title: Constitutive activation of the G-protein subunit Galphas within forebrain neurons causes PKA-dependent alterations in fear conditioning and cortical Arc mRNA expression.
abstract: Memory formation requires cAMP signaling; thus, this cascade has been of great interest in the search for cognitive enhancers. Given that medications are administered long-term, we determined the effects of chronically increasing cAMP synthesis in the brain by expressing a constitutively active isoform of the G-protein subunit Galphas (Galphas*) in postnatal forebrain neurons of mice. Previously, we showed that Galphas* mice exhibit increased adenylyl cyclase activity but decreased cAMP levels in cortex and hippocampus due to a PKA-dependent increase in total cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity. Here, we extend previous findings by determining if Galphas* mice show increased activity of specific PDE families that are regulated by PKA, if Galphas* mice show PKA-dependent deficits in fear memory, and if these memory deficits are associated with PKA-dependent alterations in neuronal activity as mapped by Arc mRNA expression. Consistent with previous findings, we show here that Galphas* mice exhibit a significant compensatory increase in cAMP PDE1 activity and a trend toward increased cAMP PDE4 activity. Further, inhibiting the presumably elevated PKA activity in Galphas* mice fully rescues short- and long-term memory deficits in a fear-conditioning task, while extending the training session from one to four CS-US pairings partially rescues these deficits. Mapping of Arc mRNA levels suggests these PKA-dependent memory deficits may be related to decreased neuronal activity specifically within the cortex. Galphas* mice show decreased Arc mRNA expression in CA1, orbital cortex, and cortical regions surrounding the hippocampus; however, only the deficits in cortical regions surrounding the hippocampus are PKA dependent. Our results imply that chronically stimulating targets upstream of cAMP may detrimentally affect cognition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. kellym22@wyeth.com
authors.forename: Michele P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: York-Fong
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Favilla
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kanes
authors.forename: Miles D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Houslay
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abel
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs / Q000502:physiology*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008568:Memory; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C092069:activity regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D010727:Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases; D019205:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gs