58,87-89 Phosphorylation of Ser845, along with

Ser831, appears to “prime” GluA1-containing AMPARs for LTP since, while neither residue appears absolutely required for LTP,63 knock-in mice lacking both of these phosphorylation sites show diminished LTP90 and mice expressing phosphomimetic aspartate residues at these positions show enhanced LTP.91,92 However, dephosphorylation of Ser845 appears important for LTD, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical since mice lacking phosphorylation at this residue show defects in hippocampal LTD, potentially through phosphorylationmediated regulation of receptor endocytosis.63,89 Another c-terminal GluA1 residue, Thr840 is phosphorylated by PKC93 or p70S6K.94 Dephosphorylation at this site occurs in response to NMDA stimulation94 suggesting a potential Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical role in LTD. PKC phosphorylation of GluA2 is a major determinant of LTD. Ser880 is located within the GluA2 c-terminal PDZ iigand (see below) responsible for binding to the PDZ domain-containing proteins PICK1 and GRIP. Phosphorylation of Ser880 reduces binding of GRIP1 to GluA2, but leaves PICK1 binding unaffected.95,96 Since GRIP1 binding stabilizes GluA2 at the surface Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and PICK1 has been proposed to function as a mobilization factor to promote receptor internalization, this differential binding to phosphorylated GluA2 is proposed to underlie GluA2 removal

during LTD.97 GluA2 is also phosphorylated by Src family tyrosine kinases at Tyr876, which regulates binding to the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor BRAG2. BRAG2 activates the small GTPase Arf6 and deletion Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of BRAG2 or inhibition of the GluA2-BRAG2 interaction prevents

AMPAR endocytosis and blocks both NMDAR- and mGluR-dependent LTD.98 Phosphorylation of GluA2 at Tyr876 reduces the GluA2-BRAG2 interaction, stabilizing GluA2-containing AMPARs at the surface. Similarly to LTP, phosphorylation of proteins other than AMPA Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical subunits themselves plays an important role in LTD. For example, the adaptor protein RalBPl promotes receptor endocytosis through binding to the APcomplex and the endocytic proteins epsin and Epsl5. RalBPl binds PSD-95 and the small GTPase RalA, which act in concert to Phosphoprotein phosphatase localize RalBPl to dendritic spines. The RalBPl -PSD-95 interaction is negatively regulated by PKA phosphorylation of RalBPl, and NMDA-induced dephosphorylation of RalBPl by protein Cilengitide clinical trial phosphatase 1 promotes its binding to PSD-95 to recruit RalBPl into spines leading to AMPAR endocytosis.99 Multiple interacting proteins orchestrate AMPAR trafficking AMPARs are the hub of highly dynamic macromolecular signaling complexes, which consist of a range of direct and indirect interacting proteins that regulate their biosynthesis, trafficking, scaffolding, stability, signaling, and turnover. The core components of the complex vary depending on the location of the AMPAR and the activity of the neuron. GluA1, 2, and 3 possess a PDZ-binding motif at their extreme c-terminus (Figure 2).