title: Dopamine D1 receptors co-distribute with N-methyl-D-aspartic acid type-1 subunits and modulate synaptically-evoked N-methyl-D-aspartic acid currents in rat basolateral amygdala.
abstract: Activation of dopamine D1 or glutamate, N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) can potently influence affective behaviors and associative learning. Physical protein-protein interactions also can occur between C-terminal peptides of D1 receptors and the NMDA-receptor subunit-1 (NR1), suggesting intracellular associations of direct relevance to dopaminergic modulation of NMDA currents. We examined this possibility by combining electron microscopic immunolabeling of the D1 and NR1 C-terminal peptides with in vitro patch-clamp recording in the rat BLA. In the in vivo preparations, D1 and NR1 were localized to the surface or endomembranes of many of the same somata and dendrites as well as a few axon terminals, including those forming asymmetric, excitatory-type synapses. In vitro analysis of physiologically characterized projection neurons revealed an excitatory response to bath application of either dopamine or the preferential D1 receptor agonist, dihydrexidine. In these neurons, dopamine also selectively reduced stimulation-evoked isolated NMDA receptor-mediated currents, but not isolated non-NMDA receptor-mediated currents or the response to exogenous NMDA application. The selective reduction of the NMDA receptor-mediated currents suggests that this effect occurs at a postsynaptic locus. Moreover, both D1 and NR1 were localized to postsynaptic surfaces of biocytin-filled and physiologically characterized projection neurons. Our results provide ultrastructural evidence for D1/NR1 endomembrane associations that may dynamically contribute to the attenuation of NMDA receptor-mediated currents following prior activation of D1 receptors in BLA projection neurons. The potential for postsynaptic cross-talk between D1 and NMDA receptors in BLA projection neurons as well as a similar interaction in presynaptic terminals could have important implications for the formation and extinction of affective memories.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 411 East 69th Street, Room KB-410, New York, NY 10021, USA. vpickel@med.cornell.edu
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Pickel
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Colago
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mania
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Molosh
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Rainnie
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000166:cytology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001552:Benzazepines / Q000494:pharmacology; D002839:Chromans / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008239:Lysine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron / Q000379:methods; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000379:methods; D010617:Phenanthridines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000502:physiology*; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D001552:Benzazepines; D002839:Chromans; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; C409466:NR1 NMDA receptor; D010617:Phenanthridines; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; C061532:dihydrexidine; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; C065380:A 68930; C013411:biocytin; D008239:Lysine; D004298:Dopamine