability of channel opening.

The gamma-aminobutyric acidA (GABA)A receptor (GABAR) beta 1 and gamma 2L subtypes have been shown to be phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C (PKC) [J. Biol. Chem. 267:14470-14476 (1992); Neuron 12:1081-1095 (1994)]. To determine the physiological consequences of phosphorylation of GABAR isoforms containing the beta 1 and gamma 2L subtypes, the specific serine residues phosphorylated by PKC (beta 1 S409, gamma 2L S327 and S343) were changed to alanines through site-directed mutagenesis. Wild-type (alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L GABARs) and three mutant GABAR isoforms [alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L(S327A, S343A), alpha 1 beta 1(S409A) gamma 2L, and alpha 1 beta 1(S409A) gamma 2L(S327A, S343A) GABARs) were expressed in mouse L929 fibroblasts through transient cotransfection. Recordings were obtained from each cell with the use of the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. The initial recording was made with the use of control intrapipette solution, and a second recording from the same cell was obtained with pipettes containing either constitutively active PKC [protein kinase M (PKM)] or control solution to obtain paired GABA concentration-response relationships. All GABAR isoforms studied had equivalent maximal GABA currents and similar GABA concentration-response profiles under the control condition. Intracellular PKM treatment increased the maximal current and EC50 value in cells expressing wild-type GABARs. However, PKM reimpalement did not significantly change these parameters in cells expressing any of the mutant GABAR isoforms, indicating that the mutation of either the beta 1 or gamma 2L subtype alone was sufficient to prevent enhancement of GABAR current by PKM. No significant changes were obtained during control reimpalement recordings of wild-type or mutant receptors. Furthermore, PKM treatment did not after the time constants of GABA current desensitization kinetics measured from cells expressing wild-type or mutant receptors. These data thus suggest that PKC phosphorylation of the beta 1 and gamma 2L subtypes enhances GABAR current and that both subtypes are required for complete PKC-mediated enhancement of alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L GABAR current.

Protein kinase C has been implicated in the modulation of calcium channel function. However, controversy exists concerning the actions of agents such as phorbol esters or diacylglycerol (DAG) that activate endogenous PKC, with both enhancement and inhibition of Ca2+ currents described. In this article we report the effects of direct intracellular application of a constitutively active form of PKC (PKM) on whole cell calcium currents in acutely dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. PKM application significantly enhanced high threshold voltage-activated calcium currents elicited from holding potentials of -80 mV and -40 mV. The rate of current rundown in PKM-treated cells was not significantly different from controls. The enhancement observed with PKM was not due to a shift in the voltage dependence of the peak current. Synthetic PKC inhibitor peptide (PKC-I) added to recording solutions containing PKM (PKM+PKC-I) abolished the PKM-associated enhancement. The rate of current rundown was significantly increased in the presence of PKM+PKC-I, and PKC-I alone, suggesting that substantial enhancement of voltage-activated calcium currents by endogenous PKC occurred in this preparation of rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. The portions of current attributable to N-, L-, and non-N,L-type currents [determined by applying the N- and L-type calcium antagonists omega-conotoxin GVIA and nifedipine (3-10 microM)] were not affected by PKM, suggesting that both N and L current components were enhanced by PKM.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The beta 1 and gamma 2L subunits of the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor (GABAR) contain phosphorylation sites for PKC. To determine the effect of PKC on GABAR function, whole-cell recordings were obtained from mouse fibroblasts expressing recombinant alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L receptors, and catalytically active PKC (PKM) was applied via the recording pipette. The first experiment was a population study. Intracellular application of PKM increased GABAR currents, and the enhancement was antagonized by coapplication of the PKC inhibitory peptide. No acceleration or deceleration of GABAR desensitization was observed. The second experiment was a reimpalement study in which paired recordings were made successively from individual cells. Enhancement of GABAR currents by PKM was again obtained. PKM increased GABAR currents at high (> 10 microM) but not at low (< 10 microM) GABA concentrations, resulting in increases in both EC50 and maximal GABAR current. Thus, PKC phosphorylation enhanced recombinant alpha 1 beta 1 gamma 2L GABAR current by increasing maximal current without increasing the affinity of GABA for the GABARs.

Previously pp60v-src, cyclin A, p39mos, and maturation-promoting factor (composed of Cdc2 and cyclin B) have been shown to activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and MAPK kinase (MEK) in cell-free extracts of Xenopus oocytes. The pp60v-src pathway is dependent on a functional Ras signal whereas the cyclin/maturation-promoting factor pathway is not. Here we show that protein kinase C (PKC) is also able to stimulate MAPK in a Ras-dependent manner, but PKC is not necessary for signaling by pp60v-src. In addition, preincubation of extracts with cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) blocks stimulation of MAPK by cyclin, p21V12ras, PKC, or pp60v-src, by at least 50%, but stimulation by c-Mos is unaffected. Furthermore, inhibition of endogenous PKA by the heat-stable PKA inhibitor is sufficient to stimulate MAPK activity in these extracts in the absence of protein synthesis and without dependence on a functional Ras protein. These results suggest that independent pp60v-src and PKC pathways converge at Ras and that PKA acts to block MAPK activation by both Ras-dependent and -independent signals.

1. The patch clamp technique, together with intracellular perfusion of the catalytic fragment of protein kinase C (PKCM), was employed to investigate the role of this enzyme in the intracellular regulation of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA)/kainate receptors in cultured hippocampal neurones. 2. The responses evoked by near-maximal concentrations of kainate (250 microM) and AMPA (100 microM) were potentiated by the introduction of PKCM, whilst co-application of the inhibitory peptide fragment PKCI(19-36) prevented this action. 3. Modulation of kainate responses by PKCM was dependent upon the concentration of agonist applied. Currents evoked by kainate were potentiated at concentrations above those which caused 50% of the maximal response (EC50) and depressed at lower concentrations. Furthermore, okadaic acid, a specific inhibitor of phosphatases 1 and 2A, had a similar effect upon concentration-response relationships when currents activated by kainate were recorded using the perforated patch technique. 4. In addition, the mean amplitude and/or time constant of decay of miniature excitatory synaptic currents (mediated by AMPA/kainate receptors) was increased by the intracellular injection of PKCM. 5. These observations suggest that the function of postsynaptic excitatory amino acid receptors can be modulated by the activity of PKC as well as by endogenous phosphatases. This regulation may contribute to some forms of synaptic plasticity within the central nervous system.

Phosphorylation of pure cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) was achieved in vitro using Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II), protein kinase C (PKC) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). The stoichiometry and time-course of phosphorylation were determined. CaM kinase II was the most efficient enzyme capable of catalyzing this phosphorylation reaction: the maximum incorporation of 32PO4 was 0.8 mol/mol CYP2E1 in 20 min. PKA phosphorylated a maximum of 0.7 mol of 32PO4/mol of cytochrome within 60 min. The phosphorylation by PKC reached a maximum of 0.19 mol of 32PO4/mol of cytochrome and this occurred within a few minutes of incubation. Limited digestion by S. aureus V8 protease (SAP) of CYP2E1, which had been phosphorylated by either PKA and PKC, yielded a single major phosphopeptide with an M(r) of approximately 18,000. Limited digestion of CYP2E1, that had been phosphorylated by CaM kinase II, yielded phosphorylated polypeptides with M(r) of approximately 18,000 and 15,000. These results raise the possibility that these three kinases may be involved in the regulation of CYP2E1.

The gamma 2 subunit of the GABA receptor (GABAA-R) is alternatively spliced. The long variant (gamma 2L) contains eight additional amino acids that possess a consensus sequence site for protein phosphorylation. Previous studies have demonstrated that a peptide or fusion protein containing these eight amino acids is a substrate for protein kinase C (PKC), but not cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA)-stimulated phosphorylation. We have examined the ability of PKA, PKC, and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CAM kinase II) to phosphorylate a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 336-351 of the intracellular loop of the gamma 2L subunit and inclusive of the alternatively spliced phosphorylation consensus sequence site. PKC and CAM kinase II produced significant phosphorylation of this peptide, but PKA was ineffective. The Km values for PKC- and CAM kinase II-stimulated phosphorylation of this peptide were 102 and 35 microM, respectively. Maximal velocities of 678 and 278 nmol of phosphate/min/mg were achieved by PKC and CAM kinase II, respectively. The phosphorylation site in the eight-amino-acid insert of the gamma 2L subunit has been shown to be necessary for ethanol potentiation of the GABAA-R. Thus, our results suggest that PKC, CAM kinase II, or both may play a role in the effects of ethanol on GABAergic function.

Previous work has shown that the GABAA-receptor (GABAA-R) could be phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), and a receptor associated kinase. However, no clear picture has yet emerged concerning the particular subunit/subtypes of the GABAA-R that were phosphorylated by PKA and PKC. In the present report we show that an antibody raised against a 23 amino acid polypeptide corresponding to a sequence in the putative intracellular loop of the beta 1 subunit of the receptor blocks the in vitro phosphorylation of the purified receptor by PKA and PKC. Moreover, N-terminal sequence analysis of the principal phosphopeptide fragment obtained after proteolysis of the receptor yielded a sequence that corresponds to the beta 3 subunit of the receptor. Such data provide additional support for our hypothesis (Browning et al., 1990, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:1315-1317) that both PKA and PKC phosphorylate the beta-subunit of the GABAA-R.

Previous studies have shown that activators of protein kinase C (C kinase) produce synaptic potentiation in the hippocampus. For example, the C kinase activator phorbol dibutyrate has been shown to increase transmitter release in the hippocampus. In addition, a role for C kinase in long-term potentiation has been proposed. A common assumption in such studies has been that substrates for C kinase were responsible for producing these forms of synaptic potentiation. However, we have recently shown that phorbol dibutyrate increased the phosphorylated of synapsin II (formerly protein III, Browning et al., 1987) in chromaffin cells (Haycock et al., 1988). Synapsin II is a synaptic vesicle-associated phosphoprotein that is a very poor substrate for C kinase but an excellent substrate for cAMP-dependent and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. We felt, therefore, that activation of C kinase might lead to activation of a kinase cascade. Thus effects of C kinase activation might be produced via the phosphorylation of proteins that are not substrates for C kinase. In this report we test the hypothesis that activators of C kinase increase the phosphorylation of synapsin II and an homologous protein synapsin I. Our data indicate that PdBu produced dose-dependent increases in the phosphorylation of synapsin I and synapsin II. We also performed phospho-site analysis of synapsin I using limited proteolysis. These studies indicated that PdBu increased the phosphorylation of multiple sites on synapsin I. These sites have previously been shown to be phosphorylated by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The actions of ethanol on kinase stimulated phosphorylation were examined using highly purified protein kinases and a variety of purified substrates. Ethanol (25-200 mM) failed to alter the phosphorylation of histone IIa and histone IIIs by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC), respectively. Moreover, ethanol (25-200 mM) did not affect the phosphorylation of synapsin I by Ca(2+)-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAM kinase II). Finally, neither PKA nor PKC stimulated phosphorylation of the GABAA receptor (GABAA-R) was modulated by ethanol at any concentration of ethanol tested. These results suggest that ethanol, in pharmacological concentrations, has no direct actions on the ability of these kinases to catalyze the phosphorylation of specific substrate proteins. In particular, ethanol does not appear to directly influence GABAA-R phosphorylation by either PKA or PKC.

A number of recent studies have suggested that phosphorylation of the gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor could modulate receptor function. Activators of protein kinase C and cAMP-dependent protein kinase have been shown to influence GABAA receptor function. In addition, Sweetnam et al. [Sweetnam, P. M., Lloyd, J., Gallombardo, P., Malison, R. T., Gallager, D. W., Tallman, J. F. & Nestler, E. J. (1988) J. Neurochem. 51, 1274-1284] have reported that a kinase associated with a partially purified preparation of the receptor could phosphorylate the alpha subunit of the receptor. Moreover, Kirkness et al. [Kirkness, E. F., Bovenkerk, C. F., Ueda, T. & Turner, A. J. (1989) Biochem. J. 259, 613-616] have recently shown that cAMP-dependent protein kinase could phosphorylate a muscimol binding polypeptide of the GABAA receptor. To explore the issue further, we have examined the ability of specific kinases to catalyze significant phosphorylation of the GABAA receptor that has been purified to near homogeneity. The GABAA receptor was purified as previously described using benzodiazepine affinity chromatography. The purified receptor possessed no detectable kinase activity. Protein kinase C and cAMP-dependent protein kinase catalyzed the phosphorylation of the beta and alpha subunits of the receptor. However, most of the phosphate incorporation was associated with the beta subunit. Two muscimol binding polypeptides designated beta 58 (Mr 58,000) and beta 56 (Mr 56,000) were present in the preparation. The higher molecular weight polypeptide, beta 58, was phosphorylated specifically by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. beta 56 was phosphorylated specifically by protein kinase C. beta 58 and beta 56 gave distinct patterns in a one-dimensional phosphopeptide analysis. The stoichiometry of phosphorylation (mol of phosphate/mol of muscimol binding) catalyzed by cAMP-dependent protein kinase was 0.52 and that catalyzed by protein kinase C was 0.38. Taken together these data confirm that there are two forms of the beta subunit of the GABAA receptor and suggest that these two forms of the beta subunit are phosphorylated by distinct kinases.