The CB1 cannabinoid receptor of astrocytes is coupled to sphingomyelin hydrolysis through the adaptor protein fan

Cannabinoids exert most of their effects through the CB1 receptor. This G protein-coupled receptor signals inhibition of adenylyl cyclase, modulation of ion channels, and stimulation of mitogen- and stress-activated protein kinases. In this article, we report that Delta (9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active component of marijuana, induces sphingomyelin hydrolysis in primary astrocytes but not in other cells expressing the CB1 receptor, such as primary neurons, U373 MG astrocytoma cells, and Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with the CB1 receptor cDNA. THC-evoked sphingomyelin breakdown in astrocytes was also exerted by the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide and the synthetic cannabinoid HU-210 and was prevented by the selective CB1 antagonist SR141716. By contrast, the effect of THC was not blocked by pertussis toxin, pointing to a lack of involvement of G(i/o) proteins. A role for the adaptor protein FAN in CB1 receptor-coupled sphingomyelin breakdown is supported by two observations: 1) coimmunoprecipitation experiments show that the binding of FAN to the CB1 receptor is enhanced by THC and prevented by SR141716; 2) cells expressing a dominant-negative form of FAN are refractory to THC-induced sphingomyelin breakdown. This is the first report showing that a G-protein-coupled receptor induces sphingomyelin hydrolysis through FAN and that the CB1 cannabinoid receptor may signal independently of G(i/o) proteins.