Protein kinase C regulates tonic GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition in the hippocampus and thalamus

Tonic inhibition mediated by extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors (GABA(A)Rs) is an important regulator of neuronal excitability. Phosphorylation by protein kinase C (PKC) provides a key mode of regulation for synaptic GABA(A)Rs underlying phasic inhibition; however, less attention has been focused on the plasticity of tonic inhibition and whether this can also be modulated by receptor phosphorylation. To address this issue, we used whole-cell patch clamp recording in acute murine brain slices at both room and physiological temperatures to examine the effects of PKC-mediated phosphorylation on tonic inhibition. Recordings from dentate gyrus granule cells in the hippocampus and dorsal lateral geniculate relay neurons in the thalamus demonstrated that PKC activation caused downregulation of tonic GABA(A)R-mediated inhibition. Conversely, inhibition of PKC resulted in an increase in tonic GABA(A)R activity. These findings were corroborated by experiments on human embryonic kidney 293 cells expressing recombinant 42 GABA(A)Rs, which represent a key extrasynaptic GABA(A)R isoform in the hippocampus and thalamus. Using bath application of low GABA concentrations to mimic activation by ambient neurotransmitter, we demonstrated a similar inhibition of receptor function following PKC activation at physiological temperature. Live cell imaging revealed that this was correlated with a loss of cell surface GABA(A)Rs. The inhibitory effects of PKC activation on 42 GABA(A)R activity appeared to be mediated by direct phosphorylation at a previously identified site on the 2 subunit, serine 410. These results indicate that PKC-mediated phosphorylation can be an important physiological regulator of tonic GABA(A)R-mediated inhibition.