Faculty Bibliography

The neuronal subthreshold-operating A-type K(+) current regulates electrical excitability, spike timing, and synaptic integration and plasticity. The Kv4 channels underlying this current have been implicated in epilepsy, regulation of dopamine release, and pain plasticity. However, the unitary conductance (gamma) of neuronal somatodendritic A-type K(+) channels composed of Kv4 pore-forming subunits is larger (approximately 7.5 pS) than that of Kv4 channels expressed singly in heterologous cells (approximately 4 pS). Here, we examined the putative novel contribution of the dipeptidyl-peptidase-like protein-6 DPP6-S to the gamma of native [cerebellar granule neuron (CGN)] and reconstituted Kv4.2 channels. Coexpression of Kv4.2 proteins with DPP6-S was sufficient to match the gamma of native CGN channels; and CGN Kv4 channels from dpp6 knock-out mice yielded a gamma indistinguishable from that of Kv4.2 channels expressed singly. Moreover, suggesting electrostatic interactions, charge neutralization mutations of two N-terminal acidic residues in DPP6-S eliminated the increase in gamma. Therefore, DPP6-S, as a membrane protein extrinsic to the pore domain, is necessary and sufficient to explain a fundamental difference between native and recombinant Kv4 channels. These observations may help to understand the molecular basis of neurological disorders correlated with recently identified human mutations in the dpp6 gene

The channels mediating most of the somatodendritic A-type K(+) current in neurons are thought to be ternary complexes of Kv4 pore-forming subunits and two types of auxiliary subunits, the K(+) channel interacting proteins (KChIPs) and dipeptidyl-peptidase-like (DPPL) proteins. The channels expressed in heterologous expression systems by mixtures of Kv4.2, KChIP1 and DPP6-S resemble in many properties the A-type current in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons and cerebellar granule cells, neurons with prominent A-type K(+) currents. However, the native currents have faster kinetics. Moreover, the A-type currents in neurons in intermediary layers of the superior colliculus have even faster inactivating rates. We have characterized a new DPP6 spliced isoform, DPP6-E, that produces in heterologous cells ternary Kv4 channels with very fast kinetics. DPP6-E is selectively expressed in a few neuronal populations in brain including cerebellar granule neurons, hippocampal pyramidal cells and neurons in intermediary layers of the superior colliculus. The effects of DPP6-E explain past discrepancies between reconstituted and native Kv4 channels in some neurons, and contributes to the diversity of A-type K(+) currents in neurons

Action potentials (APs) provide the primary means of rapid information transfer in the nervous system. Where exactly these signals are initiated in neurons has been a basic question in neurobiology and the subject of extensive study. Converging lines of evidence indicate that APs are initiated in a discrete and highly specialized portion of the axon-the axon initial segment (AIS). The authors review key aspects of the organization and function of the AIS and focus on recent work that has provided important insights into its electrical signaling properties. In addition to its main role in AP initiation, the new findings suggest that the AIS is also a site of complex AP modulation by specific types of ion channels localized to this axonal domain

The gene encoding the dipeptidyl peptidase-like protein DPP6 (also known as DPPX) has been associated with human neural disease. However, until recently no function had been found for this protein. It has been proposed that DPP6 is an auxiliary subunit of neuronal Kv4 K(+) channels, the ion channels responsible for the somato-dendritic A-type K(+) current, an ionic current with crucial roles in the regulation of firing frequency, dendritic integration and synaptic plasticity. This view has been supported mainly by studies showing that DPP6 is necessary to generate channels with biophysical properties resembling the native channels in some neurons. However, independent evidence that DPP6 is a component of neuronal Kv4 channels in the brain, and whether this protein has other functions in the CNS is still lacking. We generated antibodies to DPP6 proteins to compare their distribution in brain with that of the Kv4 pore-forming subunits. DPP6 proteins were prominently expressed in neuronal populations expressing Kv4.2 proteins and both types of protein were enriched in the dendrites of these cells, strongly supporting the hypothesis that DPP6 is an associated protein of Kv4 channels in brain neurons. The observed similarity in the cellular and subcellular patterns of expression of both proteins suggests that this is the main function of DPP6 in brain. However, we also found that DPP6 antibodies intensely labeled the hippocampal mossy fiber axons, which lack Kv4 proteins, suggesting that DPP6 proteins may have additional, Kv4-unrelated functions

The subthreshold-operating A-type K(+) current in neurons (I(SA)) has important roles in the regulation of neuronal excitability, the timing of action potential firing and synaptic integration and plasticity. The channels mediating this current (Kv4 channels) have been implicated in epilepsy, the control of dopamine release, and the regulation of pain plasticity. It has been proposed that Kv4 channels in neurons are ternary complexes of three types of protein: pore forming subunits of the Kv4 subfamily and two types of auxiliary subunits, the Ca(2+) binding proteins KChIPs and the dipeptidyl peptidase-like proteins (DPPLs) DPP6 (also known as DPPX) and DPP10 (4 molecules of each per channel for a total of 12 proteins in the complex). Here we consider the evidence supporting this hypothesis. Kv4 channels in many neurons are likely to be ternary complexes of these three types of protein. KChIPs and DPPLs are required to efficiently traffic Kv4 channels to the plasma membrane and regulate the functional properties of the channels. These proteins may also be important in determining the localization of the channels to specific neuronal compartments, their dynamics, and their response to neuromodulators. A surprisingly large number of additional proteins have been shown to modify Kv4 channels in heterologous expression systems, but their association with native Kv4 channels in neurons has not been properly validated. A critical consideration of the evidence suggests that it is unlikely that association of Kv4 channels with these additional proteins is widespread in the CNS. However, we cannot exclude that some of these proteins may associate with the channels transiently or in specific neurons or neuronal compartments, or that they may associate with the channels in other tissues

A-type K+ currents have unique kinetic and voltage-dependent properties that allow them to finely tune synaptic integration, action potential (AP) shape and firing patterns. In hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, Kv4 channels make up the majority of the somatodendritic A-type current. Studies in heterologous expression systems have shown that Kv4 channels interact with transmembrane dipeptidyl-peptidase-like proteins (DPPLs) to regulate the surface trafficking and biophysical properties of Kv4 channels. To investigate the influence of DPPLs in a native system, we conducted voltage-clamp experiments in patches from CA1 pyramidal neurons expressing short-interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the DPPL variant known to be expressed in hippocampal pyramidal neurons, DPPX (siDPPX). In accordance with heterologous studies, we found that DPPX downregulation in neurons resulted in depolarizing shifts of the steady-state inactivation and activation curves, a shallower conductance-voltage slope, slowed inactivation, and a delayed recovery from inactivation for A-type currents. We carried out current-clamp experiments to determine the physiological effect of the A-type current modifications by DPPX. Neurons expressing siDPPX exhibited a surprisingly large reduction in subthreshold excitability as measured by a decrease in input resistance, delayed time to AP onset, and an increased AP threshold. Suprathreshold DPPX downregulation resulted in slower AP rise and weaker repolarization. Computer simulations supported our experimental results and demonstrated how DPPX remodeling of A-channel properties can result in opposing sub- and suprathreshold effects on excitability. The Kv4 auxiliary subunit DPPX thus acts to increase neuronal responsiveness and enhance signal precision by advancing AP initiation and accelerating both the rise and repolarization of APs

Neuroscience produces a vast amount of data from an enormous diversity of neurons. A neuronal classification system is essential to organize such data and the knowledge that is derived from them. Classification depends on the unequivocal identification of the features that distinguish one type of neuron from another. The problems inherent in this are particularly acute when studying cortical interneurons. To tackle this, we convened a representative group of researchers to agree on a set of terms to describe the anatomical, physiological and molecular features of GABAergic interneurons of the cerebral cortex. The resulting terminology might provide a stepping stone towards a future classification of these complex and heterogeneous cells. Consistent adoption will be important for the success of such an initiative, and we also encourage the active involvement of the broader scientific community in the dynamic evolution of this project

Fast-spiking cells (FS cells) are a prominent subtype of neocortical GABAergic interneurons with important functional roles. Multiple FS cell properties are coordinated for rapid response. Here, we describe an FS cell feature that serves to gate the powerful inhibition produced by FS cell activity. We show that FS cells in layer 2/3 barrel cortex possess a dampening mechanism mediated by Kv1.1-containing potassium channels localized to the axon initial segment. These channels powerfully regulate action potential threshold and allow FS cells to respond preferentially to large inputs that are fast enough to 'outrun' Kv1 activation. In addition, Kv1.1 channel blockade converts the delay-type discharge pattern of FS cells to one of continuous fast spiking without influencing the high-frequency firing that defines FS cells. Thus, Kv1 channels provide a key counterbalance to the established rapid-response characteristics of FS cells, regulating excitability through a unique combination of electrophysiological properties and discrete subcellular localization

Neuromodulators such as acetylcholine, serotonin, and noradrenaline are powerful regulators of neocortical activity. Although it is well established that cortical inhibition is the target of these modulations, little is known about their effects on GABA release from specific interneuron types. This knowledge is necessary to gain a mechanistic understanding of the actions of neuromodulators because different interneuron classes control specific aspects of excitatory cell function. Here, we report that GABA release from fast-spiking (FS) cells, the most prevalent interneuron subtype in neocortex, is robustly inhibited following activation of muscarinic, serotonin, adenosine, and GABA(B) receptors--an effect that regulates FS cell control of excitatory neuron firing. The potent muscarinic inhibition of GABA release from FS cells suppresses thalamocortical feedforward inhibition. This is supplemented by the muscarinic-mediated depolarization of thalamo-recipient excitatory neurons and the nicotinic enhancement of thalamic input onto these neurons to promote thalamocortical excitation