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Phosphorylation of GluR4 AMPA‐type glutamate receptor subunit by protein kinase C in cultured retina amacrine neurons
Author(s) -
Carvalho Ana Luísa,
Correia Susana,
Faro Carlos J.,
Duarte Carlos B.,
Carvalho Arsélio P.,
Pires Euclides M. V.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1046/j.0953-816x.2001.01881.x
Subject(s) - ampa receptor , kainate receptor , protein kinase c , microbiology and biotechnology , glutamate receptor , biology , chemistry , receptor , biochemistry , phosphorylation
We have previously reported that the activity of α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptors is potentiated by protein kinase C (PKC) in cultured chick retina amacrine neurons, and that constitutive PKC activity is necessary for basal AMPA receptor activity (Carvalho et al ., 1998). In this study, we evaluated the phosphorylation of the GluR4 subunit, which is very abundant in cultured amacrine neurons, to correlate it with the effects of PKC on AMPA receptor activity in these cells. 32 P‐labelling of GluR4 increased upon AMPA receptor stimulation or cell treatment with phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate (PMA) before stimulating with kainate. By contrast, phosphorylation of GluR4 was not changed when PKC was inhibited by treating the cells with the selective PKC inhibitor GF 109203X before stimulation with kainate. We conclude that GluR4 is phosphorylated upon PKC activation and/or stimulation of AMPA receptors in cultured amacrine cells. Additionally, AMPA receptor activation with kainate in cultured chick amacrine cells leads to translocation of conventional and novel PKC isoforms to the cell membrane, suggesting that PKC could be activated upon AMPA receptor stimulation in these cells.