title: Growth differentiation factor-15 promotes glutamate release in medial prefrontal cortex of mice through upregulation of T-type calcium channels.
abstract: Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) has been implicated in ischemic brain injury and synapse development, but its involvement in modulating neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effects of GDF-15 on non-evoked miniature excitatory post-synaptic currents (mEPSCs) and neurotransmitter release in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in mice. Incubation of mPFC slices with GDF-15 for 60 min significantly increased the frequency of mEPSCs without effect on their amplitude. GDF-15 also significantly elevated presynaptic glutamate release, as shown by HPLC. These effects were blocked by dual TGF-β type I receptor (TβRI) and TGF-β type II receptor (TβRII) antagonists, but not by a TβRI antagonist alone. Meanwhile, GDF-15 enhanced pERK level, and inhibition of MAPK/ERK activity attenuated the GDF-15-induced increases in mEPSC and glutamate release. Blocking T-type calcium channels reduced the GDF-15 induced up-regulation of synaptic transmission. Membrane-protein extraction and use of an intracellular protein-transport inhibitor showed that GDF-15 promoted CaV3.1 and CaV3.3 α-subunit expression by trafficking to the membrane. These results confirm previous findings in cerebellar granule neurons, in which GDF-15 induces its neurobiological effects via TβRII and activation of the ERK pathway, providing novel insights into the mechanism of GDF-15 function in cortical neurons.
authors.affiliation: Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Dong-Dong
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Jun-Mei
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Qian-Ru
authors.initials: QR
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Changlong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Institutes of Brain Science, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Ai
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Mei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D055436:Growth Differentiation Factor 15 / Q000378:metabolism*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D000077294:Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C498197:Cacna1g protein, mouse; C534770:Cacna1i protein, mouse; D020747:Calcium Channels, T-Type; C526141:Gdf15 protein, mouse; D055436:Growth Differentiation Factor 15; D018125:Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D000077294:Receptor, Transforming Growth Factor-beta Type II