Neural circuits and signal transduction

 Emmanuel VALJENT

 IGF - UMR 5203/U 661

 141, rue de la Cardonille, 34396 Montpellier

Phone : +33 4 34 35 92 22

Email: emmanuel.valjent@igf.cnrs.fr

Website

Selection and execution of appropriate behavioral responses rely on the ability to properly use sensory information to predict future rewards or punishments. The dorsal striatum and the nucleus accumbens are two major structures critically involved in this learning process. We put forward that the regulation of local mRNA translation control, resulting from the integration of glutamate-mediated sensory information and dopamine-mediated reward signals, could be an important process that elicits the neuronal plasticity required for striatal-dependent learning. The general objective of our research aims to characterize the molecular mechanisms involved mRNA translational control resulting from the integration of dopamine and glutamate signals and to understand the functional impact of such events on dopamine-controlled learning and pathology. Beyond its implication in basic science, our project may also provides important information for the development of new therapeutic strategies in neurological and psychiatric disorders related to striatal dysfunction such as Parkinson's disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and drug addiction

Keywords: Striatum, Dopamine, Signaling Pathways, Phosphorylation, Protein synthesis

Main publications

• De Bundel D, Zussy C, Espallergues J, Gerfen CR, Girault JA, Valjent E. Dopamine D2 receptors gate generalization of conditioned threat responses through mTORC1 signaling in the extended amygdala. Mol Psychiatry. 2016 [Epub ahead of print]
• Barre A, Berthoux C, De Bundel D, Valjent E, Bockaert J, Marin P, Bécamel C. Presynaptic serotonin 2A receptors modulate thalamocortical plasticity and associative learning. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2016 113(10):E1382-91.
• Biever A, Puighermanal E, Nishi A, David A, Panciatici C, Longueville S, Xirodimas D, Gangarossa G, Meyuhas O, Hervé D, Girault JA, Valjent E. PKA-dependent phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 does not correlate with translational efficiency in striatonigral and striatopallidal medium-sized spiny neurons. J Neurosci. 2015 35(10):4113-30. [COVER ILLUSTRATION]
• Puighermanal E, Biever A, Espallergues J, Gangarossa G, De Bundel D, Valjent E. Drd2-Cre:RiboTag mouse line unravels the possible diversity of dopamine D2 receptor-expressing cells of the dorsal mouse hippocampus. Hippocampus. 2015 25(7):858-75. [COVER ILLUSTRATION]
• Pascoli V, Terrier J, Espallergues J, Valjent E, O’Connor EC, Lüscher C. Contrasting forms of cocaine-evoked plasticity control components of relapse. Nature 2014 509(7501):459-64.
• Valjent E, Bertran-Gonzalez J, Aubier B, Greengard P, Hervé D, Girault JA. Mechanism of locomotor sensitization to drugs of abuse in a two-injection protocol. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010 35(2):401-15. [COVER ILLUSTRATION]
• Valjent E, Bertran-Gonzalez J, Hervé D, Fisone G, Girault JA. Looking BAc at striatal signaling: cell-specific analysis in new transgenic mice. Trends Neurosci. 2009 32(10):538-47.
• Bertran-Gonzalez J, Bosch C, Maroteaux M, Matamales M, Hervé D, Valjent E*, Girault JA*. Opposing patterns of signaling activation in dopamine D1 and D2 receptor-expressing striatal neurons in response to cocaine and haloperidol. J Neurosci. 2008 28(22):5671-85. (* equal contribution).
• Stipanovich A*, Valjent E*, Matamales M*, Nishi A, Ahn JH, Maroteaux M, Bertran-Gonzalez J, Brami-Cherrier K, Enslen H, Corbillé AG, Filhol O, Nairn AC, Greengard P, Hervé D, Girault JA. A phosphatase cascade by which rewarding stimuli control nucleosomal response. Nature. 2008 453(7197):879-84. (* equal contribution).
• Valjent E, Pascoli V, Svenningsson P, Paul S, Enslen H, Corvol JC, Stipanovich A, Caboche J, Lombroso PJ, Nairn AC, Greengard P, Herve D, Girault JA. Regulation of a protein phosphatase cascade allows convergent dopamine and glutamate signals to activate ERK in the striatum. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 102(2):491-6.