PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - DaSilva, Luis L. P.
AU  - Wall, Mark J.
AU  - P. de Almeida, Luciana
AU  - Wauters, Sandrine C.
AU  - Januário, Yunan C.
AU  - Müller, Jürgen
AU  - Corrêa, Sonia A. L.
TI  - Activity-Regulated Cytoskeleton-Associated Protein Controls AMPAR Endocytosis through a Direct Interaction with Clathrin-Adaptor Protein 2
AID  - 10.1523/ENEURO.0144-15.2016
DP  - 2016 May 01
TA  - eneuro
PG  - ENEURO.0144-15.2016
VI  - 3
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/3/3/ENEURO.0144-15.2016.short
4100  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/3/3/ENEURO.0144-15.2016.full
SO  - eneuro2016 May 01; 3
AB  - The activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated (Arc) protein controls synaptic strength by facilitating AMPA receptor (AMPAR) endocytosis. Here we demonstrate that Arc targets AMPAR to be internalized through a direct interaction with the clathrin-adaptor protein 2 (AP-2). We show that Arc overexpression in dissociated hippocampal neurons obtained from C57BL/6 mouse reduces the density of AMPAR GluA1 subunits at the cell surface and reduces the amplitude and rectification of AMPAR-mediated miniature-EPSCs (mEPSCs). Mutations of Arc, that prevent the AP-2 interaction reduce Arc-mediated endocytosis of GluA1 and abolish the reduction in AMPAR-mediated mEPSC amplitude and rectification. Depletion of the AP-2 subunit µ2 blocks the Arc-mediated reduction in mEPSC amplitude, an effect that is restored by reintroducing µ2. The Arc–AP-2 interaction plays an important role in homeostatic synaptic scaling as the Arc-dependent decrease in mEPSC amplitude, induced by a chronic increase in neuronal activity, is inhibited by AP-2 depletion. These data provide a mechanism to explain how activity-dependent expression of Arc decisively controls the fate of AMPAR at the cell surface and modulates synaptic strength, via the direct interaction with the endocytic clathrin adaptor AP-2.