NECAB1 and NECAB2 are Prevalent Calcium-Binding Proteins of CB1/CCK-Positive GABAergic Interneurons.

Vivien Miczán, Krisztina Kelemen, Judit R Glavinics, Zsófia I László, Benjámin Barti, Kata Kenesei, Máté Kisfali, István Katona

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) 2021 Feb 05

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The molecular repertoire of the "Ca2+-signaling toolkit" supports the specific kinetic requirements of Ca2+-dependent processes in different neuronal types. A well-known example is the unique expression pattern of calcium-binding proteins, such as parvalbumin, calbindin, and calretinin. These cytosolic Ca2+-buffers control presynaptic and somatodendritic processes in a cell-type-specific manner and have been used as neurochemical markers of GABAergic interneuron types for decades. Surprisingly, to date no typifying calcium-binding proteins have been found in CB1 cannabinoid receptor/cholecystokinin (CB1/CCK)-positive interneurons that represent a large population of GABAergic cells in cortical circuits. Because CB1/CCK-positive interneurons display disparate presynaptic and somatodendritic Ca2+-transients compared with other interneurons, we tested the hypothesis that they express alternative calcium-binding proteins. By in silico data mining in mouse single-cell RNA-seq databases, we identified high expression of Necab1 and Necab2 genes encoding N-terminal EF-hand calcium-binding proteins 1 and 2, respectively, in CB1/CCK-positive interneurons. Fluorescent in situ hybridization and immunostaining revealed cell-type-specific distribution of NECAB1 and NECAB2 throughout the isocortex, hippocampal formation, and basolateral amygdala complex. Combination of patch-clamp electrophysiology, confocal, and STORM super-resolution microscopy uncovered subcellular nanoscale differences indicating functional division of labor between the two calcium-binding proteins. These findings highlight NECAB1 and NECAB2 as predominant calcium-binding proteins in CB1/CCK-positive interneurons. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press.

Citation

Vivien Miczán, Krisztina Kelemen, Judit R Glavinics, Zsófia I László, Benjámin Barti, Kata Kenesei, Máté Kisfali, István Katona. NECAB1 and NECAB2 are Prevalent Calcium-Binding Proteins of CB1/CCK-Positive GABAergic Interneurons. Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991). 2021 Feb 05;31(3):1786-1806