Disruption of polycystin-L causes hippocampal and thalamocortical hyperexcitability

Hum Mol Genet. 2016 Feb 1;25(3):448-58. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddv484. Epub 2015 Nov 26.

Abstract

Epilepsy or seizure disorder is among the least understood chronic medical conditions affecting over 65 million people worldwide. Here, we show that disruption of the polycystic kidney disease 2-like 1 (Pkd2l1 or Pkdl), encoding polycystin-L (PCL), a non-selective cation channel, increases neuronal excitability and the susceptibility to pentylenetetrazol-induced seizure in mice. PCL interacts with β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) and co-localizes with β2AR on the primary cilia of neurons in the brain. Pkdl deficiency leads to the loss of β2AR on neuronal cilia, which is accompanied with a remarkable reduction in cAMP levels in the central nervous system (CNS). The reduction of cAMP levels is associated with a reduction in the activation of cAMP response element-binding protein, but not the activation of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, Akt or mitogen-activated protein kinases. Our data, thus, indicate for the first time that a ciliary protein complex is required for the control of neuronal excitability in the CNS.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium Channels / deficiency
  • Calcium Channels / genetics*
  • Cerebral Cortex / metabolism*
  • Cerebral Cortex / pathology
  • Cilia / metabolism
  • Cilia / pathology
  • Cyclic AMP / metabolism
  • Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / genetics*
  • Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / metabolism
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Disease Susceptibility
  • Epilepsy / chemically induced
  • Epilepsy / genetics*
  • Epilepsy / metabolism
  • Epilepsy / pathology
  • Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials
  • Gene Deletion
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Hippocampus / metabolism*
  • Hippocampus / pathology
  • Humans
  • Ion Transport
  • Mice
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Neurons / pathology
  • Pentylenetetrazole
  • Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 / genetics*
  • Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 / metabolism
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / deficiency
  • Receptors, Cell Surface / genetics*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Thalamus / metabolism*
  • Thalamus / pathology

Substances

  • Calcium Channels
  • Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein
  • Pkd2l1 protein, mouse
  • Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2
  • Receptors, Cell Surface
  • Cyclic AMP
  • Pentylenetetrazole