eLife (Aug 2019)

Rbfox1 up-regulation impairs BDNF-dependent hippocampal LTP by dysregulating TrkB isoform expression levels

  • Francesco Tomassoni-Ardori,
  • Gianluca Fulgenzi,
  • Jodi Becker,
  • Colleen Barrick,
  • Mary Ellen Palko,
  • Skyler Kuhn,
  • Vishal Koparde,
  • Maggie Cam,
  • Sudhirkumar Yanpallewar,
  • Shalini Oberdoerffer,
  • Lino Tessarollo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.49673
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

Read online

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a potent modulator of brain synaptic plasticity. Signaling defects caused by dysregulation of its Ntrk2 (TrkB) kinase (TrkB.FL) and truncated receptors (TrkB.T1) have been linked to the pathophysiology of several neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. We found that upregulation of Rbfox1, an RNA binding protein associated with intellectual disability, epilepsy and autism, increases selectively hippocampal TrkB.T1 isoform expression. Physiologically, increased Rbfox1 impairs BDNF-dependent LTP which can be rescued by genetically restoring TrkB.T1 levels. RNA-seq analysis of hippocampi with upregulation of Rbfox1 in conjunction with the specific increase of TrkB.T1 isoform expression also shows that the genes affected by Rbfox1 gain of function are surprisingly different from those influenced by Rbfox1 deletion. These findings not only identify TrkB as a major target of Rbfox1 pathophysiology but also suggest that gain or loss of function of Rbfox1 regulate different genetic landscapes.

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