Selective Role of RGS9-2 in Regulating Retrograde Synaptic Signaling of Indirect Pathway Medium Spiny Neurons in Dorsal Striatum

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
Chenghui SongKirill A Martemyanov

Abstract

In the striatum, medium spiny neurons (MSNs) are heavily involved in controlling movement and reward. MSNs form two distinct populations expressing either dopamine receptor 1 (D1-MSN) or dopamine receptor 2 (D2-MSN), which differ in their projection targets and neurochemical composition. The activity of both types of MSNs is shaped by multiple neuromodulatory inputs processed by GPCRs that fundamentally impact their synaptic properties biasing behavioral outcomes. How these GPCR signaling cascades are regulated and what downstream targets they recruit in D1-MSN and D2-MSN populations are incompletely understood. In this study, we examined the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the action of RGS9-2, a key GPCR regulator in MSNs implicated in both movement control and actions of addictive drugs. Imaging cultured striatal neurons, we found that ablation of RGS9-2 significantly reduced calcium influx through NMDARs. Electrophysiological recordings in slices confirmed inhibition of NMDAR function in MSNs, resulting in enhanced AMPAR/NMDAR ratio. Accordingly, male mice lacking RGS9-2 displayed behavioral hypersensitivity to NMDAR blockade by MK-801 or ketamine. Recordings from genetically identified populations of striatal ...Continue Reading

Citations

Jul 22, 2021·Biochemistry. Biokhimii︠a︡·Olga P BalezinaAlexander E Gaydukov
Aug 4, 2021·Neuropharmacology·Bryony Laura Winters, Christopher Walter Vaughan

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