Abstract
In central neurons, the cell-surface distribution of cannabinoid receptor subtype-1 (CB1) is highly polarized toward axons and is associated with synaptic terminals, in which it is well-positioned to modulate neurotransmitter release. It has been suggested that high levels of constitutive activity mediate CB1 receptor axonal targeting, leading to domain-specific endocytosis. We have investigated further the mechanisms that underlie CB1 receptor axonal polarization in hippocampal neurons and found that constitutive activity is not an essential requirement for this process. We demonstrate that the cell-surface distribution of an N-terminally tagged, fluorescent CB1 receptor fusion-protein is almost exclusively localized to the axon when expressed in cultured hippocampal neurons. Inhibition of endocytosis by cotransfection with a dominant-negative dynamin-1 (K44A) mutant traps both recombinant and endogenous CB1 receptors at the somatodendritic cell surface. However, this effect could not be mimicked by inhibiting constitutive activity or receptor activation, either by expressing mutant receptors that lack these properties or by treatment with CB1 receptor antagonists possessing inverse agonist activity. These data are consistent with a revised model in which domain-specific endocytosis regulates the functional polarization of CB1 receptors, but this process is distinct from constitutive activity.
Footnotes
-
This work was supported by The Anonymous Trust (Dundee), the Medical Research Council, Tenovus (Scotland), and the University of Dundee.
-
Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org.
-
doi:10.1124/mol.106.029348.
-
ABBREVIATIONS: CB1, cannabinoid receptor subtype-1; GPCR, G protein-coupled receptor; GFP, enhanced green fluorescent protein; MAP2, microtubule-associated protein 2; GAD65, glutamate decarboxylase type 65; AM281, 1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-4-methyl-N-4-morpholinyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide; Win55212-2, (R)-(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-(4-morpholinylmethyl) pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazin-6-yl]-1-naphthalenylmethanone mesylate; HU210, (6aR)-trans-3-(1,1-dimethylheptyl)-6a,7,10,10a-tetrahydro-1-hydroxy-6,6-dimethyl-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran-9-methanol; SR141716A, 5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-N-(piperidin-1-yl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide; aa, amino acids; HA, hemagglutinin; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; SS, signal sequence; DIV, days in vitro; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; ANOVA, analysis of variance; D/A, dendritic/axonal; HEK, human embryonic kidney.
- Received July 28, 2006.
- Accepted December 15, 2006.
- The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
MolPharm articles become freely available 12 months after publication, and remain freely available for 5 years.Non-open access articles that fall outside this five year window are available only to institutional subscribers and current ASPET members, or through the article purchase feature at the bottom of the page.
|