Cacna1c in the Prefrontal Cortex Regulates Depression-Related Behaviors via REDD1

Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017 Sep;42(10):2032-2042. doi: 10.1038/npp.2016.271. Epub 2016 Dec 6.

Abstract

The CACNA1C gene that encodes the L-type Ca2+ channel (LTCC) Cav1.2 subunit has emerged as a candidate risk gene for multiple neuropsychiatric disorders including bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia, all marked with depression-related symptoms. Although cacna1c heterozygous (HET) mice have been previously reported to exhibit an antidepressant-like phenotype, the molecular and circuit-level dysfunction remains unknown. Here we report that viral vector-mediated deletion of cacna1c in the adult prefrontal cortex (PFC) of mice recapitulates the antidepressant-like effect observed in cacna1c HET mice using the sucrose preference test (SPT), forced swim test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST). Molecular studies identified lower levels of REDD1, a protein previously linked to depression, in the PFC of HET mice, and viral-mediated REDD1 overexpression in the PFC of these HET mice reversed the antidepressant-like effect in SPT and TST. Examination of downstream REDD1 targets found lower levels of active/phosphorylated Akt (S473) with no change in mTORC1 phosphorylation. Examination of the transcription factor FoxO3a, previously linked to depression-related behavior and shown to be regulated in other systems by Akt, revealed higher nuclear levels in the PFC of cacna1c HET mice that was further increased following REDD1-mediated reversal of the antidepressant-like phenotype. Collectively, these findings suggest that REDD1 in cacna1c HET mice may influence depression-related behavior via regulation of the FoxO3a pathway. Cacna1c HET mice thus serve as a useful mouse model to further study cacna1c-associated molecular signaling and depression-related behaviors relevant to human CACNA1C genetic variants.

MeSH terms

  • Anhedonia / physiology
  • Animals
  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / metabolism
  • Calcium Channels, L-Type / genetics
  • Calcium Channels, L-Type / metabolism*
  • Depressive Disorder / metabolism*
  • Depressive Disorder / pathology
  • Dietary Sucrose
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Feeding Behavior / physiology
  • Forkhead Box Protein O3 / metabolism
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Motor Activity / physiology
  • Phosphorylation
  • Prefrontal Cortex / metabolism*
  • Prefrontal Cortex / pathology
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism*

Substances

  • Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
  • CACNA1C protein, mouse
  • Calcium Channels, L-Type
  • Ddit4 protein, mouse
  • Dietary Sucrose
  • Forkhead Box Protein O3
  • FoxO3 protein, mouse
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Transcription Factors
  • mTOR protein, mouse
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases