Lateral diffusion of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type 1 is regulated by actin filaments and 4.1N in neuronal Dendrites

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor type1 (IP(3)R1) plays an important role in neuronal functions; however, the lateral diffusion of IP(3)R1 on the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and its regulation in the living neurons remain unknown. We expressed green fluorescent protein-tagged IP(3)R1 in cultured rat hippocampal neurons and observed the lateral diffusion by the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique. IP(3)R1 showed lateral diffusion with an effective diffusion constant of similar to 0.3 mum(2)/s. Depletion of actin filaments increased the diffusion constant of IP(3)R1, suggesting that the diffusion of IP(3)R1 is regulated negatively through actin filaments. We also found that protein 4.1N, which binds to IP(3)R1 and contains an actin-spectrin-binding region, was responsible for this actin regulation of the IP(3)R1 diffusion constant. Overexpression of dominant-negative 4.1N and blockade of 4.1N binding to IP3R1 increased the IP(3)R1 diffusion constant. The diffusion of IP3R type 3 (IP(3)R3), one of the isoforms of IP(3)Rs lacking the binding ability to 4.1N, was not dependent on actin filaments but became dependent on actin filaments after the addition of a 4.1N-binding sequence. These data suggest that 4.1N serves as a linker protein between IP(3)R1 and actin filaments. This actin filament-dependent regulation of IP(3)R1 diffusion may be important for the spatiotemporal regulation of intracellular Ca2+ signaling.