Regulation of GluR1 abundance in murine hippocampal neurones by serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 3

Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3-kinase) is activated during and is required for hippocampal glutamate receptor-dependent long-term potentiation. It mediates the delivery of AMPA receptors to the neuronal surface. Among the downstream targets of PI3-kinase are three members of the serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase family, SGK1, SGK2 and SGK3. In Xenopus oocytes expressing the AMPA subunit GluR1, we show that SGK3, and to a lesser extent SGK2, but not SGK1, increase glutamate-induced currents by increasing the abundance of GluR1 protein in the cell membrane. We further show Sgk3 mRNA expression in the hippocampus by RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. According to Western blotting, the hippocampal abundance of GluR1 is significantly lower in gene-targeted mice lacking SGK3 (Sgk3^-/-) than in their wild-type littermates (Sgk3^+/+). The present observations disclose a novel mechanism in the regulation of GluR1.