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Rößler N, Smilovic D, Vuksic M, Jedlicka P, Deller T. Maintenance of Lognormal-Like Skewed Dendritic Spine Size Distributions in Dentate Granule Cells of TNF, TNF-R1, TNF-R2, and TNF-R1/2-Deficient Mice. J Comp Neurol 2024; 532:e25645. [PMID: 38943486 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Dendritic spines are sites of synaptic plasticity and their head size correlates with the strength of the corresponding synapse. We recently showed that the distribution of spine head sizes follows a lognormal-like distribution even after blockage of activity or plasticity induction. As the cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) influences synaptic transmission and constitutive TNF and receptor (TNF-R)-deficiencies cause changes in spine head size distributions, we tested whether these genetic alterations disrupt the lognormality of spine head sizes. Furthermore, we distinguished between spines containing the actin-modulating protein synaptopodin (SP-positive), which is present in large, strong and stable spines and those lacking it (SP-negative). Our analysis revealed that neither TNF-deficiency nor the absence of TNF-R1, TNF-R2 or TNF-R 1 and 2 (TNF-R1/R2) degrades the general lognormal-like, skewed distribution of spine head sizes (all spines, SP-positive spines, SP-negative spines). However, TNF, TNF-R1 and TNF-R2-deficiency affected the width of the lognormal distribution, and TNF-R1/2-deficiency shifted the distribution to the left. Our findings demonstrate the robustness of the lognormal-like, skewed distribution, which is maintained even in the face of genetic manipulations that alter the distribution of spine head sizes. Our observations are in line with homeostatic adaptation mechanisms of neurons regulating the distribution of spines and their head sizes.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Dendritic Spines/metabolism
- Mice
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I/deficiency
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I/metabolism
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I/genetics
- Mice, Knockout
- Dentate Gyrus/metabolism
- Dentate Gyrus/cytology
- Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II/deficiency
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II/metabolism
- Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type II/genetics
- Neurons/metabolism
- Male
- Microfilament Proteins/metabolism
- Microfilament Proteins/genetics
- Microfilament Proteins/deficiency
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Rößler
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- ICAR3R - Interdisciplinary Centre for 3Rs in Animal Research, Computer-Based Modelling, Faculty of Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Dinko Smilovic
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Mario Vuksic
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Peter Jedlicka
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
- ICAR3R - Interdisciplinary Centre for 3Rs in Animal Research, Computer-Based Modelling, Faculty of Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Thomas Deller
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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Ferro A, Arshad A, Boyd L, Stanley T, Berisha A, Vrudhula U, Gomez AM, Borniger JC, Cheadle L. The cytokine receptor Fn14 is a molecular brake on neuronal activity that mediates circadian function in vivo. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.02.587786. [PMID: 38617238 PMCID: PMC11014623 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.02.587786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
To survive, organisms must adapt to a staggering diversity of environmental signals, ranging from sensory information to pathogenic infection, across the lifespan. At the same time, organisms intrinsically generate biological oscillations, such as circadian rhythms, without input from the environment. While the nervous system is well-suited to integrate extrinsic and intrinsic cues, how the brain balances these influences to shape biological function system-wide is not well understood at the molecular level. Here, we demonstrate that the cytokine receptor Fn14, previously identified as a mediator of sensory experience-dependent synaptic refinement during brain development, regulates neuronal activity and function in adult mice in a time-of-day-dependent manner. We show that a subset of excitatory pyramidal (PYR) neurons in the CA1 subregion of the hippocampus increase Fn14 expression when neuronal activity is heightened. Once expressed, Fn14 constrains the activity of these same PYR neurons, suggesting that Fn14 operates as a molecular brake on neuronal activity. Strikingly, differences in PYR neuron activity between mice lacking or expressing Fn14 were most robust at daily transitions between light and dark, and genetic ablation of Fn14 caused aberrations in circadian rhythms, sleep-wake states, and sensory-cued and spatial memory. At the cellular level, microglia contacted fewer, but larger, excitatory synapses in CA1 in the absence of Fn14, suggesting that these brain-resident immune cells may dampen neuronal activity by modifying synaptic inputs onto PYR neurons. Finally, mice lacking Fn14 exhibited heightened susceptibility to chemically induced seizures, implicating Fn14 in disorders characterized by hyperexcitation, such as epilepsy. Altogether, these findings reveal that cytokine receptors that mediates inflammation in the periphery, such as Fn14, can also play major roles in healthy neurological function in the adult brain downstream of both extrinsic and intrinsic cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Ferro
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11740, USA
| | - Anosha Arshad
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11740, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Leah Boyd
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11740, USA
| | - Tess Stanley
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11740, USA
| | - Adrian Berisha
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11740, USA
| | - Uma Vrudhula
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11740, USA
| | - Adrian M. Gomez
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11740, USA
| | | | - Lucas Cheadle
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11740, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11740, USA
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Jean G, Carton J, Haq K, Musto AE. The role of dendritic spines in epileptogenesis. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1173694. [PMID: 37601280 PMCID: PMC10433379 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1173694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is a chronic central nervous system (CNS) disease associated with high morbidity. To date, there is no known disease-modifying therapy for epilepsy. A leading hypothesis for a mechanism of epileptogenesis is the generation of aberrant neuronal networks. Although the underlying biological mechanism is not clear, scientific evidence indicates that it is associated with a hyperexcitable synchronous neuronal network and active dendritic spine plasticity. Changes in dendritic spine morphology are related to altered expression of synaptic cytoskeletal proteins, inflammatory molecules, neurotrophic factors, and extracellular matrix signaling. However, it remains to be determined if these aberrant dendritic spine formations lead to neuronal hyperexcitability and abnormal synaptic connections or whether they constitute an underlying mechanism of seizure susceptibility. Focusing on dendritic spine machinery as a potential target for medications could limit or reverse the development of epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Jean
- Medical Program, School of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United States
| | - Joseph Carton
- Medical Program, School of Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United States
| | - Kaleem Haq
- Department of Pathology and Anatomy, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United States
| | - Alberto E. Musto
- Department of Pathology and Anatomy, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United States
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Smilovic D, Rietsche M, Fellenz M, Drakew A, Vuksic M, Deller T. Loss of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-receptor 1 and TNF-receptor 2 partially replicate effects of TNF deficiency on dendritic spines of granule cells in mouse dentate gyrus. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:281-293. [PMID: 36221961 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is involved in the regulation of physiological and pathophysiological processes in the central nervous system. In previous work, we showed that mice lacking constitutive levels of TNF exhibit a reduction in spine density and changes in spine head size distribution of dentate granule cells. Here, we investigated which TNF-receptor pathway is responsible for this phenotype and analyzed granule cell spine morphology in TNF-R1-, TNF-R2-, and TNF-R1/R2-deficient mice. Single granule cells were filled with Alexa568 in fixed hippocampal brain slices and immunostained for the actin-modulating protein synaptopodin (SP), a marker for strong and stable spines. An investigator blind to genotype investigated dendritic spines using deconvolved confocal image stacks. Similar to TNF-deficient mice, TNF-R1 and TNF-R2 mutants showed a decrease in the size of small spines (SP-negative) with TNF-R1/R2-KO mice exhibiting an additive effect. TNF-R1 mutants also showed an increase in the size of large spines (SP-positive), mirroring the situation in TNF-deficient mice. Unlike the TNF-deficient mouse, none of the TNF-R mutants exhibited a reduction in their granule cell spine densities. Since TNF tunes the excitability of networks, lack of constitutive TNF reduces network excitation. This may explain why we observed alterations in spine head size distributions in TNF- and TNF-R-deficient granule cells. The changes in spine density observed in the TNF-deficient mouse could not be linked to canonical TNF-R-signaling. Instead, noncanonical pathways or unknown developmental functions of TNF may cause this phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinko Smilovic
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.,Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Michael Rietsche
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Meike Fellenz
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Alexander Drakew
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Mario Vuksic
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.,Croatian Institute for Brain Research, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Thomas Deller
- Institute of Clinical Neuroanatomy, Dr. Senckenberg Anatomy, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
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