Targeting gut T cell Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ channels inhibits T cell cytokine production and T-box transcription factor T-bet in inflammatory bowel disease.

Prolonged Ca(2+) entry through Ca(2+) release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channels is crucial in activating the Ca(2+)-sensitive transcription factor NFAT, which is responsible for directing T cell proliferation and cytokine gene expression. To establish whether targeting CRAC might counteract intestinal inflammation, we evaluated the in vitro effect of a selective CRAC inhibitor on T cell cytokine production and T-bet expression by lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMC) and biopsy specimens from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The inhibitory activity of the CRAC blocker was investigated through patch-clamp experiments on rat basophilic leukemia cells and fluorometric imaging plate reader intracellular Ca(2+) assays using thapsigargin-stimulated Jurkat T cells and its detailed selectivity profile defined using a range of in vitro radioligand binding and functional assays.

The GABA(B2) subunit is critical for the trafficking and function of native GABA(B) receptors.

Studies in heterologous systems have demonstrated that heterodimerisation of the two GABA(B) receptor subunits appears to be crucial for the trafficking and signalling of the receptor. Gene targeting of the GABA(B1) gene has demonstrated that the expression of GABA(B1) is essential for GABA(B) receptor function in the central nervous system (CNS). However, the contribution of the GABA(B2) subunit in the formation of native GABA(B) receptors is still unclear, in particular whether other proteins can substitute for this subunit.

Bi-directional plasticity and age-dependent long-term depression at mouse CA3-CA1 hippocampal synapses.

Low-frequency stimulation (LFS) is used to induce long-term depression (LTD) and depotentiation at rodent CA3-CA1 hippocampal synapses. The relationship between the efficacy of LFS induction and postnatal age remains to be clearly defined in rat and had not been studied in mouse. The data presented here show that in acute mouse hippocampal slices LFS-induced LTD and depotentiation at CA3-CA1 synapses are: synapse specific; NMDA receptor-dependent; and metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptor type I/II independent.

Activation of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase is required for long-term enhancement at corticostriatal synapses in rats.

The induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) at corticostriatal synapses is dependent on the activation of postsynaptic NMDA receptors, but the mechanisms involved in the maintenance of LTP are not known. We report here that forskolin, an activator of adenylyl cyclase, induces a lasting enhancement of the corticostriatal synaptic response. This enhancement is associated with a lasting decrease in paired-pulse ratio, and is blocked by inhibitors of adenylyl cyclase and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), but not by a PKA inhibitor injected into the postsynaptic cell.