JNK1 inhibits GluR1 expression and GluR1-mediated calcium influx through phosphorylation and stabilization of Hes-1

The GluR1 subunit of the AMPA receptor plays an important role in excitatory synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity in the brain, but the regulation mechanism for GluR1 expression is largely unknown. Hairy and enhancer of split 1 (Hes-1) is a mammalian transcription repressor that regulates neuronal differentiation and development, but the role of Hes-1 in differentiated neurons is also less known. Here, we examined the molecular mechanism in regulation of GluR1 expression in rat cultured cortical neurons. We found that Hes-1 suppressed GluR1 promoter activity and decreased GluR1 expression through direct binding to the N-box and through preventing Mash1/E47 from binding to the E-box of GluR1 promoter. We also found that Hes-1 could be regulated by c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK1). JNK1 directly phosphorylates Hes-1 at Ser-263. Furthermore, JNK1 phosphorylation of Hes-1 stabilized the Hes-1 protein and enhanced the suppressing effect of Hes-1 on GluR1 expression. These effects were demonstrated both in the soma and at the synapse. Moreover, this JNK1-mediated signaling pathway was found to inhibit AMPA-evoked calcium influx in cortical neurons and this regulation mechanism is Notch independent. Here, we provided the first evidence that Hes-1 plays an important role in synaptic function in differentiated neurons. We also identified a novel JNK1-Hes-1 signaling pathway that regulates GluR1 expression involved in synaptic function in rat cortical neurons.