Loss of Depalmitoylation Disrupts Homeostatic Plasticity of AMPARs in a Mouse Model of Infantile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis

Protein palmitoylation is the only reversible post-translational lipid modification. Palmitoylation is held in delicate balance by depalmitoylation to precisely regulate protein turnover. While over 20 palmitoylation enzymes are known, depalmitoylation is carried out by fewer enzymes. Of particular interest is the lack of the depalmitoylating enzyme palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) that causes the devastating pediatric neurodegenerative condition infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN1). While most of the research on Ppt1 function has centered on its role in the lysosome, recent findings demonstrated that many Ppt1 substrates are synaptic proteins, including the AMPAR subunit GluA1. Still, the impact of Ppt1-mediated depalmitoylation on synaptic transmission and plasticity remains elusive. Thus, the goal of the present study was to utilize the Ppt1-/- mouse model (both sexes) to determine if Ppt1 regulates AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission and plasticity, which are crucial for the maintenance of homeostatic adaptations in cortical circuits. Here we found that basal excitatory transmission in the Ppt1-/- visual cortex is developmentally regulated and that chemogenetic silencing of the Ppt1-/- visual cortex excessively enhanced the synaptic expression of GluA1. Furthermore, triggering homeostatic plasticity in Ppt1-/- primary neurons caused an exaggerated incorporation of GluA1-containing, calcium-permeable AMPARs, which correlated with increased GluA1 palmitoylation. Finally, Ca2+ imaging in awake Ppt1-/- mice showed visual cortical neurons favor a state of synchronous firing. Collectively, our results elucidate a crucial role for Ppt1 in AMPAR trafficking and show that impeded proteostasis of palmitoylated synaptic proteins drives maladaptive homeostatic plasticity and abnormal recruitment of cortical activity in CLN1.Significance StatementNeuronal communication is orchestrated by the movement of receptors to and from the synaptic membrane. Protein palmitoylation is the only reversible post-translational lipid modification, a process that must be balanced precisely by depalmitoylation. The significance of depalmitoylation is evidenced by the discovery that mutation of the depalmitoylating enzyme palmitoyl-protein thioesterase 1 (Ppt1) causes severe pediatric neurodegeneration. In this study, we found that the equilibrium provided by Ppt1-mediated depalmitoylation is critical for AMPAR-mediated plasticity and associated homeostatic adaptations of synaptic transmission in cortical circuits. This finding complements the recent explosion of palmitoylation research by emphasizing the necessity of balanced depalmitoylation.