Effects of orexin (hypocretin) on GIRK channels

Hypocretin (orexin) receptor subtypes differentially enhance acetylcholine release and activate g protein subtypes in rat pontine reticular formation

The hypothalamic peptides hypocretin-1 (orexin A) and -2 (orexin B) promote wakefulness by mechanisms that are not well understood. Defects in hypocretinergic neurotransmission underlie the human sleep disorder narcolepsy. Hypocretins alter cell excitability via two receptor subtypes, hypocretin receptor subtype 1 (hcrt-r1) and hypocretin receptor subtype 2 (hcrt-r2). This study aimed to identify G protein subtypes activated by hypocretin in rat pontine reticular nucleus oral part (PnO) and the hypocretin receptor subtype modulating acetylcholine (ACh) release in the PnO. G protein activation was quantified using in vitro [(35)S]guanylyl-5'-O-(gamma-thio)triphosphate autoradiography. ACh release was measured using in vivo microdialysis and high-performance liquid chromatography. Hypocretin-1-stimulated G protein activation was significantly decreased by pertussis toxin, demonstrating that some hypocretin receptors in rat PnO activate inhibitory G proteins. Hypocretin-1-stimulated ACh release was not blocked by pertussis toxin, supporting the conclusion that the hypocretin receptors modulating ACh release in rat PnO activate stimulatory G proteins. Hypocretin-1 and -2 each caused a concentration-dependent increase in ACh release with similar potencies, indicating that hcrt-r2 modulates ACh release in PnO. Hypocretin-1 caused a significantly greater increase in ACh release than hypocretin-2, suggesting a role for hcrt-r1 in the modulation of PnO ACh release. Taken together, these data provide the first evidence that hypocretin receptors in rat PnO signal via inhibitory and stimulatory G proteins and that ACh release in rat PnO is modulated by hcrt-r2 and hcrt-r1. One mechanism by which hypocretin promotes arousal may be to increase ACh release in the pontine reticular formation.

Hypocretins (orexins): clinical impact of the discovery of a neurotransmitter

Hypothalamic excitatory hypocretin (orexin) neurons have been discovered in 1998 and found to have widespread projections to basal forebrain, monoaminergic and cholinergic brainstem, and spinal cord regions. The hypocretin system is influenced both neuronally (e.g. suprachiasmatic nucleus, GABAergic, cholinergic and aminergic brainstem nuclei) as well as metabolically (e.g. glucose, ghrelin, and leptin). Physiologically the hypocretin system has been implicated in the regulation of behaviours that are associated with wakefulness, locomotion, and feeding. A role in REM sleep, neuroendocrine, autonomic and metabolic functions has also been suggested. Pathophysiologically a deficient hypocretin neurotransmission has been found in human narcolepsy and (engineered) animal models of the disorder. Different mechanisms are involved including (1) degeneration of hypocretin neurons (mice), (2) hypocretin ligand deficiency (humans, mice, dogs), (3) hypocretin receptor deficiency (mice, dogs). Reports of low hypocretin-1 cerebrospinal fluid levels in neurologic conditions (e.g. Guillain-Barré syndrome, traumatic brain injury, hypothalamic lesions) with and without sleep-wake disturbances and, on the other hand, observations of normal levels in about 11% of narcoleptics raise questions about the exact nature and pathophysiological base of the link between hypocretin deficiency and clinical manifestations in human narcolepsy.

Non-sleep effects of hypocretin/orexin

Although a role for hypocretin/orexin (HCT/ORX) in sleep/wakefulness and arousal is widely recognized, other actions, not necessarily related to sleep, have been identified. Neurons producing the peptides project to brain sites known to be important in neuroendocrine and autonomic function, as well as appetite regulation. There is consensus that HCT/ORX plays a role in the regulation of cardiovascular function via its effects on sympathetic nervous activity, and the reported pharmacologic effects have been demonstrated to be physiologically relevant. Equally provocative are the actions of these peptides in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to regulate reproductive and stress hormone secretion. While HCT/ORX are less potent stimulators of food intake than other hypothalamic peptides, HCT/ORX may play an integral role in the organization of hunger and satiation behaviors because of their interaction with those other peptides. In fact recent discoveries of interactions of HCT/ORX with peptides such as corticotropin releasing hormone and neuropeptide Y, as well as with aminergic neurotransmitter systems, are now defining the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which these potent neuropeptides act and promise insight into their physiologic relevance in a variety of non-sleep related behaviors and other homeostatic mechanisms.

Trace Amines Depress GABAB Response in Dopaminergic Neurons by Inhibiting G-βγ-Gated Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channels

Trace amines (TAs) are present in the central nervous system in which they up-regulate catecholamine release and are implicated in the pathogenesis of addiction, attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder, Parkinson's disease, and schizophrenia. By using intracellular and patch-clamp recordings from dopaminergic cells in the rat midbrain slices, we report a depressant postsynaptic action of two TAs, beta-phenylethylamine (beta-PEA) and tyramine (TYR) on the GABA(B)-mediated slow inhibitory postsynaptic potential and baclofen-activated outward currents. beta-PEA and TYR activated G-proteins, interfering with the coupling between GABA(B) receptors and G-betagamma-gated inwardly rectifying potassium channels. This is the first demonstration that beta-PEA and TYR depress inhibitory synaptic potentials in neurons of the central nervous system, supporting their emerging role as neuromodulators.

OX1 orexin receptors couple to adenylyl cyclase regulation via multiple mechanisms

In this study, the mechanism of OX(1) orexin receptors to regulate adenylyl cyclase activity when recombinantly expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells was investigated. In intact cells, stimulation with orexin-A led to two responses, a weak (21%), high potency (EC(50) approximately 1 nm) inhibition and a strong (4-fold), low potency (EC(50) = approximately 300 nm) stimulation. The inhibition was reversed by pertussis toxin, suggesting the involvement of G(i/o) proteins. Orexin-B was, surprisingly, almost equally as potent as orexin-A in elevating cAMP (pEC(50) = approximately 500 nm). cAMP elevation was not caused by Ca(2+) elevation or by Gbetagamma. In contrast, it relied in part on a novel protein kinase C (PKC) isoform, PKCdelta, as determined using pharmacological inhibitors. Yet, PKC stimulation alone only very weakly stimulated cAMP production (1.1-fold). In the presence of G(s) activity, orexins still elevated cAMP; however, the potencies were greatly increased (EC(50) of orexin-A = approximately 10 nm and EC(50) of orexin-B = approximately 100 nm), and the response was fully dependent on PKCdelta. In permeabilized cells, only a PKC-independent low potency component was seen. This component was sensitive to anti-Galpha(s) antibodies. We conclude that OX(1) receptors stimulate adenylyl cyclase via a low potency G(s) coupling and a high potency phospholipase C --> PKC coupling. The former or some exogenous G activation is essentially required for the PKC to significantly activate adenylyl cyclase. The results also suggest that orexin-B-activated OX(1) receptors couple to G(s) almost as efficiently as the orexin-A-activated receptors, in contrast to Ca(2+) elevation and phospholipase C activation, for which orexin-A is 10-fold more potent.

Electrical signaling in central orexin/hypocretin circuits: tuning arousal and appetite to fit the environment

In mammals, alertness and foraging are linked to the light-dark cycle and body energy levels. This link is crucially dependent on the novel peptide transmitters orexins/hypocretins. The firing of orexin neurons encodes the overall internal (body energy levels) and external (time of day) environment. In turn, orexins modulate arousal and appetite by innervating and electrically exciting wakeand appetite-promoting neurons. Electrical signaling in orexin circuits thereby couples arousal to the environment and synchronizes foraging with states of high alertness.

Hypocretin/orexin innervation and excitation of identified septohippocampal cholinergic neurons

Hypothalamic fibers containing the wake-promoting peptides, hypocretins (Hcrts) or orexins, provide a dense innervation to the medial septum-diagonal band of Broca (MSDB), a sleep-associated brain region that has been suggested to show intense axonal degeneration in canine narcoleptics. The MSDB, via its cholinergic and GABAergic projections to the hippocampus, controls the hippocampal theta rhythm and associated learning and memory functions. Neurons of the MSDB express very high levels of the Hcrt receptor 2, which is mutated in canine narcoleptics. In the present study, we investigated the electrophysiological effects of Hcrt peptides on septohippocampal cholinergic neurons that were identified in living brain slices of the MSDB using a selective fluorescent marker. Hcrt activation of septohippocampal cholinergic neurons was reversible, reproducible, and concentration dependent and mediated via a direct postsynaptic mechanism. Both Hcrt1 and Hcrt2 activated septohippocampal cholinergic neurons with similar EC(50) values. The Hcrt effect was dependent on external Na(+), reduced by external Ba(2+), and also reduced in recordings with CsCl-containing electrodes, suggesting a dual underlying ionic mechanism that involved inhibition of a K(+) current, presumably an inward rectifier, and a Na(+)-dependent component. The Na(+) component was dependent on internal Ca(2+), blocked by replacing external Na(+) with Li(+), and also blocked by bath-applied Ni(2+) and KB-R7943, suggesting involvement of the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger. Using double-immunolabeling studies at light and ultrastructural levels, we also provide definitive evidence for a hypocretin innervation of cholinergic neurons. Thus Hcrt effects within the septum should increase hippocampal acetylcholine release and thereby promote hippocampal arousal.

Orexin (hypocretin) effects on constitutively active inward rectifier K+ channels in cultured nucleus basalis neurons

Orexins are excitatory transmitters implicated in sleep disorders. Because orexins were discovered only recently, their ionic and signal transduction mechanisms have not been well clarified. We recently reported that orexin A (OXA) inhibits G protein-coupled inward rectifier K+ (GIRK) channels in cultured locus coeruleus and nucleus tuberomammillaris neurons. Other work in our laboratory revealed the existence of a novel inward rectifier K+ channel (KirNB), which is located in cholinergic neurons of the nucleus basalis (NB) and possesses unique single-channel characteristics. The mean open time is considerably shorter in KirNB than in Kir2.0 channels. Constitutive activity and a smaller unitary conductance set KirNB apart from cloned Kir3.0 channels. Previously, we found that substance P excites NB neurons by inhibiting KirNB channels. Here we show that orexins suppress KirNB channel activity, likely leading to neuronal excitation. Electrophysiological studies were performed on cultured NB neurons from the basal forebrain. OXA application decreased whole cell conductance through a pertussis toxin (PTX)-insensitive G protein. The OXA-suppressed current was inwardly rectifying with a reversal potential around E(K). Single-channel recordings of NB neurons revealed that constitutively active KirNB channels were transiently inhibited by OXA. Okadaic acid pretreatment abolished the recovery. The results suggest that OXA inhibition of KirNB is mediated by a PTX-insensitive G protein (i.e., G(q/11)), which eventually results in channel phosphorylation. Recovery from this inhibition is by dephosphorylation. These results, taken together with our previous study, suggest that orexin receptors can elicit neuronal excitation through at least two families of inward rectifier K+ channels: GIRK and KirNB channels.

Primary human CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells express functionally active receptors of neuromediators

Recently, overlapping molecular phenotypes of hematopoietic and neuropoietic cells were described in mice. Here, we examined primary human CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells applying specialized cDNA arrays, real-time reverse-transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and fluorescent-activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis focusing on genes involved in neurobiologic functions. We found expression of vesicle fusion and motility genes, ligand- and voltage-gated ion channels, receptor kinases and phosphatases, and, most interestingly, mRNA as well as protein expression of G protein–coupled receptors of neuromediators (corticotropin-releasing hormone 1 [CRH 1] and CRH 2 receptors, orexin/hypocretin 1 and 2 receptors, GABAB receptor, adenosine A2B receptor, opioid κ1 and μ1 receptors, and 5-HT 1F receptor). As shown by 2-color immunofluorescence, the protein expression of these receptors was higher in the more immature CD38dim than in the CD38bright subset within the CD34+ population, and completely absent in fully differentiated blood cells, suggesting that those receptors play a role in developmentally early CD34+ stem and progenitor cells. The intracellular concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in CD34+ cells was diminished significantly upon stimulation of either CRH or orexin receptors, indicating that those are functionally active and coupled to inhibitory G proteins in human hematopoietic cells. In conclusion, these findings suggest a molecular interrelation of neuronal and hematopoietic signaling mechanisms in humans.

Dissociated histaminergic neuron cultures from the tuberomammillary nucleus of rats: culture methods and ghrelin effects

The tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) in the hypothalamus is the sole source of histamine in the brain. This nucleus, by innervating various brain regions, plays an important role for vital functions such as arousal and appetite. We have developed dissociated primary histaminergic neuron cultures from TMN of postnatal (3 and 10-day-old) rats. More than 50% of our cultured neurons from the TMN were histaminergic as revealed by adenosine deaminase (AD) as well as histamine immunocytochemistry. Among large neurons (diameter, >22 microm), more than 88% were histaminergic. Such large neurons (mean diameter, 26.5 microm) were used for electrophysiology. Using about 2-month-old TMN cultures, we investigated the effects of ghrelin, a recently discovered appetite-stimulating endogenous peptide. In GTPgammaS-loaded neurons, ghrelin (3 microM) suppressed currents that had previously been activated by an inhibitory neuropeptide, nociceptin. The mean current suppression by ghrelin was 471+/-128 pA (S.E.M., n=7). The I-V relationship revealed that the ghrelin-suppressed current was inwardly rectifying with a reversal potential around E(K). These results suggest that ghrelin inhibits G protein-coupled inward rectifier K+ channels (Kir3, GIRK) of TMN neurons and that our TMN cultures are useful for investigating physiological properties of brain histaminergic neurons.

Hypocretin-1 causes G protein activation and increases ACh release in rat pons

The effects of the arousal-promoting peptide hypocretin on brain stem G protein activation and ACh release were examined using 16 adult Sprague-Dawley rats. In vitro[35S]GTPgammaS autoradiography was used to test the hypothesis that hypocretin-1-stimulated G protein activation is concentration-dependent and blocked by the hypocretin receptor antagonist SB-334867. Activated G proteins were quantified in dorsal raphe nucleus (DR), locus coeruleus (LC) and pontine reticular nucleus oral part (PnO) and caudal part (PnC). Concentration-response data revealed a significant (P < 0.001) effect of hypocretin-1 (2-2000 nm) in all brain regions examined. Maximal increases over control levels of [35S]GTPgammaS binding were 37% (DR), 58% (LC), 52% (PnO) and 44% (PnC). SB-334867 (2 micro m) significantly (P < 0.002) blocked hypocretin-1 (200 nm)-stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS binding in all four nuclei. This is the first autoradiographic demonstration that hypocretin-1 activates G proteins in arousal-related brain stem nuclei as a result of specific receptor interactions. This finding suggests that some hypocretin receptors in brain stem couple to inhibitory G proteins. In vivo microdialysis was used to test the hypothesis that PnO administration of hypocretin-1 increases ACh release in PnO. Dialysis delivery of hypocretin-1 (100 micro m) significantly (P < 0.002) increased (87%) ACh release. This finding is consistent with the interpretation that one mechanism by which hypocretin promotes arousal is by enhancing cholinergic neurotransmission in the pontine reticular formation.