In preparations of synaptic terminals (synaptosomes) isolated from rat brain, the activity of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), a phospholipid hydrolase that serves a central function in signal transduction, was inhibited in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner by incubation with 60 mM K+ or with the Ca(2+)-selective ionophore ionomycin. Reversal by alkaline phosphatase treatment suggested that this inhibitory effect resulted from phosphorylation of a synaptosomal protein substrate. When lysed synaptosomes were incubated with Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM), purified Ca2+/CAM-dependent protein kinase II (Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II) and ATP, PLA2 activity in lysates was nearly abolished within 10 min. This effect was accompanied by a marked decrease in the Vmax of the enzyme and little or no change in the Km. Furthermore, Ca2+/CaM with ATP but without exogenous Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II partially inhibited PLA2 activity, and this effect was prevented by treating the lysates with a selective peptide inhibitor of Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II. In contrast, incubation of intact synaptosomes with 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or of lysed synaptosomes with purified protein kinase C had little or no effect on PLA2 activity. The results strongly suggest that the Ca(2+)-dependent inhibition of PLA2 activity observed in intact nerve endings was produced by activation of the multifunctional Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II. A membrane-permeable adenylyl cyclase activator, forskolin, enhanced PLA2 activity in intact synaptosomes, and cAMP-dependent protein kinase potentiated PLA2 activity in lysed synaptosomes. Furthermore, another broad-spectrum protein kinase present in synaptic terminals, casein kinase II, also potentiated PLA2 activity in lysed synaptosomes. The effects of both protein kinases were associated with a decrease in Km and no change in Vmax. The results suggest that PLA2 activity in synaptic terminals is subject to bidirectional control by distinct signal transduction pathways. Moreover, mutually antagonistic effects of the Ca2+/CaM-dependent PK II and PLA2 pathways provide a possible molecular mechanism for bidirectional modulation of neurotransmitter release.

A variety of evidence indicates that activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II) in nerve terminals leads to enhanced neurotransmitter release. Arachidonic acid and its 12-lipoxygenase metabolite, 12-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HPETE), have been suggested to act as second messengers mediating presynaptic inhibition of neurotransmitter release. In the present study it was found that CaM-kinase II, purified from rat brain cortex, was inhibited both by arachidonic acid (IC50 = 24 microM) and by 12-HPETE (IC50 = 0.7 microM). Neither substance inhibited CaM-kinase I or III, protein kinase C, or the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Specific inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphorylation by arachidonic acid was also demonstrated in intact synaptic terminals (synaptosomes) isolated from rat forebrain. These results suggest that arachidonate and its metabolites may modulate synaptic function through the inhibition of CaM-kinase II-dependent protein phosphorylation.

The most recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of schizophrenia (SCZ) identified hundreds of risk variants potentially implicated in the disease. Further, novel statistical methodology designed for polygenic architecture revealed more potential risk variants. This can provide a link between individual genetic factors and the mechanistic underpinnings of SCZ. Intriguingly, a large number of genes coding for ionotropic and metabotropic receptors for various neurotransmitters-glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine and opioids-and numerous ion channels were associated with SCZ. Here, we review these findings from the standpoint of classical neurobiological knowledge of neuronal synaptic transmission and regulation of electrical excitability. We show that a substantial proportion of the identified genes are involved in intracellular cascades known to integrate 'slow' (G-protein-coupled receptors) and 'fast' (ionotropic receptors) neurotransmission converging on the protein DARPP-32. Inspection of the Human Brain Transcriptome Project database confirms that that these genes are indeed expressed in the brain, with the expression profile following specific developmental trajectories, underscoring their relevance to brain organization and function. These findings extend the existing pathophysiology hypothesis by suggesting a unifying role of dysregulation in neuronal excitability and synaptic integration in SCZ. This emergent model supports the concept of SCZ as an 'associative' disorder-a breakdown in the communication across different slow and fast neurotransmitter systems through intracellular signaling pathways-and may unify a number of currently competing hypotheses of SCZ pathophysiology.