RRC ID 88450
Author Harraz MM, Guha P, Kang IG, Semenza ER, Malla AP, Song YJ, Reilly L, Treisman I, Cortés P, Coggiano MA, Veeravalli V, Rais R, Tanda G, Snyder SH.
Title Cocaine-induced locomotor stimulation involves autophagic degradation of the dopamine transporter.
Journal Mol Psychiatry
Abstract Cocaine exerts its stimulant effect by inhibiting dopamine reuptake leading to increased dopamine signaling. This action is thought to reflect binding of cocaine to the dopamine transporter (DAT) to inhibit its function. However, cocaine is a relatively weak inhibitor of DAT, and many DAT inhibitors do not share the behavioral actions of cocaine. We previously showed that toxic levels of cocaine induce autophagic neuronal cell death. Here, we show that subnanomolar concentrations of cocaine elicit neural autophagy in vitro and in vivo. Autophagy inhibitors reduce the locomotor stimulant effect of cocaine in mice. Cocaine-induced autophagy degrades transporters for dopamine but not serotonin in the nucleus accumbens. Autophagy inhibition impairs cocaine conditioned place preference in mice. Our findings indicate that autophagic degradation of DAT modulates behavioral actions of cocaine.
Volume 26(2)
Pages 370-382
Published 2021-2-1
DOI 10.1038/s41380-020-00978-y
PII 10.1038/s41380-020-00978-y
PMID 33414501
PMC PMC8625012
MeSH Animals Autophagy Cocaine* / pharmacology Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / metabolism Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / pharmacology Mice Nucleus Accumbens / metabolism
IF 12.384
Resource
Mice RBRC00806