Abstract
The activity-regulated gene expression of transcription factors is required for neural plasticity and function in response to neuronal stimulation. T-brain-1 (TBR1), a critical neuron-specific transcription factor for forebrain development, has been recognized as a high-confidence risk gene for autism spectrum disorders. Here, we show that in addition to its role in brain development, Tbr1 responds to neuronal activation and further modulates the Grin2b expression in adult brains and mature neurons. The expression levels of Tbr1 were investigated using both immunostaining and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses. We found that the mRNA and protein expression levels of Tbr1 are induced by excitatory synaptic transmission driven by bicuculline or glutamate treatment in cultured mature neurons. The upregulation of Tbr1 expression requires the activation of both α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Furthermore, behavioral training triggers Tbr1 induction in the adult mouse brain. The elevation of Tbr1 expression is associated with Grin2b upregulation in both mature neurons and adult brains. Using Tbr1-deficient neurons, we further demonstrated that TBR1 is required for the induction of Grin2b upon neuronal activation. Taken together with the previous studies showing that TBR1 binds the Grin2b promoter and controls expression of luciferase reporter driven by Grin2b promoter, the evidence suggests that TBR1 directly controls Grin2b expression in mature neurons. We also found that the addition of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) antagonist KN-93, but not the calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin antagonist cyclosporin A, to cultured mature neurons noticeably inhibited Tbr1 induction, indicating that neuronal activation upregulates Tbr1 expression in a CaMKII-dependent manner. In conclusion, our study suggests that Tbr1 plays an important role in adult mouse brains in response to neuronal activation to modulate the activity-regulated gene transcription required for neural plasticity.
Highlights
Neuronal activation regulates the activity of transcription factors to modulate the gene expression required for the formation of mature synapses and neural circuits and development of cognitive function (Parkes and Westbrook, 2011)
To examine whether Tbr1 is regulated by or participates in neuronal activation, we first examined the expression of TBR1 in mature amygdalar neurons at 21 days in vitro (DIV) using double immunofluorescence staining with TBR1 and the neuronal marker MAP2
Because TBR1 is expressed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the adult brain (Hong and Hsueh, 2007), mature cortical and hippocampal neurons were used to investigate the induction of TBR1 after neuronal activation
Summary
Neuronal activation regulates the activity of transcription factors to modulate the gene expression required for the formation of mature synapses and neural circuits and development of cognitive function (Parkes and Westbrook, 2011). Tbr is expressed in the olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala (Bulfone et al, 1995, 1998; Medina et al, 2004; Remedios et al, 2007). Tbr, which is abundantly expressed in post-mitotic projection neurons, controls the axonal connections between the cerebral cortex and thalamus and the formation of the corticospinal tract (Hevner et al, 2001). Studies using knockout mice demonstrated that Tbr plays important roles in the maintenance of neuronal projections in the olfactory bulb (Bulfone et al, 1998), layer and regional identification of the neocortex (Hevner et al, 2001; Bedogni et al, 2010), and migration of the amygdala (Remedios et al, 2007). We recently showed that TBR1 modulates expression of Ntng, Cdh, and Cntn and regulates the axonal outgrowth of amygdalar neurons, which are critical for the inter- and intra-amygdalar connections (Huang et al, 2014)
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