Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) form covalently linked homodimers and contain large, N-terminal extracellular ligand binding, "venus fly trap" (VFT) domains. These domains, when expressed separately, are secreted as disulfide linked dimers and can dimerize with full-length receptors. mGluR splice variants have been described that contain only this domain, but the consequences of their interaction on receptor signaling have not been explored. Here it is shown that an mGluR1 mutant containing only the VFT is retained on the cell surface when a full-length receptor is co-expressed. Further, when expressed in rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG) neurons and modulation of native calcium currents is used as an assay for receptor activity, the VFT acts as a dominant negative with respect to mGluR1 signaling. Although full-length mGluR1 and mGluR5 are not known to heterodimerize, the mGluR5 VFT partially occludes mGluR1 signaling and the mGluR1 VFT potently occludes mGluR5 signaling in SCG neurons. In addition, an mGluR1 point mutant, mGluR1 C140G, which cannot covalently dimerize, functions like the wild-type receptor when expressed alone. The C140G mutant is inhibited by the mGluR1 VFT construct but does not retain the mGluR1 VFT on the cell surface, suggesting that the loss of C140 renders the interaction reversible. Finally, a peptide designed to disrupt mGluR1 dimerization reduced signaling through the C140G mutant receptor, but only when applied intracellularly for several hours, indicating that loss of signaling requires disruption of dimerization prior to plasma membrane insertion.

Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1 and 5) are G protein coupled receptors that regulate neuronal activity in a number of ways. Some of the most well studied functions of group I mGluRs, such as initiation of multiple forms of mGluR-dependent long term depression, require receptor localization near the postsynaptic density (PSD). This localization is in turn dependent on the Homer family of scaffolding proteins which bind to a small motif on the distal C-termini of mGluR1 and 5, localize the receptors near the PSD, strengthen coupling to postsynaptic effectors and simultaneously uncouple the mGluRs from extra-synaptic effectors such as voltage dependent ion channels. Here the selectivity of this uncoupling process was examined by testing the ability of Homer-2b to uncouple mGluR1 from multiple voltage dependent calcium channels including CaV2.2 (N-typ e), CaV3.2 (T-type), and CaV2.1 (P/Q-type) expressed in rat sympathetic neurons from the superior cervical ganglion (SCG). Of these, only the mGluR1-CaV2.1 modulatory pathway was insensitive to Homer-2b expression. Uncoupling from this channel was achieved by coexpression of an mGluR1 C-terminal protein designed to disrupt a previously described direct interaction between these two proteins, suggesting that this interaction allows incorporation of CaV2.1 into the mGluR1/Homer signaling complex, thereby preserving modulation in the presence of scaffolding Homer proteins.

Work in heterologous systems has revealed that members of the Rad, Rem, Rem2, Gem/Kir (RGK) family of small GTP-binding proteins profoundly inhibit L-type Ca(2+) channels via three mechanisms: 1), reduction of membrane expression; 2), immobilization of the voltage-sensors; and 3), reduction of Po without impaired voltage-sensor movement. However, the question of which mode is the critical one for inhibition of L-type channels in their native environments persists. To address this conundrum in skeletal muscle, we overexpressed Rad and Rem in flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) fibers via in vivo electroporation and examined the abilities of these two RGK isoforms to modulate the L-type Ca(2+) channel (CaV1.1). We found that Rad and Rem both potently inhibit L-type current in FDB fibers. However, intramembrane charge movement was only reduced in fibers transfected with Rad; charge movement for Rem-expressing fibers was virtually identical to charge movement observed in naïve fibers. This result indicated that Rem supports inhibition solely through a mechanism that allows for translocation of CaV1.1's voltage-sensors, whereas Rad utilizes at least one mode that limits voltage-sensor movement. Because Rad and Rem differ significantly only in their amino-termini, we constructed Rad-Rem chimeras to probe the structural basis for the distinct specificities of Rad- and Rem-mediated inhibition. Using this approach, a chimera composed of the amino-terminus of Rem and the core/carboxyl-terminus of Rad inhibited L-type current without reducing charge movement. Conversely, a chimera having the amino-terminus of Rad fused to the core/carboxyl-terminus of Rem inhibited L-type current with a concurrent reduction in charge movement. Thus, we have identified the amino-termini of Rad and Rem as the structural elements dictating the specific modes of inhibition of CaV1.1.

BackgroundAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder that is typically fatal within 3–5 years of diagnosis. While motoneuron death is the defining characteristic of ALS, the events that underlie its pathology are not restricted to the nervous system. In this regard, ALS muscle atrophies and weakens significantly before presentation of neurological symptoms. Since the skeletal muscle L-type Ca2+ channel (CaV1.1) is a key regulator of both mass and force, we investigated whether CaV1.1 function is impaired in the muscle of two distinct mouse models carrying an ALS-linked mutation.MethodsWe recorded L-type currents, charge movements, and myoplasmic Ca2+ transients from dissociated flexor digitorum brevis (FDB) fibers to assess CaV1.1 function in two mouse models expressing a type 1 Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase mutant (SOD1G93A).ResultsIn FDB fibers obtained from “symptomatic” global SOD1G93A mice, we observed a substantial reduction of SR Ca2+ release in response to depolarization relative to fibers harvested from age-matched control mice. L-type current and charge movement were both reduced by ~40 % in symptomatic SOD1G93A fibers when compared to control fibers. Ca2+ transients were not significantly reduced in similar experiments performed with FDB fibers obtained from “early-symptomatic” SOD1G93A mice, but L-type current and charge movement were decreased (~30 and ~20 %, respectively). Reductions in SR Ca2+ release (~35 %), L-type current (~20 %), and charge movement (~15 %) were also observed in fibers obtained from another model where SOD1G93A expression was restricted to skeletal muscle.ConclusionsWe report reductions in EC coupling, L-type current density, and charge movement in FDB fibers obtained from symptomatic global SOD1G93A mice. Experiments performed with FDB fibers obtained from early-symptomatic SOD1G93A and skeletal muscle autonomous MLC/SOD1G93A mice support the idea that events occurring locally in the skeletal muscle contribute to the impairment of CaV1.1 function in ALS muscle independently of innervation status.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13395-016-0094-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.