Trends in Neurosciences
Volume 34, Issue 12, December 2011, Pages 629-637
Journal home page for Trends in Neurosciences

Review
Src family kinases: modulators of neurotransmitter receptor function and behavior

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2011.09.005Get rights and content

Src family kinases (SFKs) are non-receptor-type protein tyrosine kinases that were originally identified as the products of proto-oncogenes and were subsequently implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation in the developing mammalian brain. Recent studies using transgenic mouse models have demonstrated that SFKs that are highly expressed in the adult brain regulate neuronal plasticity and behavior through tyrosine phosphorylation of key substrates such as neurotransmitter receptors. Here, we provide an overview of these recent studies, as well as discussing how modulation of the endocytosis of neurotransmitter receptors by SFKs contributes, in part, to this regulation. Deregulation of SFK-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of such substrates might underlie certain brain disorders.

Introduction

The role of Src family kinases (SFKs) in the central nervous system (CNS) was originally thought to be limited to the regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of neuronal cells 1, 2. However, SFKs are also expressed in differentiated, postmitotic neurons, suggesting that these protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) might also participate in the regulation of functions in the CNS beyond the developmental stage 3, 4, 5. Indeed, genetic ablation of SFKs such as Fyn or Lyn has been shown to result in behavioral abnormalities in adult mice 6, 7, suggesting that SFKs function in the regulation of neuronal plasticity and behavior. However, the molecular mechanisms of such regulation, in particular the identity of the relevant SFK substrates, remained largely unclear. Recent studies using genetically modified mouse models that either lack specific SFK substrates or have specific tyrosine phosphorylation sites mutated within substrates, have begun to shed light on these issues. Here, we provide an overview of recent progress in attempts to define the roles of SFKs in the regulation of neuronal function in the adult brain, with particular emphasis on the modulation of neurotransmitter receptors and behavior.

Section snippets

SFKs: general domain organization and activation mechanism

All SFKs share a conserved domain organization (Box 1). Autophosphorylation of a tyrosine residue (Y416, according to the convention of numbering amino acid residues relative to chicken Src) in the activation loop of the kinase domain is thought to increase the PTK activity of SFKs. By contrast, phosphorylation by other kinases, such as C-terminal Src kinase (Csk) or Csk homologous kinase (Chk), of a tyrosine residue (Y527) near the COOH-terminus of SFKs suppresses the kinase activity.

Roles of SFKs in the regulation of synaptic transmission

Recent studies have indicated that SFKs regulate neuronal plasticity and behavior through tyrosine phosphorylation of neurotransmitter receptors. These receptors include ionotropic glutamate receptors of the NMDA and AMPA subclasses (NMDARs and AMPARs), which contribute to excitatory transmission, as well as GABA type A receptors (GABAARs), which mediate the majority of fast synaptic inhibition in the adult mammalian brain.

Importance of SFKs in the regulation of responsiveness to alcohol

Behavioral responses to drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, morphine and alcohol, are thought to be associated with functional modulation of neurotransmitter receptors and resultant changes in synaptic plasticity (reviewed in 56, 57). Regulation of neurotransmitter receptors by SFKs might thus contribute to drug-evoked plasticity changes and behavioral changes that occur in response to drugs of abuse.

Indeed, SFKs are implicated in the central action of alcohol. Fyn-deficient mice manifest an

Concluding remarks

SFK-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of neurotransmitter receptors, including NMDARs, AMPARs and GABAARs, as well as modulatory signaling proteins, such as SIRPα has been implicated in the regulation of various brain functions (Figure 4). Phosphorylation-dependent modulation of receptor endocytosis might be a common mechanism underlying the regulation of neurotransmitter receptor function by SFKs. SFKs also mediate phosphorylation of other ion channels, such as large-conductance Ca2+-activated

Acknowledgments

The work in the authors’ laboratories was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas Cancer, a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), and a Global Center of Excellence Program grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.

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