# Genetic enhancement of CREB signaling in Rett Syndrome

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2020 · $232,500

## Abstract

Project Summary
The goal of this R21 project is to test whether enhancement of endogenous CREB (cAMP response element
binding protein) signaling ameliorates disease phenotypes in a mouse model of the autism spectrum disorder,
Rett syndrome (RTT). CREB is an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor that executes critical roles in
metabolism, neuronal synaptic transmission, and cell growth regulation. Upregulation of CREB signaling has
been linked to cancer and metabolic disease whereas reductions in CREB signaling are associated with age-
dependent cognitive decline and a host of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s Disease,
Huntington’s Disease and, of particular relevance to this proposal, RTT. CREB is activated by the second
messenger cAMP through a two-hit mechanism involving its phosphorylation on S133 by protein kinase A (PKA),
which recruits the transcriptional coactivator CREB-binding protein (CBP), and PKA-dependent nuclear import
of CRTC proteins (cAMP/Ca2+-regulated transcriptional coactivators), which stabilize CREB-DNA interactions.
We recently discovered that the critical S133 residue is dephosphorylated by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A),
which is recruited to CREB through short linear motifs (SLiMs) that are recognized by B56-type PP2A targeting
subunits. Mutation of B56 binding sites in CREB strongly potentiated basal and stimulus dependent S133
phosphorylation and CREB transcriptional potential, informing a strategy for the genetic enhancement of CREB
signaling in vivo. To this end, we used CRISPR/CAS9 to introduce a conservative E153D mutation that abolished
B56-PP2A binding into the mouse Creb gene. Cells from homozygous CrebE153D mice exhibited increased S133
phosphorylation and upregulation of CREB-dependent gene expression, supporting further study of CrebE153D
mice as a model for hypermorphic CREB signaling.
In this study we will test whether CREB hyperactivation can reverse behavioral defects in a mouse model of
RTT, a devastating neurodevelopmental disordered caused by X-linked mutations in the transcriptional repressor
methyl-CpG binding protein (MeCP2). Previous work from the Chang laboratory revealed that CREB expression
and S133 phosphorylation were downregulated in Mecp2- mutant neurons and that pharmacologic activators of
CREB signaling partially reversed behavioral defects in Mecp2+/- mice. These findings set the stage for this
proposal where we will use CrebE153D mice to test whether enhancement of endogenous CREB activity is
sufficient for behavioral rescue in the RTT mouse model. The objectives of the proposal are to: (i) test the effect
of CREB hyperphosphorylation on disease progression in male and female Mecp2 knockout (KO) mice; and (ii)
determine impacts of B56-PP2A-CREB signaling on neuronal gene expression. In addition to testing genetic
interaction between Creb and Mecp2, these studies, will define physiologic implications of the PP2A-B56-CREB
signaling axis and develop the CrebE153D mod...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10070933
- **Project number:** 1R21NS118792-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Randal Scot Tibbetts
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $232,500
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-08-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10070933

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10070933, Genetic enhancement of CREB signaling in Rett Syndrome (1R21NS118792-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10070933. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*