Parvalbumin (PV)-positive interneurons in the hippocampus play a critical role in animal memory, such as spatial working memory. However, how PV-positive interneurons in the subregions of the hippocampus affect animal behaviors remains poorly defined. Here, we achieved specific and reversible activation of PV-positive interneurons using designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADD) technology. Inducible DREADD expression was demonstrated in vitro in cultured neurons, in which co-transfection of the hM3D-Gq-mCherry vector with a Cre plasmid resulted in a cellular response to hM3Dq ligand clozapine-N-oxide (CNO) stimulation. In addition, the dentate gyrus (DG) of PV-Cre mice received bilateral injection of control lentivirus or lentivirus expressing double floxed hM3D-Gq-mCherry. Selective activation of PV-positive interneurons in the DG did not affect locomotor activity or depression-related behavior in mice. Interestingly, stimulation of PV-positive interneurons induced an anxiolytic effect. Activation of PV-positive interneurons appears to impair social interaction to novelty, but has no effect on social motivation. However, this defect is likely due to the anxiolytic effect as the exploratory behavior of mice expressing hM3D-Gq is significantly increased. Mice expressing hM3D-Gq did not affect novel object recognition. Activation of PV-positive interneurons in the DG maintains intact cued and contextual fear memory but facilitates fear extinction. Collectively, our results demonstrated that proper control of PV interneurons activity in the DG is critical for regulation of the anxiety, social interaction and fear extinction. These results improve our fundamental understanding of the physiological role of PV-positive interneurons in the hippocampus.

Abstract-The Ca 2؉ -binding proteins parvalbumin (PV) and calbindin D-28k (CB) are key players in the intracellular Ca 2؉ -buffering in specific cells including neurons and have profound effectson spatiotemporal aspects of Ca 2؉ transients. The previously observed increase in mitochondrial volume density in fast-twitch muscle of PV؊/؊ mice is viewed as a specific compensation mechanism to maintain Ca 2؉ homeostasis. Since cerebellar Purkinje cells (PC) are characterized by high expression levels of the Ca 2؉ buffers PV and CB, the question was raised, whether homeostatic mechanisms are induced in PC lacking these buffers. Mitochondrial volume density, i.e. relative mitochondrial mass was increased by 40% in the soma of PV؊/؊ PC. Upregulation of mitochondrial volume density was not homogenous throughout the soma, but was selectively restricted to a peripheral region of 1.5 m width underneath the plasma membrane. Accompanied was a decreased surface of subplasmalemmal smooth endoplasmic reticulum (sPL-sER) in a shell of 0.5 m thickness underneath the plasma membrane. These alterations were specific for the absence of the "slow-onset" buffer PV, since in CB؊/؊ mice neither changes in peripheral mitochondria nor in sPL-sER were observed. This implicates that the morphological alterations are aimed to specifically substitute the function of the slow buffer PV. We propose a novel concept that homeostatic mechanisms of components involved in Ca 2؉ homeostasis do not always occur at the level of similar or closely related molecules. Rather the cell attempts to restore spatiotemporal aspects of Ca 2؉ signals prevailing in the undisturbed (wildtype) situation by subtly fine tuning existing components involved in the regulation of Ca 2؉ fluxes.Key words: calcium-binding, buffers, EF-hand, homeostasis, morphology.Ca 2ϩ ions are such ubiquitous second messengers that meaningful information must be contained in the subtle spatiotemporal aspects of Ca 2ϩ transients. A complex machinery of Ca 2ϩ entry and release systems, mobile and immobile Ca 2ϩ buffers, transient Ca 2ϩ -storage devices and Ca 2ϩ -extrusion systems governs the shape and spreading of intracellular Ca 2ϩ transients (Berridge et al., 2003). Affinities, kinetics of binding and release of Ca 2ϩ ions, the relative mobility and the geometrical distribution of all components, that is, the interplay between these systems finally shapes the spatiotemporal aspects of a Ca 2ϩ signal. Cerebellar Purkinje cells (PC) are characterized by extensive Ca 2ϩ signaling in somata, dendrites and spines elicited by either climbing fiber or parallel fiber stimulation. Following depolarization-evoked rises in the intracellular Ca 2ϩ concentration ([Ca 2ϩ ] i ) in the PC somata, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane Ca 2ϩ pumps and the Na ϩ -Ca 2ϩ exchanger contribute to PC [Ca 2ϩ ] i clearance (Fierro et al., 1998). Since these systems only accounted for approximately 60% of total Ca 2ϩ clearing, mitochondria were additionally postulated to play a role. These organelles have...