Mice lacking the PSD-95-interacting E3 ligase, Dorfin/Rnf19a, display reduced adult neurogenesis, enhanced long-term potentiation, and impaired contextual fear conditioning

Sci Rep. 2015 Nov 10:5:16410. doi: 10.1038/srep16410.

Abstract

Protein ubiquitination has a significant influence on diverse aspects of neuronal development and function. Dorfin, also known as Rnf19a, is a RING finger E3 ubiquitin ligase implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease, but its in vivo functions have not been explored. We report here that Dorfin is a novel binding partner of the excitatory postsynaptic scaffolding protein PSD-95. Dorfin-mutant (Dorfin(-/-)) mice show reduced adult neurogenesis and enhanced long-term potentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus, but normal long-term potentiation in the CA1 region. Behaviorally, Dorfin(-/-) mice show impaired contextual fear conditioning, but normal levels of cued fear conditioning, fear extinction, spatial learning and memory, object recognition memory, spatial working memory, and pattern separation. Using a proteomic approach, we also identify a number of proteins whose ubiquitination levels are decreased in the Dorfin(-/-) brain. These results suggest that Dorfin may regulate adult neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and contextual fear memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Conditioning, Classical*
  • Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein
  • Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / genetics
  • Fear*
  • Gene Knockout Techniques
  • Guanylate Kinases / metabolism*
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Homozygote
  • Learning
  • Long-Term Potentiation / genetics*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Memory
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Neurogenesis / genetics*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Proteome
  • Proteomics / methods
  • Psychomotor Agitation / genetics
  • Two-Hybrid System Techniques
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism*

Substances

  • Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein
  • Dlg4 protein, mouse
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Proteome
  • Rnf19a protein, mouse
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
  • Guanylate Kinases