Protein Kinase B/Akt1 Phosphorylates Dysbindin-1A at Serine 10 to Regulate Neuronal Development

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a neurodevelopmental disorder with dendrite and dendritic spine dysfunction. Dysbindin-1, a protein decreased in the brains of schizophrenia patients, is involved in the development of dendrites and spines. However, it is still unclear how the role of dysbindin-1 in neuronal development is regulated. Here, we showed protein kinase B/Akt1, a serine/threonine kinase implicated in schizophrenia, phosphorylated dysbindin-1A at serine 10 (S10). S10 phosphorylation of dysbindin-1A was increased during postnatal neuronal and synapse development stage, and was enriched in postsynaptic densities (PSDs). Furthermore, overexpressing wild type or S10 phospho-mimic mutant (S10D), but not S10 phospho-dead mutant (S10A) of dysbindin-1A rescued the dendrite and spine deficits in dysbindin-1A knockdown neurons. These results indicate S10 phosphorylation of dysbindin-1A by Akt1 is essential for neuronal development, providing a potential regulation mechanism for dysbindin-1A in neuronal development.

Keywords: Akt; dendrite arborization; dendritic spine; dysbindin-1; phosphorylation.