PP1β opposes classic PP1 function, inhibiting spine maturation and promoting LTP

Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) regulates synaptic plasticity and has been described as a molecular constraint on learning and memory. There are three neuronal isoforms, PP1α, PP1β, and PP1γ, but little is known about their individual functions. PP1α and PP1γ are assumed to mediate the effects of PP1 on learning and memory based on their enrichment at dendritic spines and their preferential binding to neurabin and spinophilin, major PP1 synaptic scaffolding proteins. However, it was recently discovered that human de novo PP1β mutations cause intellectual disability, suggesting an important but ill-defined role for PP1β. In this study, we investigated the functions of each PP1 isoform in hippocampal synaptic physiology using conditional CA1-specific knockout mice. In stark contrast to classic PP1 function, we found that PP1β promotes synaptic plasticity as well as spatial memory. These changes in synaptic plasticity and memory are accompanied by changes in GluA1 phosphorylation, GluN2A levels, and dendritic spine density and morphology, including silent synapse number. These functions of PP1β reveal a previously unidentified signaling pathway regulating spine maturation and plasticity, broadening our understanding of the complex role of PP1 in synaptic physiology.