RIC-3 phosphorylation enables dual regulation of excitation and inhibition of Caenorhabditis elegans muscle

Brain function depends on a delicate balance between excitation and inhibition. Similarly, Caenorhabditis elegans motor system function depends on a precise balance between excitation and inhibition, as C. elegans muscles receive both inhibitory, GABAergic and excitatory, cholinergic inputs from motor neurons. Here we show that phosphorylation of the ER-resident chaperone of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, RIC-3, leads to increased muscle excitability. RIC-3 phosphorylation at Ser-164 depends on opposing functions of the phosphatase calcineurin (TAX-6), and of the casein kinase II homologue KIN-10. Effects of calcineurin down-regulation and of phosphorylated RIC-3 on muscle excitability are mediated by GABA(A) receptor inhibition. Thus RIC-3 phosphorylation enables effects of this chaperone on GABA(A) receptors in addition to nAChRs. This dual effect provides coordinated regulation of excitation and inhibition and enables fine-tuning of the excitation–inhibition balance. Moreover, regulation of inhibitory GABA(A) signaling by calcineurin, a calcium- and calmodulin-dependent phosphatase, enables homeostatic balancing of excitation and inhibition.