51
|
Neuromodulatory Functions of Terminal Nerve‐GnRH Neurons. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/s1546-5098(06)25011-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
|
52
|
Wayne NL, Kuwahara K, Aida K, Nagahama Y, Okubo K. Whole-Cell Electrophysiology of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons that Express Green Fluorescent Protein in the Terminal Nerve of Transgenic Medaka (Oryzias latipes)1. Biol Reprod 2005; 73:1228-34. [PMID: 16107608 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.105.042721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) controls reproduction in vertebrates. Most studies have focused on the population of GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus that ultimately controls gonadal function. However, all vertebrates studied to date have two to three anatomically distinct populations of GnRH neurons that express different forms of this hormone. The purpose of the present study was to develop a new model for studying the population of GnRH neurons in the terminal nerve (TN) associated with the olfactory bulb and then to characterize their pattern of action potential firing to provide a foundation for understanding the role of these neurons in regulating reproduction. A stable line of transgenic medaka (Oryzias latipes) was generated in which a DNA construct containing the salmon GnRH (Gnrh3) promoter linked to green fluorescent protein (GFP) was expressed in TN-GnRH3 neurons. This population of GnRH neurons is located at or near the ventral surface of the brain, making them ideally situated for electrophysiological analysis. Whole-cell and loose-patch recordings in current-clamp mode were performed on these neurons from excised, intact brains of adult males in which afferent and efferent neural connections remained intact. All TN-GnRH3-GFP neurons that we recorded showed a beating pattern of spontaneous action potential firing. Action potentials were blocked by tetrodotoxin, indicating they are generated by a voltage-sensitive Na+ current; however, an oscillation in subthreshold membrane potential persisted. The present results indicate that this transgenic fish will provide an excellent model for studying the cell physiology of an extrahypothalamic population of GnRH neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nancy L Wayne
- Department of Physiology, University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
53
|
Abe H, Terasawa E. Firing pattern and rapid modulation of activity by estrogen in primate luteinizing hormone releasing hormone-1 neurons. Endocrinology 2005; 146:4312-20. [PMID: 15976055 PMCID: PMC1479770 DOI: 10.1210/en.2005-0435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We have shown previously that cultured LHRH-1 neurons, derived from monkey olfactory placode region, exhibit pulsatile LHRH-1 release at hourly intervals and spontaneous intracellular calcium oscillations, which synchronize at a frequency similar to LHRH-1 release. Brief application of estrogen induced a rapid increase in the frequency of intracellular calcium oscillations and the frequency of synchronizations. The estrogen-induced frequency of intracellular calcium oscillations was mediated by estrogen receptors (ER), whereas the frequency of synchronizations was not mediated by ER. In the present study, we further examined the rapid action of estrogen using patch-clamp recording in primate LHRH-1 neurons. Cell-attached patch-clamp recording showed that LHRH-1 neurons exhibited monophasic or biphasic action currents that were sensitive to an increase in extracellular K+ and the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin. The majority (90%) of LHRH-1 neurons showed irregular firing patterns composed of bursts and irregular beatings of action currents, which further formed a "cluster" firing pattern. Brief application of 17beta-estradiol (1 nM) increased the firing frequency and burst duration of LHRH-1 neurons with a latency of 60-120 sec for up to 25 min. ICI182,780, an ER antagonist, blocked the 17beta-estradiol-induced increase in the firing activity of LHRH-1 neurons. These results suggest that 1) primate LHRH-1 neurons exhibit complex firing patterns composed of activities with different time domains, 2) estrogen causes rapid stimulatory action of firing activity, and 3) this estrogen action is mediated by ER in primate LHRH-1 neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Abe
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center and
| | - Ei Terasawa
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center and
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53715-1261
- * Correspondence: Ei Terasawa, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin, 1223 Capitol Court, Madison, WI 53715-1299, E-mail:
, Phone: (608) 263-3579, Fax: (608) 263-3524
| |
Collapse
|
54
|
Wang YF, Hatton GI. Burst firing of oxytocin neurons in male rat hypothalamic slices. Brain Res 2005; 1032:36-43. [PMID: 15680939 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2004.10.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Burst firing and single spike activity play different roles in the modulation of local neuronal circuit activity and neurosecretion. In hypothalamic oxytocin (OT) neurons in vivo, burst firing is associated with pulsatile secretion of OT in the milk ejection reflex, and can be observed in slices from both immature and lactating rats in vitro. Whether OT neurons from male rats also possess burst firing capability is still an open question. To examine this possibility, whole-cell patch clamp recordings were made in supraoptic nucleus OT neurons in brain slices from male rats. In low Ca(2+) medium, the alpha(1)-adrenoceptor agonist, phenylephrine evoked bursts that were highly similar to those from lactating rats in vivo and in vitro: explosive onset, short-duration, quickly reaching peak firing rate and displaying an exponential decay in returning to the pre-burst rate. During bursts, spike durations increased, and spike amplitudes decreased, while riding on an arc of depolarization around peak rate. In comparison to those from lactating rats in vitro, the rising phase of male bursts was more rapid, the decay phase was slower, and the rising phase of the spike after hyperpolarization was faster. No significant differences, however, were seen in burst characteristics that are most important in determining the amount of peptide release: burst amplitudes (the number of spikes in a burst), firing frequency within bursts or peak firing rate. Thus, we conclude that OT neurons in males are capable of burst firing highly similar to that seen in lactating rats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Feng Wang
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
55
|
Greenwood AK, Fernald RD. Social Regulation of the Electrical Properties of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons in a Cichlid Fish (Astatotilapia burtoni)1. Biol Reprod 2004; 71:909-18. [PMID: 15140799 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.104.030072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in reproductive capacity is common across the lives of all animals. In vertebrates, hypothalamic neurons that secrete GnRH are a primary mediator of such reproductive plasticity. Since social interactions suppress gonadal maturity in the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia (Haplochromis) burtoni, we investigated whether the electrical properties of GnRH neurons were also socially regulated. Adult A. burtoni males are either territorial (T) and reproductively active or nonterritorial (NT) and reproductively regressed, depending upon their social environment. We compared the basic electrical properties of hypothalamic GnRH neurons from T and NT males using whole-cell electrophysiology in vitro. GnRH neurons were spontaneously active and exhibited several different activity patterns. A small fraction of neurons exhibited episodic activity patterns, which have been described in GnRH neurons from mammals. The type of activity pattern and spontaneous firing rate did not vary with reproductive capacity; however, several basic electrical properties were different. Neurons from T males were larger than those from NT males and had higher membrane capacitance and lower input resistance. In neurons from NT males, action potential duration was significantly longer and after-hyperpolarization characteristics were diminished, which led to a tendency for neurons from NT males to fire less rapidly in response to current injection. We predict this could serve to decrease GnRH release in NT males. These data are the first electrophysiological characterization of hypothalamic GnRH neurons in a nonmammalian species and provide evidence for several changes in electrical properties with reproductive state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Greenwood
- Program in Neuroscience, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
| | | |
Collapse
|
56
|
Wang YF, Hatton GI. Milk ejection burst-like electrical activity evoked in supraoptic oxytocin neurons in slices from lactating rats. J Neurophysiol 2004; 91:2312-21. [PMID: 14724260 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00697.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
To examine the mechanisms underlying milk-ejection bursts of oxytocin (OT) neurons during suckling, both in vivo and in vitro studies were performed on supraoptic OT neurons from lactating rats. The bursts were first recorded extracellularly in anesthetized rats. Burst-related electrical parameters were essentially the same as previous reports except for a trend toward transient decreases in basal firing rates immediately preceding the burst. From putative OT neurons in slices with extracellular recordings, bursts that closely mimicked the in vivo bursts were elicited by phenylephrine, an alpha1-adrenoceptor agonist, in a low-Ca(2+) medium. Moreover, in whole cell patch-clamp recordings, the in vitro bursts were recorded from immunocytochemically identified OT neurons. After a transient decrease in the basal firing rate, the in vitro bursts started with a sudden increase in the firing rate, quickly reaching a peak level, then gradually decaying, and ended with a postburst inhibition. A brief depolarization of the membrane potential and an increase in membrane conductance appeared after the onset of the burst. Spikes during a burst were characterized by a significant increase in the duration and decrease in the amplitude around the peak rate firing. These bursts were significantly different from short-lasting burst firing of vasopressin neurons in membrane potential changes, time to reach peak firing rate, spike amplitude and duration during peak rate firing. Our extensive analysis of these results suggests that the in vitro burst is a useful model for further study of mechanisms underlying milk-ejection bursts of OT neurons in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Feng Wang
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
57
|
Matagne V, Lebrethon MC, Gérard A, Bourguignon JP. In VitroParadigms for the Study of GnRH Neuron Function and Estrogen Effects. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2003; 1007:129-42. [PMID: 14993047 DOI: 10.1196/annals.1286.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The elaboration of in vitro paradigms has enabled direct study of GnRH secretion and the regulation of this process. Common findings using different models are the pulsatile nature and calcium-dependency of GnRH secretion, the excitatory effect of glutamate, and the inhibitory or excitatory effect of GABA. Among the different paradigms, the fetal olfactory placode cultures exhibit the unique property of migration in vitro and may retain the capacity to undergo maturational changes in vitro. The short-term incubation of hypothalamic explants obtained at different ages enables one to study developmental changes as well. Estrogens may have important roles in the regulation of GnRH function and can act indirectly via the neighboring neuronal/glial apparatus and directly on GnRH neurons at the cell body and terminal levels. A direct effect is supported by the recent localization of ERalpha and ERbeta transcripts in GnRH neurons using most paradigms. Discrepant effects of estrogens on GnRH neurons were observed since GnRH biosynthesis is inhibited while GnRH secretion can be either stimulated, unaffected, or reduced. It is likely that the regulatory role of sex steroids including estradiol is very complex since it could involve direct and indirect effects on GnRH neurons through genomic and/or non-genomic mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valérie Matagne
- Developmental Neuroendocrinology Unit, Research Center of Cellular and Molecular Neurosciences (CNCM), University of Liège, CHU, Sart-Tilman, B-4000 Liège, Belgium
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
58
|
Keenan DM, Evans WS, Veldhuis JD. Control of LH secretory-burst frequency and interpulse-interval regularity in women. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2003; 285:E938-48. [PMID: 14534073 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00133.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Hypothalamic neurons generate discrete bursts of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and thereby pulses of luteinizing hormone (LH) at randomly timed intervals centered on a probabilistic mean frequency. We tested the hypothesis that physiological mechanisms govern not only the number but also the stochastic dispersion of the GnRH/LH pulse-renewal process in humans; for example, in young women in the early (EF) and late (LF) follicular and midluteal (ML) phases of the menstrual cycle (n = 18) and in postmenopausal individuals (PM, n = 16). To this end, we quantify stochastic interpulse variability by way of the order-independent, two-parameter Weibull renewal process (Keenan DM and Veldhuis J. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 281: R1917-R1924, 2001) and the sequence-specific, model-free approximate-entropy statistic (ApEn) (Pincus SM. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88: 2297-2301, 1991). Statistical testing unveiled 1) reduced probabilistic mean LH secretory-burst frequency (lower lambda of the Weibull distribution) in ML compared with each of EF, LF, and PM (P < 0.001); 2) quantifiably more regular LH interburst-interval sets (elevated gamma of the Weibull density) in PM than in each of EF, LF, and ML (P < 0.01); 3) uniquely prolonged latency to maximal LH secretion within individual secretory bursts in ML (P < 0.01); and 4) comparably mean random, sequential LH interburst-interval and mass values (normalized ApEn) among the distinct hormonal milieus. From these data, we postulate that sex steroids and age determine daily LH secretory-burst number, quantifiable pulse-renewal variability, and secretory-waveform evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Keenan
- Department of Statistics, General Clinical Research Center, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 22908, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
59
|
Krsmanovic LZ, Mores N, Navarro CE, Arora KK, Catt KJ. An agonist-induced switch in G protein coupling of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor regulates pulsatile neuropeptide secretion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:2969-74. [PMID: 12591945 PMCID: PMC151450 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0535708100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from normal and immortalized hypothalamic GnRH neurons is highly calcium-dependent and is stimulated by cAMP. It is also influenced by agonist activation of the endogenous GnRH receptor (GnRH-R), which couples to G(q/11) as indicated by release of membrane-bound alpha(q/11) subunits and increased inositol phosphate/Ca(2+) signaling. Conversely, GnRH antagonists increase membrane-associated alpha(q/11) subunits and abolish pulsatile GnRH secretion. GnRH also stimulates cAMP production but at high concentrations has a pertussis toxin-sensitive inhibitory effect, indicative of receptor coupling to G(i). Coupling of the agonist-activated GnRH-R to both G(s) and G(i) proteins was demonstrated by the ability of nanomolar GnRH concentrations to reduce membrane-associated alpha(s) and alpha(i3) levels and of higher concentrations to diminish alpha(i3) levels. Conversely, alpha(i3) was increased during GnRH antagonist and pertussis toxin treatment, with concomitant loss of pulsatile GnRH secretion. In cholera toxin-treated GnRH neurons, decreases in alpha(s) immunoreactivity and increases in cAMP production paralleled the responses to nanomolar GnRH concentrations. Treatment with cholera toxin and 8-bromo-cAMP amplified episodic GnRH pulses but did not affect their frequency. These findings suggest that an agonist concentration-dependent switch in coupling of the GnRH-R between specific G proteins modulates neuronal Ca(2+) signaling via G(s)-cAMP stimulatory and G(i)-cAMP inhibitory mechanisms. Activation of G(i) may also inhibit GnRH neuronal function and episodic secretion by regulating membrane ion currents. This autocrine mechanism could serve as a timer to determine the frequency of pulsatile GnRH release by regulating Ca(2+)- and cAMP-dependent signaling and GnRH neuronal firing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lazar Z Krsmanovic
- Endocrinology and Reproduction Research Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-4510, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
60
|
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Oka
- Misaki Marine Biological Station, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Kanagawa 238-0225, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
61
|
Nunemaker CS, DeFazio RA, Moenter SM. Estradiol-sensitive afferents modulate long-term episodic firing patterns of GnRH neurons. Endocrinology 2002; 143:2284-92. [PMID: 12021193 DOI: 10.1210/endo.143.6.8869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
GnRH neurons comprise the final common pathway of an estrogen-sensitive pattern generator controlling fertility. To determine estradiol effects on GnRH neuron firing patterns, adult transgenic mice were ovariectomized (OVX), and half were treated with estradiol (OVX+E). One week later targeted single-unit extracellular recordings were made from GnRH neurons identified by green fluorescent protein expression. Estradiol markedly affected GnRH neuron firing patterns, increasing the percentage and duration of time these cells were quiescent (< or = 1 action current/min). Estradiol increased the interval between episodes of increased firing rate determined by Cluster analysis of recordings more than 45 min (OVX+E 38.8 +/- 7.2 min, OVX 16.7 +/- 2.1 min, n = 6 each). Possible mechanisms of estradiol modulation were examined by simultaneously blocking ionotropic secretion of gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamatergic receptors. This treatment had no effect on cells from OVX mice (n = 10), indicating episodic firing of GnRH neurons is not driven by activation of these receptors. Receptor blockade eliminated estradiol effects on GnRH neurons in the midventral preoptic area (n = 7) but not elsewhere (n = 7). Individual GnRH neurons thus display episodic firing patterns at intervals previously reported for secretory pulses. Estradiol modulates episode frequency to exert feedback control; in a substantial subset of GnRH neurons, estradiol feedback is enforced via GABAergic and/or glutamatergic afferents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Craig S Nunemaker
- Department of Internal Medicine and National Science Foundation Center for Biological Timing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
62
|
Episodic bursting activity and response to excitatory amino acids in acutely dissociated gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons genetically targeted with green fluorescent protein. J Neurosci 2002. [PMID: 11896170 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.22-06-02313.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) system, considered to be the final common pathway for the control of reproduction, has been difficult to study because of a lack of distinguishing characteristics and the scattered distribution of neurons. The development of a transgenic mouse in which the GnRH promoter drives expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) has provided the opportunity to perform electrophysiological studies of GnRH neurons. In this study, neurons were dissociated from brain slices prepared from prepubertal female GnRH-EGFP mice. Both current- and voltage-clamp recordings were obtained from acutely dissociated GnRH neurons identified on the basis of EGFP expression. Most isolated GnRH-EGFP neurons fired spontaneous action potentials (recorded in cell-attached or whole-cell mode) that typically consisted of brief bursts (2-20 Hz) separated by 1-10 sec. At more negative resting potentials, GnRH-EGFP neurons exhibited oscillations in membrane potential, which could lead to bursting episodes lasting from seconds to minutes. These bursting episodes were often separated by minutes of inactivity. Rapid application of glutamate or NMDA increased firing activity in all neurons and usually generated small inward currents (<15 pA), although larger currents were evoked in the remaining neurons. Both AMPA and NMDA receptors mediated the glutamate-evoked inward currents. These results suggest that isolated GnRH-EGFP neurons from juvenile mice can generate episodes of repetitive burst discharges that may underlie the pulsatile secretion of GnRH, and glutamatergic inputs may contribute to the activation of endogenous bursts.
Collapse
|
63
|
Zhang BJ, Kusano K, Zerfas P, Iacangelo A, Young WS, Gainer H. Targeting of green fluorescent protein to secretory granules in oxytocin magnocellular neurons and its secretion from neurohypophysial nerve terminals in transgenic mice. Endocrinology 2002; 143:1036-46. [PMID: 11861530 DOI: 10.1210/endo.143.3.8700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) is a hypothalamic nonapeptide that is synthesized as part of a larger precursor protein that also contains an approximately 10-kDa protein called neurophysin at its C-terminus. This precursor protein is trafficked through the regulated secretory pathway into secretory granules and then axonally transported to and secreted from nerve terminals in the neural lobe of the pituitary. In this paper, we show that the AI-03 transgene that contains enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fused to the end of the neurophysin at the C-terminus of the OT pre-prohormone, is expressed selectively in OT-magnocellular neurons and is trafficked to secretory granules in transgenic mice. The EGFP-containing secretory granules are then transported to OT-neurosecretory terminals in the neurohypophysis, where the EGFP fluorescence undergoes depolarization-induced calcium-dependent secretion. The endogenous fluorescence in the neural lobes is sufficiently intense to image secretory events in individual OT nerve terminals (neurosecretosomes) isolated from the posterior pituitaries in these transgenic mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B-J Zhang
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
64
|
Nunemaker CS, DeFazio RA, Geusz ME, Herzog ED, Pitts GR, Moenter SM. Long-term recordings of networks of immortalized GnRH neurons reveal episodic patterns of electrical activity. J Neurophysiol 2001; 86:86-93. [PMID: 11431490 DOI: 10.1152/jn.2001.86.1.86] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The CNS controls reproduction through pulsatile secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Episodic increases in the firing rate of unidentified hypothalamic neurons have been associated with downstream markers of GnRH secretion. Whether this episodic electrical activity is intrinsic to GnRH neurons, intrinsic to other "pulse generator" neurons that drive GnRH neurons, or a combination of these is unknown. To determine if GnRH neurons display episodic firing patterns in isolation from other cell types, immortalized GnRH neurons (GT1-7 cells) were cultured on multiple microelectrode arrays. Long-term, multi-site recordings of GT1-7 cells revealed repeated episodes of increased firing rate with an interval of 24.8 +/- 1.3 (SE) min that were completely eliminated by tetrodotoxin, a sodium channel blocker. This pattern was comprised of active units that fired independently as well as coincidentally, suggesting the overall pattern of electrical activity in GT1-7 cells emerges as a network property. The A-type potassium-channel antagonist 4-aminopyridine (1 mM) increased both firing rate and GnRH secretion, demonstrating the presence of A-type currents in these cells and supporting the hypothesis that electrical activity is associated with GnRH release. Physiologically relevant episodic firing patterns are thus an intrinsic property of immortalized GnRH neurons and appear to be associated with secretion. The finding that overall activity is derived from the sum of multiple independent active units within a network may have important implications for the genesis of the GnRH secretory pattern that is delivered to the target organ. Specifically, these data suggest not every GnRH neuron participates in each secretory pulse and provide a possible mechanism for the variations in GnRH-pulse amplitude observed in vivo.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C S Nunemaker
- Department of Internal Medicine, National Science Foundation Center for Biological Timing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
65
|
Pitts GR, Nunemaker CS, Moenter SM. Cycles of transcription and translation do not comprise the gonadotropin-releasing hormone pulse generator in GT1 cells. Endocrinology 2001; 142:1858-64. [PMID: 11316751 DOI: 10.1210/endo.142.5.8137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Neural control of reproduction is achieved through episodic GnRH secretion, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying pulse generation. The ultradian time domain of GnRH release suggests mechanisms ranging from macromolecular synthesis to posttranslational modification could be involved. We tested if messenger RNA (mRNA) or protein synthesis are components of the pulse generator by determining the effects of transcription and translation inhibitors on episodic GnRH release from immortalized GT1-1 GnRH neurons. Time course and efficacy of transcription and translation blockade were assessed by determining the ability of specific inhibitors to block the robust, rapid induction of c-fos mRNA or protein accumulation by forskolin (10 microM). The transcription inhibitors actinomycin D (ACT-D, 20 microM) or 5,6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside (DRB, 100 microM), or the translation inhibitors anisomycin (ANI, 10 microM) or puromycin (PUR, 10 microM) were applied to GT1-1 cells 30, 15, or 0 min before forskolin. Northern and Western blots revealed blockade of transcription and translation was rapid and essentially complete. GT1-1 cells were perifused for a 90- to 120-min control period then for 100-130 min with vehicle or inhibitor to examine pulsatile GnRH secretion. GnRH interpeak intervals, peak amplitude, and peak area were not different between control and experimental periods of cells treated with vehicle (n = 15), ACT-D (n = 10), DRB (n = 6), ANI (n = 8), and PUR (n = 6; P > 0.05). This study presents the first clear evidence that the series of reactions resulting in secretion of a GnRH pulse do not include cycles of transcription and translation. Although these mechanisms would be required to replenish components of the pulse generator, they are not integral components of this oscillator. We hypothesize that posttranslational events underlie episodic GnRH release in GT1-1 cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- G R Pitts
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Cell Biology, and the National Science Foundation Center for Biological Timing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
66
|
Vazquez-Martinez R, Shorte SL, Boockfor FR, Frawley LS. Synchronized exocytotic bursts from gonadotropin-releasing hormone-expressing cells: dual control by intrinsic cellular pulsatility and gap junctional communication. Endocrinology 2001; 142:2095-101. [PMID: 11316777 DOI: 10.1210/endo.142.5.8123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Periodic secretion of GnRH from the hypothalamus is the driving force for the release of gonadotropic hormones from the pituitary, but the roles of individual neurons in the context of this pulse generator are not known. In this study we used FM1-43 to monitor the membrane turnover associated with exocytosis in single GT1-7 neurons and found an intrinsic secretory pulsatility (frequency, 1.4 +/- 0.1/h; pulse duration, 17.3 +/- 0.6 min) that, during time in culture, became progressively synchronized among neighboring cells. Voltage-gated calcium channels and gap junctional communication each played a major role in synchronized pulsatility. An L-type calcium channel inhibitor, nimodipine, abolished synchronized pulsatility. In addition, functional gap junction communication among adjacent cells was detected, but only under conditions where pulsatile synchronization was also observed, and the gap junction inhibitor octanol abolished both without affecting pulse frequency or duration. Our results, therefore, provide strong evidence that the GnRH pulse generator in GT1-7 cells arises from a single cell oscillator mechanism that is synchronized through network signaling involving voltage-gated calcium channels and gap junctions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R Vazquez-Martinez
- Laboratory of Molecular Dynamics, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
67
|
Terasawa E. Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) neurons: mechanism of pulsatile LHRH release. VITAMINS AND HORMONES 2001; 63:91-129. [PMID: 11358119 DOI: 10.1016/s0083-6729(01)63004-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Many types of neurons and glia exhibit oscillatory changes in membrane potentials and cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentrations. In neurons and neuroendocrine cells an elevation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration is associated with neurosecretion. Since both oscillatory membrane potentials and intracellular Ca2+ oscillations have been described in primary LHRH neurons and in GT1 cells, it is evident that an endogenous pulse-generator/oscillator is present in the LHRH neuron in vitro. The hourly rhythms of LHRH neurosecretion appear to be the synchronization of a population of LHRH neurons. How a network of LHRH neurons synchronizes their activity, i.e., whether by the result of synaptic mechanisms or electrical coupling through gap junctions or through a diffusible substance(s), remains to be clarified. Even though LHRH neurons themselves possess an endogenous pulse-generating mechanism, they may be controlled by other neuronal and nonneuronal elements in vivo. NE, NPY, glutamate, and GABA are neurotransmitters possibly controlling pulsatile LHRH release, and NO, cAMP, and ATP may be diffusible substances involved in pulsatile LHRH release without synaptic input. Although synaptic inputs to the perikarya of LHRH neurons could control the activity of LHRH neurons, a line of evidence suggests that direct neuronal and nonneuronal inputs, especially those from astrocytes to LHRH neuroterminals, appear to be more important for pusatile LHRH release.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- E Terasawa
- Wisconsin Regional Primate Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, and Center for Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53715, USA
| |
Collapse
|