Abstract
Extensive research has uncovered diverse forms of synaptic plasticity and an array of molecular signaling mechanisms that act as positive or negative regulators. Specifically, cyclic 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent signaling pathways are crucially implicated in long-lasting synaptic plasticity. In this study, we examine the role of Popeye domain-containing protein 1 (POPDC1) (or blood vessel epicardial substance (BVES)), a cAMP effector protein, in modulating hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Unlike other cAMP effectors, such as protein kinase A (PKA) and exchange factor directly activated by cAMP, POPDC1 is membrane-bound and the sequence of the cAMP-binding cassette differs from canonical cAMP-binding domains, suggesting that POPDC1 may have an unique role in cAMP-mediated signaling. Our results show that Popdc1 is widely expressed in various brain regions including the hippocampus. Acute hippocampal slices from Popdc1 knockout (KO) mice exhibit PKA-dependent enhancement in CA1 long-term potentiation (LTP) in response to weaker stimulation paradigms, which in slices from wild-type mice induce only transient LTP. Loss of POPDC1, while not affecting basal transmission or input-specificity of LTP, results in altered response during high-frequency stimulation. Popdc1 KO mice also show enhanced forskolin-induced potentiation. Overall, these findings reveal POPDC1 as a novel negative regulator of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and, together with recent evidence for its interaction with phosphodiesterases (PDEs), suggest that POPDC1 is involved in modulating activity-dependent local cAMP-PKA-PDE signaling.