Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32 kDa (DARPP-32), was identified initially as a major target for dopamine and protein kinase A (PKA) in striatum. However, recent advances now indicate that regulation of the state of DARPP-32 phosphorylation provides a mechanism for integrating information arriving at dopaminoceptive neurons, in multiple brain regions, via a variety of neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, neuropeptides, and steroid hormones. Activation of PKA or PKG stimulates DARPP-32 phosphorylation at Thr34 and thereby converts DARPP-32 into a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1). DARPP-32 is also phosphorylated at Thr75 by Cdk5 and this converts DARPP-32 into an inhibitor of PKA. Thus, DARPP-32 has the unique property of being a dual-function protein, acting either as an inhibitor of PP-1 or of PKA. The state of phosphorylation of DARPP-32 at Thr34 depends on the phosphorylation state of two serine residues, Ser102 and Ser137, which are phosphorylated by CK2 and CK1, respectively. By virtue of its ability to modulate the activity of PP-1 and PKA, DARPP-32 is critically involved in regulating electrophysiological, transcriptional, and behavioral responses to physiological and pharmacological stimuli, including antidepressants, neuroleptics, and drugs of abuse.

The physiological state of the cell is controlled by signal transduction mechanisms which regulate the balance between protein kinase and protein phosphatase activities. Here we report that a single protein can, depending on which particular amino-acid residue is phosphorylated, function either as a kinase or phosphatase inhibitor. DARPP-32 (dopamine and cyclic AMP-regulated phospho-protein, relative molecular mass 32,000) is converted into an inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 when it is phosphorylated by protein kinase A (PKA) at threonine 34. We find that DARPP-32 is converted into an inhibitor of PKA when phosphorylated at threonine 75 by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5). Cdk5 phosphorylates DARPP-32 in vitro and in intact brain cells. Phospho-Thr 75 DARPP-32 inhibits PKA in vitro by a competitive mechanism. Decreasing phospho-Thr 75 DARPP-32 in striatal slices, either by a Cdk5-specific inhibitor or by using genetically altered mice, results in increased dopamine-induced phosphorylation of PKA substrates and augmented peak voltage-gated calcium currents. Thus DARPP-32 is a bifunctional signal transduction molecule which, by distinct mechanisms, controls a serine/threonine kinase and a serine/threonine phosphatase.

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Cocaine enhances dopamine-mediated neurotransmission by blocking dopamine re-uptake at axon terminals. Most dopamine-containing nerve terminals innervate medium spiny neurons in the striatum of the brain. Cocaine addiction is thought to stem, in part, from neural adaptations that act to maintain equilibrium by countering the effects of repeated drug administration. Chronic exposure to cocaine upregulates several transcription factors that alter gene expression and which could mediate such compensatory neural and behavioural changes. One such transcription factor is DeltaFosB, a protein that persists in striatum long after the end of cocaine exposure. Here we identify cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) as a downstream target gene of DeltaFosB by use of DNA array analysis of striatal material from inducible transgenic mice. Overexpression of DeltaFosB, or chronic cocaine administration, raised levels of Cdk5 messenger RNA, protein, and activity in the striatum. Moreover, injection of Cdk5 inhibitors into the striatum potentiated behavioural effects of repeated cocaine administration. Our results suggest that changes in Cdk5 levels mediated by DeltaFosB, and resulting alterations in signalling involving D1 dopamine receptors, contribute to adaptive changes in the brain related to cocaine addiction.

Dopamine has been shown to stimulate phosphorylation of DARPP-32, a phosphoprotein highly enriched in medium-sized spiny neurons of the neostriatum. Here, we investigated the contribution of D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptors in the regulation of DARPP-32 phosphorylation in mouse striatal slices. D1-like and D2-like receptors had opposing effects on the state of DARPP-32 phosphorylation. The D1 receptor agonist SKF82526 increased DARPP-32 phosphorylation. In contrast, the D2 receptor agonist quinpirole decreased basal as well as D1 agonist-, forskolin-, and 8-bromo-cAMP-stimulated phosphorylation of DARPP-32. The ability of quinpirole to decrease D1-stimulated DARPP-32 phosphorylation was calcium-dependent and was blocked by the calcineurin inhibitor cyclosporin A, suggesting that the D2 effect involved an increase in intracellular calcium and activation of calcineurin. In support of this interpretation, Ca 2ϩ -free/EGTA medium induced a greater than 60-fold increase in DARPP-32 phosphorylation and abolished the ability of quinpirole to dephosphorylate DARPP-32. The antipsychotic drug raclopride, a selective D2 receptor antagonist, increased phosphorylation of DARPP-32 under basal conditions and in D2 agonist-treated slices. The results of this study demonstrate that dopamine exerts a bidirectional control on the state of phosphorylation of DARPP-32.Key words: DARPP-32; dopamine; D2 receptor; phosphorylation; neostriatum; calcineurin; raclopride DARPP-32, a dopamine-and cAM P-regulated phosphoprotein of M r 32,000, is a cytosolic protein that is selectively enriched in medium-sized spiny neurons in neostriatum (Ouimet et al., 1984;Walaas and Greengard, 1984). DARPP-32 is phosphorylated by cAM P-dependent protein kinase (PK A) on a single threonine residue, thr 34 , resulting in its conversion into a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1 . DARPP-32 can be dephosphorylated and inactivated in vitro by the calcium/ calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin (King et al., 1984). Dopamine has been shown to stimulate the phosphorylation of DARPP-32 in neostriatum by activation of a biochemical cascade involving stimulation of D1 receptors, activation of adenylyl cyclase, increased cAM P formation, and increased activity of PK A . The selective enrichment of DARPP-32 in dopaminoceptive neurons and its regulation by dopamine strongly indicate that DARPP-32, by regulating protein phosphatase-1 activity, plays a key role in mediating the effects of dopamine on these cells. The control of protein phosphatase-1 activity by DARPP-32 is likely to have a significant role in the regulation of neuronal excitability. For instance, in neostriatum, dopamine-mediated effects on the function of calcium channels (Surmeier et al., 1994), voltagedependent sodium channels (Surmeier et al., 1992;Schiffman et al., 1994), and Na ϩ ,K ϩ -ATPase (Aperia et al., 1991) are regulated directly or indirectly by protein phosphatase-1.Medium-sized spiny neurons of the neostriatum and nucleus accumbens receive dopaminergic input fro...

Dopaminergic neurons exert a major modulatory effect on the forebrain. Dopamine and adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate–regulated phosphoprotein (32 kilodaltons) (DARPP-32), which is enriched in all neurons that receive a dopaminergic input, is converted in response to dopamine into a potent protein phosphatase inhibitor. Mice generated to contain a targeted disruption of the DARPP-32 gene showed profound deficits in their molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral responses to dopamine, drugs of abuse, and antipsychotic medication. The results show that DARPP-32 plays a central role in regulating the efficacy of dopaminergic neurotransmission.

Dopamine and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of Mr 32,000 (DARPP-32) plays an obligatory role in most of the actions of dopamine. In resting neostriatal slices, cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) phosphorylates DARPP-32 at Thr-75, thereby reducing the efficacy of dopaminergic signaling. We report here that dopamine, in slices, and acute cocaine, in whole animals, decreases the state of phosphorylation of striatal DARPP-32 at Thr-75 and thereby removes this inhibitory constraint. This effect of dopamine is achieved through dopamine D1 receptor-mediated activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). The activated PKA, by decreasing the state of phosphorylation of DARPP-32-Thr-75, deinhibits itself. Dopamine D2 receptor stimulation has the opposite effect. The ability of activated PKA to reduce the state of phosphorylation of DARPP-32-Thr-75 is apparently attributable to increased protein phosphatase-2A activity, with Cdk5 being unaffected. Together, these results indicate that via positive feedback mechanisms, Cdk5 signaling and PKA signaling are mutually antagonistic.D opamine and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of M r 32,000 (DARPP-32) is a cytosolic protein that is selectively enriched in neostriatal medium spiny neurons (1, 2). When DARPP-32 is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) on a single threonine residue, Thr-34, it is converted into a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1) (3). Dopamine and numerous other neurotransmitters have been shown to regulate the phosphorylation͞dephosphorylation of DARPP-32 at Thr-34 in neostriatum, thereby altering the activity of PP-1 and regulating the phosphorylation state and activity of many downstream physiological effectors, including various neurotransmitter receptors and voltage-gated ion channels (4). Mice lacking DARPP-32 exhibit profound deficits in their molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral responses to dopamine, drugs of abuse, and antipsychotic medication, demonstrating the importance of the DARPP-32͞PP-1 signaling cascade in mediating the actions of dopamine, agents that affect dopamine signaling, and other neurotransmitters that act on neostriatal neurons (4, 5).We have recently reported that DARPP-32 is phosphorylated by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5), both in vitro and in neostriatal neurons (6). In vitro, phospho-Thr-75 DARPP-32 inhibits PKA by a competitive mechanism. In vivo, reduction of phospho-Thr-75 DARPP-32 in neostriatal slices, either by the Cdk5 inhibitor roscovitine or by the use of genetically altered mice (p35 Ϫ/Ϫ mice), results in increased biochemical and physiological responses to dopamine (6). These results demonstrated that PKA activity in the neostriatum is regulated by the state of phosphorylation of DARPP-32 at Thr-75. Thus, DARPP-32 is a bifunctional signal transduction molecule that controls the activities of PP-1 and PKA through the phosphorylation of Thr-34 and Thr-75, respectively.Apart from the effect of Cdk5, nothing has been known about the signaling mechanisms involved in the regulation of ...

Our previous studies of DARPP-32 in striatal slices have shown that activation of D1 receptors leads to cAMP-dependent dephosphorylation of Thr-75, the Cdk5 site in DARPP-32. In the current study, we have elucidated a mechanism whereby protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is activated by a cAMP/PKA-dependent pathway, leading to dephosphorylation of Thr-75. PP2A consists of a catalytic C subunit that associates with the scaffolding A subunit and a variety of B subunits. We have found that the A/C subunits of PP2A, in association with the B56␦ (or PPP2R5D) regulatory subunit, is an active DARPP-32 phosphatase. The B56␦ subunit expressed in HEK293 cells forms a heterotrimeric assembly that catalyzes PKA-mediated dephosphorylation at Thr-75 in DARPP-32 (also cotransfected into HEK293 cells). The B56␦ subunit is phosphorylated by PKA, and this increases the overall activity of PP2A in vitro and in vivo. Among four PKA-phosphorylation sites identified in B56␦ in vitro, Ser-566 was found to be critical for the regulation of PP2A activity. Moreover, Ser-566 was phosphorylated by PKA in response to activation of D1 receptors in striatal slices. Based on these studies, we propose that the B56␦/A/C PP2A complex regulates the dephosphorylation of DARPP-32 at Thr-75, thereby helping coordinate the efficacy of dopaminergic neurotransmission in striatal neurons. Moreover, stimulation of protein phosphatase activity by this mechanism may represent an important signaling pathway regulated by cAMP in neurons and other types of cell.cAMP ͉ DARPP-32 ͉ protein phosphorylation D ARPP-32 is a phosphoprotein that is highly enriched in dopaminoceptive medium-sized spiny neurons in the striatum and nucleus accumbens (1, 2). A variety of biochemical studies as well as targeted deletion and mutation of DARPP-32 in mice have shown that DARPP-32 plays a critical role in the actions of dopamine as well as in the actions of antipsychotic drugs, drugs of abuse, and other agents that modulate dopamine levels in the brain (2-5). Through activation of the D1 subclass of receptors, dopamine increases cAMP, activates protein kinase A (PKA), and phosphorylates Thr-34 of DARPP-32. Phosphorylation at Thr-34 converts DARPP-32 into a potent, high-affinity inhibitor of the broad specificity serine/threonine protein phosphatase, PP-1, leading to increased phosphorylation of many physiologically important substrates in medium spiny neurons, including neurotransmitter receptors, voltage-gated ion channels, ion pumps, protein kinases, and transcription factors (1, 2).In addition to Thr-34, DARPP-32 is phosphorylated at multiple sites by several protein kinases, including CK1, CK2 and Cdk5 (6-9). In particular, phosphorylation of Thr-75 by Cdk5 blocks PKA-mediated phosphorylation of Thr-34 of DARPP-32, thereby modulating the efficacy of the dopamine/D1/cAMP/ PKA/DARPP-32/PP1 signaling cascade (8). Our previous studies have found that there is a reciprocal relationship between the phosphorylation status of . Under basal conditions in striatal neurons in vivo or in vit...