Perineurial Barrier Glia Physically Respond to Alcohol in an Akap200-Dependent Manner to Promote Tolerance

• Main Authors: Sarah J. Parkhurst, Pratik Adhikari, Jovana S. Navarrete, Arièle Legendre, Miguel Manansala, Fred W. Wolf
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2018-02-01
• Series: Cell Reports
• Subjects: ethanol; addiction; blood-brain barrier; A kinase anchoring protein; PKA; calcium signaling
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124718300810

Summary: Ethanol is the most common drug of abuse. It exerts its behavioral effects by acting on widespread neural circuits; however, its impact on glial cells is less understood. We show that Drosophila perineurial glia are critical for ethanol tolerance, a simple form of behavioral plasticity. The perineurial glia form the continuous outer cellular layer of the blood-brain barrier and are the interface between the brain and the circulation. Ethanol tolerance development requires the A kinase anchoring protein Akap200 specifically in perineurial glia. Akap200 tightly coordinates protein kinase A, actin, and calcium signaling at the membrane to control tolerance. Furthermore, ethanol causes a structural remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton and perineurial membrane topology in an Akap200-dependent manner, without disrupting classical barrier functions. Our findings reveal an active molecular signaling process in the cells at the blood-brain interface that permits a form of behavioral plasticity induced by ethanol.