Abstract

The 2P domain K(+) channel TASK-3 is highly expressed in cerebellar granule neurons where it has been proposed to underlie the K(+) leak conductance, IKso. In a previous work we showed that expression of TASK-3 increases in cerebellar granule neurons as they mature in culture. Here we show that within the cerebellum, levels of TASK-3 mRNA increase as granule neurons migrate to their adult positions and receive excitatory mossy fiber input. To understand the mechanism of this increase in TASK-3 expression we used an in vitro model culturing the neurons in either depolarizing conditions mimicking neuronal activity (25K, 25 mm KCl) or in conditions which approach deafferentation (5K, 5 mm KCl). An important increase in TASK-3 mRNA is uniquely observed in 25K and is specific since other background K(+) channel levels remain unchanged or decrease. The rise in TASK-3 mRNA leads to an increase in TASK-3 protein and the IKso conductance resulting in hyperpolarization. Blocking L-type calcium channels or their downstream effector calcineurin, abrogates TASK-3 expression and IKso, leading to hyperexcitability. This is the first study demonstrating that depolarization-induced Ca(2+) entry can directly regulate cellular excitability by dynamically regulating the transcription of a resting K(+) conductance. The appearance of this conductance may play an important role in the transition of depolarized immature neurons to their mature hyperpolarized state during neuronal development.

Highlights

  • Since it behaves as a leak conductance and is inhibited by the activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors [4, 5]

  • Cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) initially localized in the external granule layer (EGL) migrate across the molecular layer to reach the internal granule layer (IGL)

  • We have previously shown that the level of TASK-3 mRNA increases as a function of cerebellar development [17]

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Summary

Introduction

Since it behaves as a leak conductance and is inhibited by the activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors [4, 5]. These findings show that the rTASK-3 were labeled, while cells transfected with the increase of TASK-3 mRNA levels in granule neurons coincides rTASK-1 subunit or the vector alone were not fluorescent (supwith their arrival in the IGL and suggest that depolarization due plemental Fig. 1B).

Results
Conclusion

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