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Neuregulin-β induces expression of an NMDA-receptor subunit

Nature volume 390, pages 691–694 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

Neuregulins (also known as ARIA, NDF, heregulin, GGF) are a family of widely expressed growth and differentiation factors. Neuregulins secreted from motor neurons accumulate at maturing neuromuscular junctions, where they stimulate transcription of genes encoding specific acetylcholine receptors. How these factors function at central synapses, however, is unknown. In the maturing cerebellum, neuregulins are concentrated in glutamatergic mossy fibres that innervate granule cells in the internal granule-cell layer1. We have analysed the effects of neuregulins on the expression of genes encoding NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the cerebellum, because receptor composition changes dramatically as expression of the receptor NR2C subunit is specifically induced in neurons in the internal granule-cell layer during synaptogenesis. Here we report that addition of a neuregulin-β isoform to cultured cerebellar slices specifically increases the expression of NR2C messenger RNAs by at least 100-fold; effects are only minor with a neuregulin-α isoform. This stimulation of NR2C expression requires synaptic activity by NMDA receptors, as well as neuregulin-β. Addition of the NMDA-receptor-channel blocker AP-5 prevents upregulation of the NR2C subunit by neuregulin, whereas an AMPA/kainate-receptor antagonist does not. Consistent with these effects of neuregulin, we find that granule cells express its receptors ErbB2 and ErbB4 before the NR2C subunit of the NMDA receptor. Our results indicate that neuregulins regulate the composition of neurotransmitter receptors in maturing synapses in the brain, in a manner analogous to the neuromuscular junction.

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Figure 1: Cerebellar granule cells migrate in slice cultures and gross slice morphology is unaffected by neuregulin.
Figure 2: Neuregulin-β selectively stimulates expression of the NR2C gene.
Figure 3: Neuregulin EGF-domain-containing peptides are unable to stimulate NR2C expression.
Figure 4: Neuregulin receptor mRNAs and proteins are expressed in cerebellar granule cells.
Figure 5: Neuregulin-dependent NR2C expression requires neuronal activity.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Z. Yang, J. Cheng and Y. Miyazaki for technical assistance, S. Carroll for erbB cDNAs, Z. Hall and P. Nelson for critically reading the manuscript, and NICHD for support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit on Molecular Neurobiology, LDN, Building 49, Room 5A-38, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, 20892-4480, Maryland, USA

    Miwako Ozaki, Michael Sasner & Andres Buonanno

  2. Laboratory for Cellular Information Processing, Frontier Research Program, RIKEN, Wako-shi, 351-01, Saitama, Japan

    Miwako Ozaki & Ryoji Yano

  3. Department of Protein Structure, Amgen, 1840 DeHavilland Drive, Thousand Oaks, 91320, California, USA

    Hsieng S. Lu

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Correspondence to Andres Buonanno.

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Ozaki, M., Sasner, M., Yano, R. et al. Neuregulin-β induces expression of an NMDA-receptor subunit. Nature 390, 691–694 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/37795

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