Immediate-early gene-encoded protein Arc is associated with synaptic delivery of GluR4-containing AMPA receptors during in vitro classical conditioning.

The immediate-early gene Arc is rapidly expressed in response to neuronal activity and is thought to be involved in mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. The function of Arc in these processes remains unknown. The present study demonstrates that during an in vitro neural correlate of eyeblink classical conditioning, there is a rapid and transient increase in levels of Arc protein that require activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. In the early phase of conditioning during conditioned response (CR) acquisition, there is significantly greater colocalization of Arc protein and GluR4-containing AMPA receptors at synaptic sites, however, colocalization of Arc and GluR4 was not observed after later stages of conditioning during CR expression. There was also significantly enhanced coimmunoprecipitation of Arc with GluR4 subunits and actin early in conditioning but not of Arc with NR1 subunits, and these associations declined to control levels in later stages of conditioning. These data suggest a role for Arc protein in the synaptic delivery of GluR4-containing AMPA receptors by interactions with cytoskeletal protein complexes during the acquisition phase of in vitro classical conditioning.