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Involvement of DARPP-32 phosphorylation in the stimulant action of caffeine

Nature volume 418, pages 774–778 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Caffeine has been imbibed since ancient times in tea and coffee, and more recently in colas. Caffeine owes its psychostimulant action to a blockade of adenosine A2A receptors1, but little is known about its intracellular mechanism of action. Here we show that the stimulatory effect of caffeine on motor activity in mice was greatly reduced following genetic deletion of DARPP-32 (dopamine- and cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein of relative molecular mass 32,000)2. Results virtually identical to those seen with caffeine were obtained with the selective A2A antagonist SCH 58261. The depressant effect of the A2A receptor agonist, CGS 21680, on motor activity was also greatly attenuated in DARPP-32 knockout mice. In support of a role for DARPP-32 in the action of caffeine, we found that, in striata of intact mice, caffeine increased the state of phosphorylation of DARPP-32 at Thr 75. Caffeine increased Thr 75 phosphorylation through inhibition of PP-2A-catalysed dephosphorylation, rather than through stimulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5)-catalysed phosphorylation, of this residue. Together, these studies demonstrate the involvement of DARPP-32 and its phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in the stimulant action of caffeine.

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Figure 1: Emulsion autoradiogram illustrating co-expression of adenosine A2A receptor mRNA (silver grains) and DARPP-32 mRNA (dark cells).
Figure 2: DARPP-32 is required for the stimulatory effects of caffeine and the selective adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, SCH 58261, on motor activity.
Figure 3: DARPP-32 is required for the depressant effect of the selective adenosine A2A receptor agonist, CGS 21680, on motor activity.
Figure 4: Effect of caffeine and SCH 58261 on DARPP-32 phosphorylation at Thr 75.
Figure 5: Adenosine A2A receptor regulation of DARPP-32 phosphorylation at Thr 75 by modulation of PP-2A.

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Acknowledgements

We thank R. Rimondini and S.-O. Ögren for help in performing behavioural experiments and A. Nishi for discussions. This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council (G.F. and B.B.F.), the Swedish Society for Medical Research (M.L.), the Foundation Blanceflor Boncompagni-Ludovisi, née Bildt (L.P.) and by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (A.C.N. and P.G.).

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Author notes

  1. Laura Pozzi

    Present address: Department of Neuroscience, “Mario Negri” Institute for Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy

  2. James A. Bibb

    Present address: Department of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden

    Maria Lindskog, Laura Pozzi & Gilberto Fisone

  2. Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, 10021, New York, New York, USA

    Per Svenningsson, Yong Kim, Allen A. Fienberg, James A. Bibb, Angus C. Nairn & Paul Greengard

  3. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden

    Bertil B. Fredholm

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Correspondence to Gilberto Fisone.

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Lindskog, M., Svenningsson, P., Pozzi, L. et al. Involvement of DARPP-32 phosphorylation in the stimulant action of caffeine. Nature 418, 774–778 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature00817

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