Descripción: In this report we describe our studies on intracellular signals that mediate neurite outgrowth and long-term survival of cerebellar granule cells. The effect of voltage-gated calcium channel activation on neurite complexity was evaluated in cultured cerebellar granule cells grown for 48 h at low density; the parameter measured was the fractal dimension of the cell. We explored the contribution of two intracellular pathways, Ca2+ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1), to the effects of high [K+]e under serum-free conditions. We found that 25 mM KCI (25K) induced an increase in calcium influx through L subtype channels. In neurones grown for 24-48 h under low-density conditions, the activation of these channels induced neurite outgrowth through the activation of Ca2+ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. This also produced an increase in long-term neuronal survival with a partial contribution from the MEK1 pathway. We also found that the addition of 25K increased the levels of the phosphorylated forms of Ca2+ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and of the extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2. Neuronal survival under resting conditions is supported by the MEK1 pathway. We conclude that intracellular calcium oscillations can triggered different biological effects depending on the stage of maturation of the neuronal phenotype. Ca2+ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activation determines the growth of neurites and the development of neuronal complexity.

Descripción: Pineal hormone melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is thought to modulate the calcium/calmodulin signaling pathway either by changing intracellular Ca2+ concentration via activation of its G-protein-coupled membrane receptors, or through a direct interaction with calmodulin (CaM). The present work studies the direct interaction of melatonin with intact calcium-saturated CaM both experimentally, by fluorescence and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies, and theoretically, by molecular dynamics simulations. The analysis of the experimental data shows that the interaction is calcium-dependent. The affinity, as obtained from monitoring 15N and 1H chemical shift changes for a melatonin titration, is weak (in the millimolar range) and comparable for the N- and C-terminal domains. Partial replacement of diamagnetic Ca2+ by paramagnetic Tb3+ allowed the measurement of interdomain NMR pseudocontact shifts and residual dipolar couplings, indicating that each domain movement in the complex is not correlated with the other one. Molecular dynamics simulations allow us to follow the dynamics of melatonin in the binding pocket of CaM. Overall, this study provides an example of how a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches can shed light on a weakly interacting system of biological and pharmacological significance.

Descripción: Nur factors are critical for proopiomelanocortin (POMC) induction by CRH in corticotrophs, but the pathways linking CRH to Nur are unknown. In this study we show that in AtT-20 corticotrophs CRH and cAMP induce Nur77 and Nurr1 expression and transcription at the NurRE site by protein kinase A (PKA) and calcium-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Calcium pathways depend on calmodulin kinase II (CAMKII) activity, and calcium-independent pathways are accounted for in part by MAPK activation (Rap1/B-Raf/MAPK-ERK kinase/ERK1/2), demonstrated by the use of molecular and pharmacological tools. ATT-20 corticotrophs express B-Raf, as do other cells in which cAMP stimulates MAPK. CRH/cAMP stimulated ERK2 activity and increased transcriptional activity of a Gal4-Elk1 protein, which was blocked by overexpression of dominant negative mutants and kinase inhibitors and stimulated by expression of B-Raf. The MAPK kinase inhibitors did not affect Nur77 and Nurr1 mRNA induction but blocked CRH or cAMP-stimulated Nur transcriptional activity. Moreover, MAPK stimulated phosphorylation and transactivation of Nur77. The functional impact of these pathways was confirmed at the POMC promoter. In conclusion, in AtT-20 corticotrophs the CRH/cAMP signaling that leads to Nur77/Nurr1 mRNA induction and transcriptional activation, and thus POMC expression, is dependent on protein kinase A and involves calcium/calmodulin kinase II (Nur induction/activation) and MAPK calcium-dependent and -independent (Nur phosphorylation-activation) pathways.

Descripción: Long-term memory (LTM) consolidation requires the synthesis of plasticity-related proteins (PRPs). In addition, we have shown recently that LTM formation also requires the setting of a "learning tag" able to capture those PRPs. Weak training, which results only in short-term memory, can set a tag to use PRPs derived from a temporal-spatial closely related event to promote LTM formation. Here, we studied the involvement of glutamatergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic inputs on the setting of an inhibitory avoidance (IA) learning tag and the synthesis of PRPs. Rats explored an open field (PRP donor) followed by weak (tag inducer) or strong (tag inducer plus PRP donor) IA training. Throughout pharmacological interventions around open-field and/or IA sessions, we found that hippocampal dopamine D1/D5- and β-adrenergic receptors are specifically required to induce PRP synthesis. Moreover, activation of the glutamatergic NMDA receptors is required for setting the learning tags, and this machinery further required α-Ca 2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and PKA but not ERK1/2 activity. Together, the present findings emphasize an essential role of the induction of PRPs and learning tags for LTM formation. The existence of only the PRP or the tag was insufficient for stabilization of the mnemonic trace.

Descripción: CRH is a key regulator of neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral response to stress. CRHstimulated CRH receptor 1 (CRHR1) activates ERK1/2 depending on intracellular context. In a previous work, we demonstrated that CRH activates ERK1/2 in limbic areas of the mouse brain (hippocampus and basolateral amygdala). ERK1/2 is an essential mediator of hippocampal physiological processes including emotional behavior, synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which CRH activates ERK1/2 in hippocampal neurons, we used the mouse hippocampal cell line HT22. We document for the first time that ERK1/2 activation in response to CRH is biphasic, involving a first cAMP- and B-Raf-dependent early phase and a second phase that critically depends on CRHR1 internalization and β-arrestin2. By means of mass-spectrometry-based screening, we identified B-Raf-associated proteins that coimmunoprecipitate with endogenous B-Raf after CRHR1 activation. Using molecular and pharmacological tools, the functional impact of selected B-Raf partners in CRH-dependent ERK1/2 activation was dissected. These results indicate that 14-3-3 proteins, protein kinase A, and Rap1, are essential for early CRH-induced ERK1/2 activation, whereas dynamin and vimentin are required for the CRHR1 internalization-dependent phase. Both phases of ERK1/2 activation depend on calcium influx and are affected by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inactivation. Thus, this report describes the dynamics and biphasic nature of ERK1/2 activation downstream neuronal CRHR1 and identifies several new critical components of the CRHR1 signaling machinery that selectively controls the early and late phases of ERK1/2 activation, thus providing new potential therapeutic targets for stress-related disorders. © 2013 by The Endocrine Society.