Trends in Neurosciences
ReviewSrc family kinases: modulators of neurotransmitter receptor function and behavior
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.
References (94)
Specific expressions of Fyn and Lyn, lymphocyte antigen receptor-associated tyrosine kinases, in the central nervous system
Brain Res. Mol. Brain Res.
(1992)Expression of proto-oncogenes in neural tissues
Brain Res.
(1988)Impairment of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-controlled motor activity in LYN-deficient mice
Neuroscience
(2003)A nomenclature for ligand-gated ion channels
Neuropharmacology
(2009)- et al.
NMDA receptor subunits: function and pharmacology
Curr. Opin. Pharmacol.
(2007) The essential role of hippocampal CA1 NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity in spatial memory
Cell
(1996)- et al.
Regulation of NMDA receptors by phosphorylation
Neuropharmacology
(2007) Characterization of Fyn-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation sites on GluRɛ2 (NR2B) subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor
J. Biol. Chem.
(2001)Discovery of a novel, potent, and Src family-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Study of Lck- and FynT-dependent T cell activation
J. Biol. Chem.
(1996)The synaptic localization of NR2B-containing NMDA receptors is controlled by interactions with PDZ proteins and AP-2
Neuron
(2005)
Differential binding of the AP-2 adaptor complex and PSD-95 to the C-terminus of the NMDA receptor subunit NR2B regulates surface expression
Neuropharmacology
Activity-driven postsynaptic translocation of CaMKII
Trends Pharmacol. Sci.
Signaling in the basal ganglia: postsynaptic and presynaptic mechanisms
Physiol. Behav.
Functions and molecular mechanisms of the CD47-SIRPα signalling pathway
Trends Cell Biol.
Tyrosine dephosphorylation regulates AMPAR internalisation in mGluR-LTD
Mol. Cell. Neurosci.
AMPA receptor signaling through BRAG2 and Arf6 critical for long-term synaptic depression
Neuron
AMPA receptor trafficking at excitatory synapses
Neuron
Tyrosine kinase phosphorylation of GABAA receptors
Brain Res. Mol. Brain Res.
Constitutive tyrosine phosphorylation of the GABAA receptor γ2 subunit in rat brain
Neuropharmacology
Fyn kinase contributes to tyrosine phosphorylation of the GABAA receptor γ2 subunit
Mol. Cell. Neurosci.
Involvement of the hippocampal CA3-region in acquisition and in memory consolidation of spatial but not in object information in mice
Neurobiol. Learn. Mem.
Behavioral characterization of a transection of dorsal CA3 subcortical efferents: comparison with scopolamine and physostigmine infusions into dorsal CA3
Neurobiol. Learn. Mem.
Drug-evoked synaptic plasticity in addiction: from molecular changes to circuit remodeling
Neuron
Over-expression of the fyn-kinase gene reduces hypnotic sensitivity to ethanol in mice
Neurosci. Lett.
Resistance to alcohol withdrawal-induced behaviour in Fyn transgenic mice and its reversal by ifenprodil
Brain Res. Mol. Brain Res.
Analysis of genetic variations of protein tyrosine kinase fyn and their association with alcohol dependence in two independent cohorts
Biol. Psychiatry
Genetic association between -93A/G polymorphism in the Fyn kinase gene and alcohol dependence in Spanish men
Eur. Psychiatry
Synaptic plasticity: one STEP at a time
Trends Neurosci.
Tyrosine phosphatase STEP is a tonic brake on induction of long-term potentiation
Neuron
Striatal enriched phosphatase 61 dephosphorylates Fyn at phosphotyrosine 420
J. Biol. Chem.
Protein tyrosine phosphatase α (PTPα) knockout mice show deficits in Morris water maze learning, decreased locomotor activity, and decreases in anxiety
Brain Res.
SHP-2, SH2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-2
Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol.
Localization and subcellular distribution of SH-PTP2, a protein-tyrosine phosphatase with Src homology-2 domains, in rat brain
Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.
Shp2 regulates SRC family kinase activity and Ras/Erk activation by controlling Csk recruitment
Mol. Cell
The ‘Shp’ing news: SH2 domain-containing tyrosine phosphatases in cell signaling
Trends Biochem. Sci.
Localization of the normal cellular src protein to the growth cone of differentiating neurons in brain and retina
Adv. Exp. Med. Biol.
c-src and other proto-oncogenes implicated in neuronal differentiation
Mol. Chem. Neuropathol.
Brain-specific src oncogene mRNA mapped in rat brain by in situ hybridization
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
Impaired long-term potentiation, spatial learning, and hippocampal development in fyn mutant mice
Science
Src family kinases, key regulators of signal transduction
Oncogene
Src kinases: a hub for NMDA receptor regulation
Nat. Rev. Neurosci.
Regulation of NMDA receptors by tyrosine kinases and phosphatases
Nature
NMDA channel regulation by channel-associated protein tyrosine kinase Src
Science
Nonreceptor tyrosine protein kinase pp60c-src in spatial learning: synapse-specific changes in its gene expression, tyrosine phosphorylation, and protein-protein interactions
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.
Identification of mouse NMDA receptor subunit NR2A C-terminal tyrosine sites phosphorylated by coexpression with v-Src
J. Neurochem.
NR2B tyrosine phosphorylation modulates fear learning as well as amygdaloid synaptic plasticity
EMBO J.
Tyrosine phosphorylation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor by exogenous and postsynaptic density-associated Src-family kinases
J. Neurochem.
Cited by (88)
Antibiotic treatment during post-natal reverses behavioural and molecular alterations in experimental meningitis survivor rat model
2023, Neurotoxicology and TeratologySrc and Fyn regulation of NMDA receptors in health and disease
2021, NeuropharmacologyNMDAR1-Src-Pannexin1 Signal Pathway in the Trigeminal Ganglion Contributed to Orofacial Ectopic Pain Following Inferior Alveolar Nerve Transection
2021, NeuroscienceCitation Excerpt :Disruption of the Src and NMDAR complex reduced neuropathic pain induced by peripheral nerve injury or inflammatory pain after intraplantar injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant or formalin (Liu et al., 2008). Notably, Src is activated by autophosphorylation at Tyr416 (a tyrosine residue of Src) in response to diverse stimuli (Ohnishi et al., 2011). Pannexin (Panx), a plasma membrane channel (Li et al., 2018), has three family members, Panx1, Panx2, and Panx3, which are permeable to molecules smaller than 1 kDa, such as ions and neurotransmitters, for example, the algogenic ATP molecule (MacVicar and Thompson, 2010; Li et al., 2018).
The tyrosine kinase SRC of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) up-regulates the expression of IFN I by activating TANK binding kinase 1
2021, Developmental and Comparative ImmunologyFyn Kinase Controls Tau Aggregation In Vivo
2020, Cell ReportsCitation Excerpt :This had not previously been explored, given our limited understanding of the function of Fyn, which mostly prescribes a role of Aβ in pathways relating to tau-dependent excitotoxicity in the postsynapse (reviewed by Nygaard, 2018). Interestingly, and possibly related to Fyn’s predominantly synaptic localization (Ohnishi et al., 2011) or the strong reduction in phospho- and total tau in whole-brain fractions, we observed impaired targeting of tau to the synaptic domain in the Tg/Fyn−/− mice. There are several scenarios whereby Fyn could regulate NFT biogenesis in vivo.
Linkage of Non-receptor Tyrosine Kinase Fyn to mGlu5 Receptors in Striatal Neurons in a Depression Model
2020, NeuroscienceCitation Excerpt :Among nine known members of SFKs, five members are expressed in the brain. Fyn and Src, two key SFK members that have been most extensively studied and have drawn the most attention, are enriched at synaptic sites and actively modulate excitatory synaptic transmission and plasticity (Kalia et al., 2004; Ohnishi et al., 2011; Schenone et al., 2011; Mao et al., 2017). Of note, Src and especially Fyn are abundant in the striatum (Pascoli et al., 2011).