Heart rate is modulated by the opposing activities of sympathetic and parasympathetic inputs to pacemaker cardiomyocytes in the sinoatrial (SA) node. Parasympathetic activity on nodal myocytes is mediated by acetylcholine-dependent stimulation of M2 muscarinic receptors and activation of Gαi/o signalling. Although, regulators of G-protein signalling (RGS) proteins are potent inhibitors of Gαi/o signalling in many tissues, the RGS protein(s) that regulate parasympathetic tone in the SA node are unknown. Our results demonstrate that RGS4 mRNA levels are higher in the SA node compared to right atrium. Conscious freely moving RGS4-null mice showed a greater extent of bradycardia in response to parasympathetic agonists compared to wild-type animals. Moreover, anaesthetized rgs4-null mice had lower baseline heart rates and greater heart rate increases following atropine administration. Retrograde-perfused hearts from rgs4-null mice also showed enhanced negative chronotropic responses to carbachol, while isolated SA node myocytes showed greater sensitivity to carbachol-mediated reduction in the action potential firing rate. Finally, rgs4-null SA node cells showed decreased levels of G-protein-coupled inward rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel desensitization, and altered modulation of acetylcholine-sensitive potassium current (IKACh) kinetics following carbachol stimulation. Taken together, our studies establish that RGS4 plays an important role in regulating sinus rhythm by inhibiting parasympathetic signalling and IKACh activity. Following these results, we predicted that loss of RGS4 expression and function will result in increased levels of parasympathetic effector activity leading to increased susceptibility to atrial fibrillation. Susceptibility to atrial fibrillation (AF) depends strongly on parasympathetic activity. Since RGS4 inhibits parasympathetic / M2-dependent Gαi/o signalling in the SA node, we explored whether changes in RGS4 levels altered the susceptibility of atrial fibrillation. We found that, RGS4 levels were decreased in atria of tachypaced dogs prior to their development of chronic AF. Moreover, in vivo ECG recordings of anaesthetized mice showed greater susceptibility to AF while optical mapping of isolated atrial preparations using a voltage-sensitive dye revealed greatly increased susceptibility to rotor formation when RGS4 was ablated. Consistent with altered parasympathetic signalling in the myocardium of rgs4-null mice, IKACh evoked by carbachol application were greater in isolated atrial myocytes from rgs4-null mice. These IKACh changes were, as expected, associated with marked action potential duration shortening in response to parasympathetic activation, but not to slower conduction velocities. Together, our findings establish that RGS4 protects atrial tissues from excess parasympathetic signalling that predispose to atrial fibrillation.

Heart rate is modulated by the opposing activities of sympathetic and parasympathetic inputs to pacemaker cardiomyocytes in the sinoatrial (SA) node. Parasympathetic activity on nodal myocytes is mediated by acetylcholine-dependent stimulation of M2 muscarinic receptors and activation of Gαi/o signalling. Although, regulators of G-protein signalling (RGS) proteins are potent inhibitors of Gαi/o signalling in many tissues, the RGS protein(s) that regulate parasympathetic tone in the SA node are unknown. Our results demonstrate that RGS4 mRNA levels are higher in the SA node compared to right atrium. Conscious freely moving RGS4-null mice showed a greater extent of bradycardia in response to parasympathetic agonists compared to wild-type animals. Moreover, anaesthetized rgs4-null mice had lower baseline heart rates and greater heart rate increases following atropine administration. Retrograde-perfused hearts from rgs4-null mice also showed enhanced negative chronotropic responses to carbachol, while isolated SA node myocytes showed greater sensitivity to carbachol-mediated reduction in the action potential firing rate. Finally, rgs4-null SA node cells showed decreased levels of G-protein-coupled inward rectifying potassium (GIRK) channel desensitization, and altered modulation of acetylcholine-sensitive potassium current (IKACh) kinetics following carbachol stimulation. Taken together, our studies establish that RGS4 plays an important role in regulating sinus rhythm by inhibiting parasympathetic signalling and IKACh activity. Following these results, we predicted that loss of RGS4 expression and function will result in increased levels of parasympathetic effector activity leading to increased susceptibility to atrial fibrillation. Susceptibility to atrial fibrillation (AF) depends strongly on parasympathetic activity. Since RGS4 inhibits parasympathetic / M2-dependent Gαi/o signalling in the SA node, we explored whether changes in RGS4 levels altered the susceptibility of atrial fibrillation. We found that, RGS4 levels were decreased in atria of tachypaced dogs prior to their development of chronic AF. Moreover, in vivo ECG recordings of anaesthetized mice showed greater susceptibility to AF while optical mapping of isolated atrial preparations using a voltage-sensitive dye revealed greatly increased susceptibility to rotor formation when RGS4 was ablated. Consistent with altered parasympathetic signalling in the myocardium of rgs4-null mice, IKACh evoked by carbachol application were greater in isolated atrial myocytes from rgs4-null mice. These IKACh changes were, as expected, associated with marked action potential duration shortening in response to parasympathetic activation, but not to slower conduction velocities. Together, our findings establish that RGS4 protects atrial tissues from excess parasympathetic signalling that predispose to atrial fibrillation.

Cell-to-cell communication is one of the fundamental requisites of making multicellular organisms. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are one of the most abundant receptor-types within vertebrates. They canonically mediate their signal via hetrotrimeric G proteins, and G protein signaling is regulated by regulators of G protein-signaling (RGS). One of these RGS proteins, RGS4, is preferentially expressed in the central nervous system of humans and has been strongly connected to dopaminergic signaling, along with a number of severe neuronal diseases. rgs4 is not well studied in the model organism Danio rerio, the zebrafish, with only two publications. In this project, a newly constructed transgenic line, tg(rgs4:mCherry), with the fluorophore mCherry regulated by the promoter element of rgs4 was characterized in order to investigate fidelity to endogenous rgs4 expression and the utility of the transgenic line. The mCherry expression is apparent by 48 hours post fertilization, and expression is found mainly in neuronal tissue. Cell bodies are visible only in some labeled areas, while other areas show a more diffuse signal indicative of projections. There is only one transgenically labeled area that also unambiguously expresses rgs4; the pronephric tubule. This line is therefore not particularly well suited for rgs4-specifc studies, but this does not discredit the fidelity of the construct. A transgenic line made with a site-directed technique would most likely confer the fidelity of the promoter to the expression of the fluorophore. A way of increasing the labeling resolution includes exchanging the mCherry fluorophore for one with stronger signal and a lower tendency to aggregate, e.g. eGFP. Increasing the resolution of the characterization, e.g. to the level of sub-nuclei or neuronal types, would serve to enhance the utility of the line. As it is, the tg(rgs4:mCherry) zebrafish line has limited uses, and yet it is not without them.

Regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins are a family of proteins that act as GTPase accelerating proteins (GAPs) through their interaction with GΑ subunits, including GΑo, GΑi, and GΑq but not GΑs. This increased rate of hydrolysis of GTP to GDP temporally regulates G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling. A member of this family, RGS4, has been implicated in several neurological disorders including Parkinson's Disease (PD). A hallmark of PD is the induction of oxidative stress within dopaminergic neurons. In this thesis, we evaluate the role of oxidative stress, including lipid peroxidation products with 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4HNE) as a model, in regulating RGS4 activity within neurons. Utilizing transfected RGS4, we evaluated whether RGS4 is readily modified by physiologically relevant concentrations of 4HNE by immuonoprecipitation of RGS4 from 4HNE treated cells. Further examination of recombinant RGS4 by mass spectrometry, revealed that RGS4 is readily modified at several cysteine residues by 4HNE, including C148. Modification at this residue has been shown to be a critical site for allosteric regulation of RGS4. This is confirmed through a malachite green based phosphate generation assay we developed to observe the GAP activity of RGS4 on its native binding partner GΑi. This malachite green based assay was then adapted for high throughput screening. The assay was successfully miniaturized to a 1536-well format. In a screen of 2300 compounds, 4 were identified as hits. The development of this simple and cheap assay can be adapted for usage with a variety of RGS proteins with little work to interrogate other pathways and identify novel RGS modulators. Finally, expansive study of PD has linked oxidative stress to the pathology of both diseases. What has not been discerned is the potential relationship between oxidative stress and the induction of RGS4. In support of the hypothesis, we evaluated the potential relationship between oxidative stress and RGS4 expression. This was accomplished by evaluating two striatal neuron like cell lines, SH-SY5Y and HCN-1A. After treatment with hydrogen peroxide, both cell lines showed increased RGS4 in response to oxidative stress. This response is not however related to mRNA expression, indicating this change is most likely an adjustment of proteasomal regulation of RGS4. This phenomenon may explain the rapid onset of Parkinsonian motor symptoms in reserpine treated animal models of PD, as excess dopamine in the cytoplasm may be rapidly metabolized in reactive products.

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by progressive memory deterioration and cognitive impairment. Pathological hallmarks are extracellular senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuron loss. Senile plaques are produced through altered processing of the membrane-bound protein APP. Different neurotransmitter signal transduction pathways have been implicated in the formation or development of Alzheimer’s pathologies, but the molecular mechanisms behind these changes are not well known. The overall aims of this thesis were to identify novel genes with differential expression in Alzheimer’s disease and to investigate mechanisms initiating these changes and their relationship to the disease. A real-time RT-PCR strategy was developed to enable detection of small mRNA changes in human brain autopsy samples. This approach was first used to investigate levels of expression of a candidate gene (MAO), and later employed to verify gene expression differences detected by cDNA microarray analysis. Of several genes verified as differentially expressed in the patients, ITPKB (Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase B) and RGS4 (Regulator of G-protein signalling 4) presented the largest expression differences in Alzheimer’s cases compared to control samples. Several splice variants of RGS4 showed similar down-regulation levels and one rare haplotype was associated with decreased RGS4 expression. Functional studies in SH-SY5Y cell cultures overexpressing RGS4 showed that it is likely that RGS4 affects APP processing by regulating PRKC expression levels. The combined expression of RGS4 and ITPKB is for the first time presented in this thesis as genes with altered mRNA levels in Alzheimer’s disease. These two genes are implicated in the same signalling pathway that modifies calcium levels in the cell. Furthermore, the fact that RGS4 affects APP processing suggests that RGS4 is involved in the development of senile plaques. This motivates further functional studies of this gene and suggests that RGS4 may become a new potential drug target for Alzheimer’s disease.

Regulator of G-protein signalling 4 (RGS4) modulates Gq and Gi signalling at the plasma membrane (PM). It has been demonstrated that the addition of palmitate to cysteine residues is an important regulator of RGS protein localization and function. The family of palmitate transferase enzymes shares a conserved Asp-His-His-Cys (DHHC) motif. We set out to establish the DHHC isoform(s) that affect RGS4 activity in HEK201 cells. Confocal microscopy revealed that overexpression of DHHCs 3 and 7 mobilized RGS4 to the Golgi. Knockdown of either DHHC3 or DHHC7 attenuated RGS4 inhibition of Gαq-coupled Ca2+ release and reduced RGS4 PM localization. Consistent with a role in promoting RGS4 lipid bilayer targeting, dominant negative mutants of the five most highly expressed DHHCs in HEK201 cells also diminished RGS4 PM association. Together, these data suggest that members of the mammalian DHHC family regulate RGS4 localization and function, likely through palmitoylation of its target cysteine residues.

Regulator of G-protein signalling 4 (RGS4) modulates Gq and Gi signalling at the plasma membrane (PM). It has been demonstrated that the addition of palmitate to cysteine residues is an important regulator of RGS protein localization and function. The family of palmitate transferase enzymes shares a conserved Asp-His-His-Cys (DHHC) motif. We set out to establish the DHHC isoform(s) that affect RGS4 activity in HEK201 cells. Confocal microscopy revealed that overexpression of DHHCs 3 and 7 mobilized RGS4 to the Golgi. Knockdown of either DHHC3 or DHHC7 attenuated RGS4 inhibition of Gαq-coupled Ca2+ release and reduced RGS4 PM localization. Consistent with a role in promoting RGS4 lipid bilayer targeting, dominant negative mutants of the five most highly expressed DHHCs in HEK201 cells also diminished RGS4 PM association. Together, these data suggest that members of the mammalian DHHC family regulate RGS4 localization and function, likely through palmitoylation of its target cysteine residues.

Regulator of G Protein Signaling 4 (RGS4) mediates motor defects in Parkinson's disease. Small molecule RGS4 inhibitors (e.g. CCG-50014) modify buried cysteine residues, but the structural and dynamic mechanisms underpinning specificity of inhibitors for RGS4 within the RGS family are poorly understood. We used NMR and other biophysical methods to examine ligand-induced structural changes and the dynamics of unliganded RGS4 and RGS8 that allow ligand binding. NMR and fluorescence spectroscopy data reveal details of the hidden, excited conformational state of RGS4 that exposes Cys148, one of the buried cysteines bound by inhibitors. We further show that specificity of RGS4 inhibitors is driven by differential accessibility of the target cysteine compared to its equivalent in RGS8. Cys148 is buried beneath the lid at the center the α4-α7 helix bundle, and this bundle is destabilized in RGS4 compared to RGS8. Notably, helix 6 is highly destabilized in RGS4 compared to RGS8 and is likely the key mediator of access to Cys148. Our findings provide key insight into the mechanism of allosteric RGS4 inhibition and show that dynamics drive inhibitory specificity among RGS proteins.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder producing a clinical syndrome of bradykinesia, rigidity and resting tremor. These motor symptoms appear due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) and loss of dopamine in the striatum, which subsequently leads to an imbalance of the basal ganglia motor circuit. The most effective pharmacological treatment for PD is L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), the immediate metabolic precursor of dopamine, which effectively restores motor function. L-DOPA is catabolised into dopamine and replaces neurotransmitter loss in PD. However, long-term L-DOPA treatment leads to abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs), such as L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID), which reduces the quality of life in PD patients. Currently, there are no reliable pharmacological treatments for these motor complications. Clinical and preclinical studies have shown that development and expression of LID is linked to unregulated dopamine release and plasticity-induced changes of striatal dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic signalling pathways. The activities of these pathways can be modulated by neurotransmitter receptors of a specific classification, the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family. In turn, GPCRs are regulated by certain endogenous proteins, the regulators of G-protein signalling (RGS) proteins. Numerous RGS protein subtypes are expressed in the striatum but their roles in PD and LID remain poorly understood. Given the modulatory function of RGS proteins in the striatum, these endogenous factors may have pathophysiological roles in the expression of motor symptoms in PD and LID. The studies presented in this thesis investigated the roles of RGS proteins in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rat model of PD and LID. Rats received unilateral 6-OHDA lesions of the right medial forebrain bundle to induce severe dopamine denervation. L-DOPA/benserazide (6/15 mg/kg) was then administered once daily for at least 21 days to induce stable abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs). In Chapter 2 of this thesis, increased levels of RGS2 and RGS4 mRNA were found in the rostral striatum of the unilateral 6-OHDA-lesioned rat model of LID. Moreover, elevated levels of RGS4 mRNA were specific to sensorimotor regions and positively correlated with AIMs severity. These molecular and behavioural data suggest that RGS4 proteins are involved in the expression of LID. In Chapters 3 and 4, behavioural studies conducted in the unilateral 6-OHDA-lesioned rat model of LID showed that acute inhibition of striatal RGS4 proteins reduced the expression of AIMs and improved overall motor function. Moreover, repeated de novo treatment with RGS4 protein inhibitors, in combination with L-DOPA, attenuated the development of AIMs and reduced the overexpression of preproenkephalin-B, a molecular marker of LID. These behavioural and molecular data suggest that blockade of RGS4 proteins can reduce the induction of LID. In Chapter 5, in vivo microdialysis conducted in the unilateral 6-OHDA-lesioned rat model of LID showed that systemic administration of RGS4 protein inhibitors, in combination with L-DOPA, attenuated unregulated striatal dopamine efflux. These data suggest that RGS4 proteins may regulate specific G-protein coupled receptors, such as 5-HT1A receptors, that modulate striatal dopamine release. In conclusion, the work presented in this thesis shows that RGS4 proteins play a pathophysiological role in the expression and development of LID. These proteins could mediate regulation of key neurotransmitter receptors involved in LID, making them a potential therapeutic target for the development of future treatments.

Les cellules de Schwann (CS) sont les cellules gliales myélinisantes du Système Nerveux Périphérique (SNP). Il existe une communication étroite entre ces cellules et les axones auxquels elles s’associent et ce dès les stades les plus précoces de leur développement. Elles migrent tout en se divisant le long des axones; cette division migratoire est suivie d’une deuxième division post-migratoire dans le but d’établir un ratio 1:1 avec les axones pour ensuite les myéliniser. Ce travail vise à analyser, in vivo, le comportement des CS chez le poisson zèbre au cours de leurs divisions.Nous avons remarqué que les CS se divisent parallèlement aux axones le long du nerf de la Ligne Latérale Postérieure (PLL). En analysant les deux mutants has et nok, nous avons montré que les gènes de polarité apicale aPKC et pals1 ne sont pas requis pour la migration et la division des CS, ni pour leur capacité à myéliniser. Nous avons mis en évidence, en analysant le mutant cassiopeia qui présente des défauts d’organisation du fuseau mitotique et en utilisant l’agent pharmacologique le nocodazole, que l’assemblage du fuseau mitotique au cours de la division des CS est essentiel pour la myélinisation.En parallèle, nous avons analysé le rôle du gène rgs4 (regulator of G-protein Signaling 4) dans le développement du SNP chez le poisson zèbre. Nous avons généré un mutant stable rgs4 par la technique CRISPR/Cas9 et montré un rôle de ce gène dans le développement du ganglion de la PLL et des motoneurones, et ce en agissant en amont de la voie PI3K/Akt/mTOR.Contrairement à l’inhibition pharmacologique qui suggère un rôle de rgs4 dans la myélinisation périphérique, le mutant ne présente pas de défauts de myéline. / Schwann cells (SCs) are the myelinating glial cells of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). They derive from neural crest cells during development, then migrate and divide along the axons of the peripheral nerves. This migratory division is followed by a post-migratory division in order to radially sort the axons in a 1:1 ratio and wrap them with a myelin sheath. This work provides an analysis of the polarity of SC divisions, in vivo, in intact zebrafish embryos.We showed that SCs divide parallel to the axons along the Posterior Lateral Line nerve (PLL). By analyzing the two mutants has and nok, we revealed that the apical polarity genes aPKC and pals1, are neither required for the migration and division of SCs, nor for their capacity to myelinate. By studying the cassiopeia mutant that shows defects in mitotic spindle, we revealed that the assembly of the mitotic spindle is essential for SC myelination.We have also analysed the role of rgs4 (regulator of G-protein Signaling 4) in PNS development. We generated a stable rgs4 mutant using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology. We showed that rgs4 plays an essentiel role in PLLg and motoneurons development by acting upstream of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Pharmacological analysis suggested a role for rgs4 in peripheral myelination, however, the rgs4 mutant do not show any myelin defects.