Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by expansion of a polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein. Transcriptional dysregulation has been implicated in HD pathogenesis. Here, we report that huntingtin interacts with the transcriptional activator Sp1 and coactivator TAFII130. Coexpression of Sp1 and TAFII130 in cultured striatal cells from wild-type and HD transgenic mice reverses the transcriptional inhibition of the dopamine D2 receptor gene caused by mutant huntingtin, as well as protects neurons from huntingtin-induced cellular toxicity. Furthermore, soluble mutant huntingtin inhibits Sp1 binding to DNA in postmortem brain tissues of both presymptomatic and affected HD patients. Understanding these early molecular events in HD may provide an opportunity to interfere with the effects of mutant huntingtin before the development of disease symptoms.

NMDA receptors (NMDARs) control bidirectional synaptic plasticity by regulating postsynaptic AMPA receptors (AMPARs). Here we show that NMDAR activation can have differential effects on AMPAR trafficking, depending on the subunit composition of NMDARs. In mature cultured neurons, NR2A-NMDARs promote, whereas NR2B-NMDARs inhibit, the surface expression of GluR1, primarily by regulating its surface insertion. In mature neurons, NR2B is coupled to inhibition rather than activation of the Ras-ERK pathway, which drives surface delivery of GluR1. Moreover, the synaptic Ras GTPase activating protein (GAP) SynGAP is selectively associated with NR2B-NMDARs in brain and is required for inhibition of NMDAR-dependent ERK activation. Preferential coupling of NR2B to SynGAP could explain the subtype-specific function of NR2B-NMDARs in inhibition of Ras-ERK, removal of synaptic AMPARs, and weakening of synaptic transmission.

Recent work has shown substantial alterations in NMDA receptor subunit expression, assembly, and phosphorylation in the dopamine-depleted striatum of a rodent 6-hydroxydopamine model of Parkinson's disease. These modifications are hypothesized to result from the trafficking of NMDA receptors between subcellular compartments. Here we show that in rat striatal tissues the NR2A and NR2B subunits in the synaptosomal membrane, and not those in the light membrane and synaptic vesicle-enriched compartments, are tyrosine phosphorylated. The dopamine D1 receptor agonist SKF-82958 produces (1) an increase in NR1, NR2A, and NR2B proteins in the synaptosomal membrane fraction; (2) a decrease in NR1, NR2A, and NR2B proteins in the light membrane and synaptic vesicleenriched fractions; and (3) an increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2A and NR2B in the synaptosomal membrane compartment. The protein phosphatase inhibitor pervanadate reproduces the alterations in subcellular distribution and phosphorylation, whereas the effects of the dopamine D1 receptor agonist are blocked by genistein, a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Dopamine D1 receptor agonist treatment does not change the subcellular distribution of the AMPA receptor subunits GluR1 or GluR2/3 in the striatum and has no effect on cortical or cerebellar NMDA receptor subunits. These data reveal a rapid dopamine D1 receptor-and tyrosine kinasedependent trafficking of striatal NMDA receptors between intracellular and postsynaptic sites. The subcellular trafficking of striatal NMDA receptors may play a significant role both in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease and in the development of adverse effects of chronic dopaminergic therapy in parkinsonian patients.