Schizophrenia Plasma Autoantibodies Promote 'Biased Agonism' at the 5-Hydroxytryptamine 2A Receptor: Neurotoxicity is Positively Modulated by Metabotropic Glutamate 2/3 Receptor Agonism.

Aims: To test whether neurite-inhibitory plasma autoantibodies in chronic schizophrenia activate Gq/11- and Gi- coupled signaling pathways downstream of 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor activation; and for modulation of serotonergic signaling by the metabotropic 2/3 receptor agonist LY379268.

Methods: Plasma from five older adults with chronic schizophrenia and eight age-matched patients having another neuropsychiatric, immune or metabolic disorder was subjected to Protein-A affinity chromatography to obtain IgG autoantibodies. Mean neurite retraction (5 minutes) or cell survival (24 hours) was determined in mouse N2A neuroblastoma cells incubated with autoantibodies in the presence or absence of specific antagonists of the Gq/11/PLC/IP3R signaling pathway, Gi-coupled, beta-arrestin2-directed pathways, or LY379268.

Results: Chronic schizophrenia plasma autoantibodies- mediated dose- and time-dependent acute N2A neurite retraction was completely prevented by M100907, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor antagonist. LY379268 promoted autoantibody-induced neurite retraction causing a shift-to-the-left in the dose-response curve. Antagonists of the RhoA/Rho kinase and Gq/11/PLC/IP3R signaling pathways blocked autoantibody-mediated neurite retraction. Chronic schizophrenia plasma autoantibodies mediated increased N2A cell survival which was blocked by LY379268, pertussis toxin, and antagonists of PI3-kinase- mediated survival signaling.

Conclusion: Schizophrenia plasma autoantibodies activate the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor positively coupled to Gq/11/PLC/IP3R pathway and RhoA/Rho kinase signaling activation in promoting acute N2A cell neurite retraction. Autoantibodies in a subset of patients experiencing hallucinations promoted increased N2A cell survival mediated (in part) via a pertussis-toxin sensitive, Gi-coupled, PI3-kinase-dependent mechanism. Positive modulation of 5-HT2AR-mediated neurite retraction by LY379268 suggests the autoantibodies may target (in part) the 5-HT2AR/mGlu2R heteromer.