Dopaminergic enhancement of excitatory synaptic transmission in layer II entorhinal neurons is dependent on D1-like receptor-mediated signaling

• The lateral entorhinal cortex receives strong inputs from midbrain dopamine neurons.
• Dopamine (1 μM) enhances AMPA-mediated EPSCs in layer II entorhinal neurons.
• The enhancement is dependent upon dopamine D1-like receptors, PKA, and PP1.
• These mechanisms may enhance the salience of reward-relevant stimuli within the hippocampal region.

The modulatory neurotransmitter dopamine induces concentration-dependent changes in synaptic transmission in the entorhinal cortex, in which high concentrations of dopamine suppress evoked excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) and lower concentrations induce an acute synaptic facilitation. Whole-cell current-clamp recordings were used to investigate the dopaminergic facilitation of synaptic responses in layer II neurons of the rat lateral entorhinal cortex. A constant bath application of 1 μM dopamine resulted in a consistent facilitation of EPSPs evoked in layer II fan cells by layer I stimulation; the size of the facilitation was more variable in pyramidal neurons, and synaptic responses in a small group of multiform neurons were not modulated by dopamine. Isolated inhibitory synaptic responses were not affected by dopamine, and the facilitation of EPSPs was not associated with a change in paired-pulse facilitation ratio. Voltage-clamp recordings of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) glutamate receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were facilitated by dopamine, but N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-mediated currents were not. Bath application of the dopamine D1-like receptor blocker SCH23390 (50 μM), but not the D2-like receptor blocker sulpiride (50 μM), prevented the facilitation, indicating that it is dependent upon D1-like receptor activation. Dopamine D1 receptors lead to activation of protein kinase A (PKA), and including the PKA inhibitor H-89 or KT 5720 in the recording pipette solution prevented the facilitation of EPSCs. PKA-dependent phosphorylation of inhibitor 1 or the dopamine- and cAMP-regulated protein phosphatase (DARPP-32) can lead to a facilitation of AMPA receptor responses by inhibiting the activity of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) that reduces dephosphorylation of AMPA receptors, and we found here that inhibition of PP1 occluded the facilitatory effect of dopamine. The dopamine-induced facilitation of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic responses in layer II neurons of the lateral entorhinal cortex is therefore likely mediated via a D1 receptor-dependent increase in PKA activity and a resulting inhibition in PP1-dependent dephosphorylation of AMPA receptors.