Jun-Ichi Goto

Potent transglutaminase inhibitors, dithio β-aminoethyl ketones

Aryl beta-aminoethyl ketones were discovered as potent inhibitors of tissue transglutaminase. Heteroaryl-like thiophene groups and N-benzyl N-t-butyl aminoethyl group are critical to the strong inhibitory activity of aryl beta-aminoethyl ketones.

Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor-Mediated Calcium Release in Purkinje Cells: From Molecular Mechanism to Behavior

The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor is highly expressed in cerebellar Purkinje cells and mediates conspicuous calcium release from intracellular calcium stores. Receptor stimulation, such as through mGluR1, activates the Gq–PLC pathway, which leads to IP3-induced calcium release and subsequent cellular responses, including cerebellar long-term depression in Purkinje cells. Recent studies have demonstrated the regulatory mechanisms of IP3 receptor, revealing activation via IP3 and Ca2+, inactivation via high concentrations of Ca2+, and modulation by various proteins that bind to the IP3 receptor. Novel calcium imaging techniques and caged compounds provide analysis of calcium signals at the single spine level in relation to the induction of long-term depression. Genetically encoded indicators for calcium or IP3 could provide alternate Ca2+ or IP3 imaging, in particular, for in vivo observations. IP3-induced calcium release participates in early development of dendritic branch formation, and loss-of-function mutations or hyper-activation could result various diseases. The IP3 receptor plays a central role in calcium signaling in Purkinje cells, affecting a wide variety of cellular functions, including development, plasticity, maintenance of synaptic functions, and cerebellar motor control.

Mechanistic basis of bell-shaped dependence of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor gating on cytosolic calcium

The inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptor (IP3R) is an intracellular Ca2+ release channel, and its opening is controlled by IP3 and Ca2+. A single IP3 binding site and multiple Ca2+ binding sites exist on single subunits, but the precise nature of the interplay between these two ligands in regulating biphasic dependence of channel activity on cytosolic Ca2+ is unknown. In this study, we visualized conformational changes in IP3R evoked by various concentrations of ligands by using the FRET between two fluorescent proteins fused to the N terminus of individual subunits. IP3 and Ca2+ have opposite effects on the FRET signal change, but the combined effect of these ligands is not a simple summative response. The bell-shaped Ca2+ dependence of FRET efficiency was observed after the subtraction of the component corresponding to the FRET change evoked by Ca2+ alone from the FRET changes evoked by both ligands together. A mutant IP3R containing a single amino acid substitution at K508, which is critical for IP3 binding, did not exhibit this bell-shaped Ca2+ dependence of the subtracted FRET efficiency. Mutation at E2100, which is known as a Ca2+ sensor, resulted in ∼10-fold reduction in the Ca2+ dependence of the subtracted signal. These results suggest that the subtracted FRET signal reflects IP3R activity. We propose a five-state model, which implements a dual-ligand competition response without complex allosteric regulation of Ca2+ binding affinity, as the mechanism underlying the IP3-dependent regulation of the bell-shaped relationship between the IP3R activity and cytosolic Ca2+.

Synthesis of bisboron compounds and their strong inhibitory activity on store-operated calcium entry

Store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) is an important mechanism for replenishing intracellular calcium stores and for sustaining calcium signaling. We developed a method for synthesis of bisboron compounds that have two borinic acids or their esters in one molecule. These compounds are analogues of 2-APB, which is widely used as a membrane-permeable SOCE inhibitor. Further, we examined the effect of the newly synthesized bisboron compounds on SOCE in Jurkat T cells. All the bisboron compounds showed strong inhibitory activity on SOCE, with IC50 values of less than 1 microM, which were 20-45 times lower than observed with 2-APB.

Role of inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptors in the postsynaptic expression of guinea pig hippocampal mossy fiber depotentiation.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal mossy fiber-CA3 pyramidal neuron synapses was induced in the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) by the delivery of HFS (a tetanus of two trains of 100 pulses at 100 Hz with a 10s interval) and was reversed (depotentiated) by a train of LFS of 1000 pulses at 2 Hz applied 60 min later. This depotentiation was triggered by activation of inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) during HFS, which may increase the postsynaptic intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, leading to a cellular process responsible for modification of LTP expression at mossy fiber-CA3 synapses. Furthermore, we found that activation of IP3Rs or protein phosphatase during LFS was required for the reversal of LTP expressed at mossy fiber-CA3 synapses. These results suggest that, in hippocampal mossy fiber-CA3 neuron synapses, activation of IP3Rs by a preconditioning HFS results in modulation of IP3R activation and/or postsynaptic protein phosphorylation during a subsequent LFS, leading to a decrease in the field EPSP and the erasure of LTP.

Prior activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors suppresses the subsequent induction of long-term potentiation in hippocampal CA1 neurons

We investigated the role of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) activated by preconditioning low-frequency afferent stimulation (LFS) in the subsequent induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in CA1 neurons in hippocampal slices from mature guinea pigs. Induction of LTP in the field excitatory postsynaptic potential or the population spike by the delivery of high-frequency stimulation (HFS, a tetanus of 100 pulses at 100 Hz) to the Schaffer collateral-commissural pathway to CA1 neuron synapses was suppressed when group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) were activated prior to the delivery of HFS. LTP induction was also suppressed when CA1 synapses were preconditioned 60 min before HFS by LFS of 1000 pulses at 1 Hz and this effect was inhibited when the test stimulation delivered at 0.05 Hz was either halted or applied in the presence of an antagonist ofN-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, group I mGluRs, or IP3Rs during a 20-min period from 20 to 40 min after the end of LFS. Furthermore, blockade of group I mGluRs or IP3Rs immediately before the delivery of HFS overcame the effects of the preconditioning LFS on LTP induction. These results suggest that, in CA1 neurons, after a preconditioning LFS, activation of group I mGluRs caused by the test stimulation results in IP3Rs activation that leads to a failure of LTP induction.

Activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors during preconditioning low-frequency stimulation suppresses subsequent induction of long-term potentiation in hippocampal CA1 neurons

We investigated the role of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) activated during preconditioning low-frequency stimulation (LFS) in the subsequent high-frequency stimulation (HFS)-induced induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in CA1 neurons in hippocampal slices from mature guinea pigs. Induction of LTP in the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) or the population spike (PS) by delivery of HFS (a tetanus of 100 pulses at 100 Hz) to the Schaffer collateral-commissural pathway to CA1 neuron synapses was suppressed when the CA1 synapses were preconditioned by LFS of 1000 pulses at 1 Hz. This effect was inhibited when the preconditioning LFS was applied in the presence of an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) antagonist, a metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) antagonist, IP3R antagonist, a calmodulin-dependent kinase II inhibitor or a calcineurin inhibitor. Furthermore, blockade of group I mGluRs immediately before the delivery of HFS blocked the inhibitory effect of the preconditioning LFS on subsequent induction of LTP by HFS. These results suggest that, in hippocampal CA1 neuron synapses, co-activation of NMDARs and IP3Rs during a preconditioning LFS results in both phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events that lead to prolonged activation of group I mGluRs that is responsible for the failure of LTP induction.

Suppressive effect of preconditioning low-frequency stimulation on subsequent induction of long-term potentiation by high frequency stimulation in hippocampal CA3 neurons

We investigated the role of inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs), activated during preconditioning low-frequency afferent stimulation (LFS), in the subsequent induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) in CA3 neurons in hippocampal slices from mature guinea pigs. Induction of LTP in the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) by the delivery of high-frequency stimulation (HFS, a tetanus of two trains of 100 pulses at 100Hz with a 10s interval) to mossy fiber-CA3 neuron synapses was suppressed when CA3 synapses were preconditioned by the LFS of 1000 pulses at 2Hz and this effect was inhibited when the LFS preconditioning was performed in the presence of an IP3R antagonist or a protein phosphatase inhibitor. Furthermore, activation of group 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) during HFS canceled the effects of an IP3R antagonist given during preconditioning LFS on the subsequent LTP induction at mossy fiber-CA3 synapses. These results suggest that, in hippocampal mossy fiber-CA3 neuron synapses, activation of IP3Rs during a preconditioning LFS results in dephosphorylation events that lead to failure of the HFS to induce subsequent LTP.

Role of postsynaptic inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptors in depotentiation in guinea pig hippocampal CA1 neurons

The long-term potentiation (LTP) in the field excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) induced at hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron synapses by delivery of high frequency stimulation (HFS), a tetanus of 100 pulses at 100Hz, is decreased (depotentiation) by a train of low frequency stimulation (LFS) of 1000 pulses at 2Hz applied 30min later. Inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) activated both during the HFS and after the LFS are involved in this depotentiation, the former triggering, and the latter modifying, LTP induction (decreasing the amplitude of the LTP established by the priming HFS). Furthermore, the decrease in the LTP at CA1 synapses requires activation of IP3Rs during LFS and activation of calcineurin after LFS. These results suggest that, at hippocampal CA1 neuron synapses, HFS-induced IP3R activation, which is modulated by the subsequent LFS, results in postsynaptic protein dephosphorylation after the LFS, leading to a decrease in the field EPSP and in the HFS-induced LTP.

Mechanistic basis of the bell-shaped dependence of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor gating on cytosolic calcium

O3-J-2-1 Mechanistic basis of the bell-shaped dependence of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor gating on cytosolic calcium Takayuki Michikawa 1,2,3 , Tadashi Shinohara 2, Masahiro Enomoto 2, Jun-Ichi Goto 2, Miwako Iwai 4, Toru Matsu-ura 2, Haruka Yamazaki 2, Akitoshi Miyamoto 2, Akio Suzuki 2, Katsuhiko Mikoshiba 2,3 1 Lab. Mol. Neurogenesis, RIKEN Brain Sci. Inst., Wako, Japan 2 Lab. Dev. Neurobiol., RIKEN Brain Sci. Inst., Wako, Japan 3 Calcium Oscillation Project, ICORP-SORST, JST, Kawaguchi, Japan 4 Div. Mol. Phathol., Inst. Med. Sci., Univ. Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan