Bidirectional regulation of synaptic transmission by BRAG1/IQSEC2 and its requirement in long-term depression. Nat Commun 2016 Mar 24;7:11080
Date
03/25/2016Pubmed ID
27009485Pubmed Central ID
PMC4820844DOI
10.1038/ncomms11080Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84962285783 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 35 CitationsAbstract
Dysfunction of the proteins regulating synaptic function can cause synaptic plasticity imbalance that underlies neurological disorders such as intellectual disability. A study found that four distinct mutations within BRAG1, an Arf-GEF synaptic protein, each led to X-chromosome-linked intellectual disability (XLID). Although the physiological functions of BRAG1 are poorly understood, each of these mutations reduces BRAG1's Arf-GEF activity. Here we show that BRAG1 is required for the activity-dependent removal of AMPA receptors in rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons. Moreover, we show that BRAG1 bidirectionally regulates synaptic transmission. On one hand, BRAG1 is required for the maintenance of synaptic transmission. On the other hand, BRAG1 expression enhances synaptic transmission, independently of BRAG1 Arf-GEF activity or neuronal activity, but dependently on its C-terminus interactions. This study demonstrates a dual role of BRAG1 in synaptic function and highlights the functional relevance of reduced BRAG1 Arf-GEF activity as seen in the XLID-associated human mutations.
Author List
Brown JC, Petersen A, Zhong L, Himelright ML, Murphy JA, Walikonis RS, Gerges NZAuthor
Nashaat Gerges PhD Chair, Professor in the School of Pharmacy Administration department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Amino Acid SequenceGuanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors
HEK293 Cells
Humans
Long-Term Synaptic Depression
Receptors, AMPA
Synaptic Transmission
