Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T23:42:41.083Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Protein Kinase A in Major Depression: The Link Between Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Hyperactivity and Neurogenesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Abstract

The latest and most generative biological theories of major depression center on two major hypotheses. The first focuses on the concept that hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis leads to many of the pathological changes in the brain that accompany major depression. The second posits that neurogenesis leads to the repair of depression-related injuries. These two hypotheses are complementary: the former alludes to the etiology or consequences of depression, while the latter suggests mechanisms of antidepressant action. Significant crosstalk occurs between these two systems at many levels. Protein kinase A (PKA) may play an important role in this crosstalk at the intracellular level of signaling cascades. PKA is involved in the formation of long-term potentiation and fear conditioning in response to stress. Chronic stress leads to the suppression of hippocampal activity, which may cause the hyperactivity of the HPA axis during melancholic depression. PKA is also involved in the stimulation of hippocampal neurogenesis after antidepressant treatment. In theory, neurogenesis may lead to the restoration of hippocampal function, and this may be the mechanism that leads to antidepressant-mediated normalization of HPA hyperactivity. Thus, PKA is active during processes that potentially lead to depression and other processes that lead to the resolution of the illness. These opposing processes may be mediated by separate PKA isozymes that activate two distinct pathways. This review highlights the dual role of this enzyme in two biological hypotheses pertaining to depression and its treatment.

Type
Feature Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Holsboer, F. The corticoid receptor hypothesis. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2000;23:477501.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2. Duman, RS, Heninger, GR, Nestler, E. Molecular and cellular theory of depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1997;54:597606.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Atkins, C, Selcher, J, Petraitis, J, et al. The MAPK cascade is required for mammalian associative learning. Nat Neurosci. 1998;1:602609.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4. Coplan, J, Lydyard, R. Brain circuits in panic disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 1998;44:12641276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. Corman, J. Comorbid depression and anxiety spectrum disorders. Depress Anxiety. 19961997;4:160168.Google Scholar
6. Mori, S, Garbini, S, Caivano, M, et al. Time-course changes in rat cerebral cortex subcellular distribution of the cyclic-AMP binding after treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 1998;1:310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7. Diwivedi, Y, Pandey, G. Adrenal glucocorticoids modulate [3H] cyclic AMP binding to protein kinase A (PKA), cyclic-AMP dependent PKA activity, and protein levels of selective regulatory and catalytic subunit isoforms of PKA in rat brain. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2000;294:103116.Google Scholar
8. Mori, S, Popoli, M, Brunello, N, et al. Effect of reboxetine treatment on brain cAMP and calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinases. Neuropharmacology. 2001;40:448456.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9. Duman, RS, Malberg, J, Thome, J. Neural plasticity to stress and antidepressant treatment. Biol Psychiatry. 1999;46:11811191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10. Mega, M, Cummings, J, Salloway, S, Malloy, P. The limbic system. In: Salloway, S, Malloy, P, Cummings, J. eds. The Neuropsychiatry of Limbic and Subcortical Disorders. Washington, DC: APA Press. 1997;318.Google Scholar
11. Nestler, E, Alreja, M, Aghajanian, G. Molecular control of locus ceruleus neurotransmission. Biol Psychiatry. 1999;46:11311139.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12. Gould, E. Serotonin and hippocampal neurogenesis. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1999;21(Suppl 2):46S51S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13. Shelton, R, Manier, D, Susler, F. cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity in major depression. Am J Psychiatry. 1996;153:10371042.Google ScholarPubMed
14. Muthusamy, N, Leiden, J. A protein kinase C, Ras, and RSK2-dependent signal transduction pathway activates the cAMP-response element-binding protein transcription factor following T-cell receptor engagement. J Biol Chem. 1998;273:2284122847.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15. Roberson, E, English, J, Adams, P, et al. The mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade couples PKA and PKC to cAMP response element binding protein phosphorylation in area CA1 of hippocampus. J Neurosci. 1999;19:43374348.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16. Goosens, KA, Holt, W, Maren, S. A role for amygdaloid PKA and PKC in the acquisition of long-term conditional fear memories in rats. Behav Brain Res. 2000;114:145152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17. Zanassi, P, Paolillo, M, Feliciello, A, et al. cAMP-dependent protein kinase induces CREB phosphorylation via intracellular calcium release/ERK-dependent pathway in striatal neurons. J Biol Chem. 2001;276:1148711495CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18. Shelton, R. Cellular mechanisms in the vulnerability to depression and response to antidepressant treatments. Psych Clin N Am. 2000;4:713729.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19. Weeber, E, Atkins, C, Selcher, J, et al. A role for the β-Isoform of protein kinase C in fear conditioning. J Neurosci.1 2000;20:59065914.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20. Kim, D, Jung, J, Kim, H, et al. Inhibition of brain protein kinase C attenuates immobilization stress-induced plasma corticosterone levels in mice. Neurosci Lett. 2000;291:6972.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21. Manji, H, Lenox, R. Protein kinase C signaling in the brain: molecular transduction of mood stabilization in the treatment of manic-depressive illness. Biol Psychiatry. 1999;46:13281351.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22. Schafe, GE, LeDoux, JE. Memory consolidation of auditory Pavlovian fear conditioning requires protein synthesis and protein kinase A in the amygdala. J Neurosci. 2000;20:15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23. Rotenberg, A, Abel, T, Hawkins, R, Kandel, E, Muller, R. Parallel instabilities of long term potentiation, place cells, and learning caused by decreased protein kinase A activity. J Neurosci. 2000;20:80968102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24. Viola, H, Furman, M, Isquierdo, L, et al. Phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein as a molecular marker of memory processing in rat hippocampus: effect of novelty. J Neurosci. 2000;20:RC112CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
25. Korte, M, Griesbeck, O, Gravel, C, et al. Virusmediated gene transfer into hippocampal CA-1 region restores long-term potentiation in brain-derived neurotrophic factor mutant mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996;93:1254712552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26. Gurden, H, Takita, M, Jay, T. Essential role of D1 but not D2 receptors in the NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation at hippocampal-prefrontal cortex synapses in vivo. J Neurosci. 2000;20:15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27. Roozdaal, B, Nguyen, B, Power, A, McGaugh, J. Basolateral amygdala noradrenergic influence enables enhancement of memory consolidation by hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor activation. Proc Nad Acad Sci U S A. 1999;96:1164211647.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28. Davis, M. The role of the amygdala. In: Salloway, S, Malloy, P, Cummings, J, eds. The Neuropsychiatry of Limbic and Subcortical Disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatry Association Press. 1997;318.Google Scholar
29. Lopez, J, Akil, H, Watson, S. Neural circuits mediating stress. Biol Psychiatry. 1999;46:14611471.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30. Reul, J, Gesing, A, Droste, S, et al. The brain mineralocorticoid receptor: greedy for ligand, mysterious in function. Eur J Pharmacol. 2000;405:235249.Google Scholar
31. Zimmerman, M, Pfohl, B, Stangl, D, Coryell, W. An American validation of the Newcastle diagnostic scale. I. Relationship with dexamethasone suppression test. Br J Psychiatry. 1986;149:627630.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
32. McEwen, BS. The effects of stress on structural and functional plasticity in the hippocampus. In: Charney, DS, Nestler, EJ, Bunney, BS, eds. Neurobiology of Mental Illness. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 1999;475493.Google Scholar
33. Sapolsky, R. Glucocorticoids and hippocampal atrophy in neuropsychiatric disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2000;57:925935.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
34. Sheline, Y. 3D MRI studies of neuroanatomic changes in unipolar major depression: the role of stress and medical comorbidity. Biol Psychiatry. 2000;48:791800.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
35. Gurguis, G, Vo, P, Griffith, J, Rush, J. Neutrophil (2-adrenoreceptor function in major depression: Gs coupling, effects of imipramine, and relationship to treatment outcome. Eur J Pharmacol. 1999;386:135144.Google Scholar
36. Arango, V, Underwood, M, Mann, J. Alterations in monoamine receptors in the brain of suicide victims. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1992;12(Suppl):8S12S.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
37. Gurguis, G, Turkka, J, Laurelle, M, et al. Coupling efficiency of brain adrenergic receptors in suicide, alcoholism, and control subjects. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1999;145:3138.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
38. Little, K, Clark, T, Ranc, J, Duncan, G. Adrenergic receptor binding in frontal cortex from suicide victims. Biol Psychiatry. 1993;34:596605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
39. Werstuk, E, Coote, M, Griffith, L, et al. Effects of electroconvulsive therapy on peripheral adrenoreceptors, plasma, noradrenaline, MHPG, and cortisol in depressed patients. Br J Psychiatry. 1996;169:758765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
40. Mazzola, P, Jeanningros, R, Azorin, J, et al. Early decrease in density of mononuclear leukocyte adrenoreceptors in depressed patient following amineptine treatment. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1991;15:357367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
41. Healy, D, Carney, P, O'Halloran, A, Leonard, B. Peripheral adrenoreceptors and serotonin receptors in depression: changes associated with response to treatment with trazadone or amitriptyline. J Affect Disord. 1985;9:285296.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
42. Papp, M, Klimek, V, Willner, P. Effects of imipramine on serotonergic and beta-adrenergic receptor binding in a realistic animal model of depression. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1994;114:309314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
43. Rahman, S, Li, P, Young, L, et al. Reduced [3H] cyclic AMP binding in postmortem brain from subject with bipolar affective disorder. J Neurochem. 1997;68:297304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
44. Nishino, N, Kitamura, N, Hashimoto, T, et al. Increase in [3H] cyclic AMP binding sites and decreased Gi and Ga immunoreactivities in left temporal cortices from patients with schizophrenia. Brain Res. 1993;615:4149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
45. Perez, J, Tardito, D, Racagni, G, et al. Protein kinase A and Rapl levels in platelets of untreated patients with major depression. Mol Psychiatry. 2001;6:4449.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
46. Shelton, R, Manier, H, Peterson, C, et al. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in subtypes of major depression and normal controls. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 1999;2:187192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
47. Hatalski, C, Baram, T. Stress-induced transcriptional regulation in the developing rat brain involves increased cyclic adenosine 3, 5-monophosphate-regulatory element binding activity. Mol Endocrinol. 1997;11:20162024.Google ScholarPubMed
48. Kovacs, K, Foldes, A, Sawchenko, P. Glucocorticoid negative feedback selectively targets vasopressin transcription in parvocellular neurosecretory neurons. J Neurosci. 2000;20:38433852.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
49. Smith, MA, Makino, S, Kvetnansky, R, Post, R. Effects of stress on neurotrophic factor expression in the rat brain. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1995;771:234239.Google Scholar
50. Schaaf, M, De Kloet, E, Vreugdenhil, E. Corticosterone effects on BDNF expression in the hippocampus. Implications for memory formation. Stress. 2000;3:201208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
51. Tanapat, P, Galea, LAM, Gould, E. Stress inhibits the proliferation of granule cell precursors in the developing dentate gyrus. Int J Dev Neurosci. 1998;16:235239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
52. Gould, E, Tanapat, P, McEwen, BS, Flugge, G, Fuchs, E. Proliferation of granule cell precursors in the dentate gyrus of adult monkeys is diminished by stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1998;95:31683171.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
53. Cameron, HA, Tanapat, P, Gould, E. Adrenal steroids and N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor activation regulate neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of adult rats through a common pathway. Neuroscience. 1998;82:349352.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
55. Nestler, EJ, Terwilliger, RZ, Duman, RS. Chronic antidepressant administration alters the subcellular distribution of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in rat frontal cortex. J Neurochem. 1989;53:16441647.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
56. Perez, J, Tinelli, D, Bianchi, E, et al. cAMP binding proteins in the rat cerebral cortex after administration of selective 5-HT and NE reuptake blockers with antidepressant activity. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1991;4:5764.Google Scholar
57. Tadokoro, C, Kiuchi, Y, Yamazaki, Y, et al. Effect of imipramine and sertraline on protein kinase activity in rat frontal cortex. Eur J Pharmacol. 1998;342:5154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
58. Nibuya, M, Nestler, E, Duman, R. Chronic antide-pressant administration increases the expression of CREB in rat hippocampus. J Neurosci. 1996;16:23652372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
59. Vaidya, VA, Siuciak, JA, Du, F, Duman, RS. Mossy fiber sprouting and synaptic reorganization induced by chronic administration of electroconvulsive seizures: role of BDNF. Neuroscience. 1999;89:157166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
60. Nibuya, M, Morinobu, S, Duman, RS. Regulation of BDNF and trkβ mRNA in rat brain by chronic electroconvulsive seizure and antidepressant drug treatments. J Neurosci. 1995;15:75397547.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
61. Malberg, J, Eisch, A, Nestler, E, Duman, R. Chronic antidepressant treatment increases neurogenesis in adult rat hippocampus. J Neurosci. 2000;20:91049110.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
62. Madsen, TM, Treschow, A, Bengzon, J, Bolwig, TG, Lindvall, O, Tingstrom, A. Increased neurogenesis in a model of electroconvulsive therapy. Biol Psychiatry. 2000;47:10431049.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
63. Eisch, AJ, Barrot, M, Schad, CA, Self, DW, Nestler, EJ. Opiates inhibit neurogenesis in the adult rat hippocampus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000;97:75797584.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
64. Gould, E, Beylin, A, Tanapat, P, Reeves, A, Shors, TJ. Learning enhances adult neurogenesis in the hippocampal formation. Nat Neurosci. 1999;2:260265.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
65. van Praag, H, Christie, BR, Sejnowski, TJ, Gage, FH. Running enhances neurogenesis, learning, and long-term potentiation in mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999;96:1342713431.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
66. Nilsson, M, Perfilieva, E, Johansson, U, Orwar, O, Eriksson, PS. Enriched environment increases neurogenesis in the adult rat dentate gyrus and improves spatial memory. J Neurobiol. 1999;39:569578.3.0.CO;2-F>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
67. Budzuszewska, B, Jaworska-Feil, L, Kajta, M, Lason, W. Antidepressant drugs inhibit glucocorticoid receptor-mediated gene transcription—a possible mechanism. Br J Pharmacol. 2000;130:13851393.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
68. Massaad, C, Houard, N, Lombes, M, Barouki, R. Modulation of human mineralocorticoid receptor function by protein kinase A. Mol Endocrinol 1999;13:5765.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed