Beta-arrestins are cytosolic proteins that interact with the carboxy-terminal tails of seven-transmembrane receptors (i.e., GPCRs) and play a role in desensitization, internalization, and scaffolding other proteins that initiate intracellular signalng cascades independent of G protein activation. Because the latter non-canonical signaling mode is a relatively new discovery, the extent to which beta-arrestins transduce G protein-independent signaling downstream of most types of GPCRs is unknown. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) represent one such family of receptors with a largely uncharacterized relationship to beta-arrestins. In this project, we will test the hypothesis that group I mGluRs (mGluR1 and mGluR5) have the potential to activate b-arrestin-dependent signaling pathways, and that signaling through non-G protein-mediated mechanisms in part underlie mGluR-dependent forms of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.
In Specific Aim 1, we will determine which group I mGluRs associate with b-arrestin-1 and -2 in the mammalian brain and examine how an mGluR1-dependent form of hippocampal plasticity at mossy fiber - CA3 pyramidal neuron synapses is altered by association with one or both b-arrestins.
In Specific Aim 2, we will elucidate which signaling cascades underlie mGluR1-dependent plasticity at mossy fiber synapses.
In Specific Aim 3, we will test the role of b-arrestins in a group I mGluR-dependent plasticity at Schaffer collateral - CA1 pyramidal neuron synapses. These experiments have the potential to reveal an unexpected contribution by novel signaling pathways, those downstream of mGluRs but independent of canonical G protein processes, in synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. The existence of beta-arrestin-dependent signaling would also support the potential development of biased ligands for mGluRs. The outcomes of this study could therefore yield insight into new strategies for therapeutic targeting of group I mGluRs, which in recent years has been pursued for a number of neuropathologies.

Public Health Relevance

Understanding how G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) signal is a fundamental goal in neuroscience, because these receptors comprise the largest group of drug targets in the central nervous system. New research suggest that G protein-independent signaling mechanisms initiated by b-arrestin proteins play a significant but poorly understood role in GPCR signaling processes. We will test the role of b-arrestins in neurophysiological actions mediated by metabotropic glutamate receptors, a family of GPCRs of critical importance to excitatory synaptic transmission and plasticity in the CNS.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
5R21NS088916-02
Application #
8867312
Study Section
Molecular Neuropharmacology and Signaling Study Section (MNPS)
Program Officer
Stewart, Randall R
Project Start
2014-07-01
Project End
2016-06-30
Budget Start
2015-07-01
Budget End
2016-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Northwestern University at Chicago
Department
Pharmacology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
005436803
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60611
Eng, Andrew G; Kelver, Daniel A; Hedrick, Tristan P et al. (2016) Transduction of group I mGluR-mediated synaptic plasticity by ?-arrestin2 signalling. Nat Commun 7:13571