Porcupine Controls Hippocampal AMPAR Levels, Composition, and Synaptic Transmission

SummaryAMPA receptor (AMPAR) complexes contain auxiliary subunits that modulate receptor trafficking and gating. In addition to the transmembrane AMPAR regulatory proteins (TARPs) and cornichons (CNIH-2/3), recent proteomic studies identified a diverse array of additional AMPAR-associated transmembrane and secreted partners. We systematically surveyed these and found that PORCN and ABHD6 increase GluA1 levels in transfected cells. Knockdown of PORCN in rat hippocampal neurons, which express it in high amounts, selectively reduces levels of all tested AMPAR complex components. Regulation of AMPARs is independent of PORCN’s membrane-associated O-acyl transferase activity. PORCN knockdown in hippocampal neurons decreases AMPAR currents and accelerates desensitization and leads to depletion of TARP γ-8 from AMPAR complexes. Conditional PORCN knockout mice also exhibit specific changes in AMPAR expression and gating that reduce basal synaptic transmission but leave long-term potentiation intact. These studies define additional roles for PORCN in controlling synaptic transmission by regulating the level and composition of hippocampal AMPAR complexes

Characterization of the HCN Interaction Partner TRIP8b/PEX5R in the Intracardiac Nervous System of TRIP8b-Deficient and Wild-Type Mice

The tetratricopeptide repeat-containing Rab8b-interacting protein (TRIP8b/PEX5R) is an interaction partner and auxiliary subunit of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels, which are key for rhythm generation in the brain and in the heart. Since TRIP8b is expressed in central neurons but not in cardiomyocytes, the TRIP8b-HCN interaction has been studied intensely in the brain, but is deemed irrelevant in the cardiac conduction system. Still, to date, TRIP8b has not been studied in the intrinsic cardiac nervous system (ICNS), a neuronal network located within epicardial fat pads. In vitro electrophysiological studies revealed that TRIP8b-deficient mouse hearts exhibit increased atrial refractory and atrioventricular nodal refractory periods, compared to hearts of wild-type littermates. Meanwhile, heart rate, sino-nodal recovery time, and ventricular refractory period did not differ between genotypes. Trip8b mRNA was detected in the ICNS by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RNAscope in situ hybridization confirmed Trip8b localization in neuronal somata and nerve fibers. Additionally, we found a very low amount of mRNAs in the sinus node and atrioventricular node, most likely attributable to the delicate fibers innervating the conduction system. In contrast, TRIP8b protein was not detectable. Our data suggest that TRIP8b in the ICNS may play a role in the modulation of atrial electrophysiology beyond HCN-mediated sino-nodal control of the heart

Disease-associated HCN4 V759I variant is not sufficient to impair cardiac pacemaking

The hyperpolarization-activated cation current