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Starr AL, Nishimura T, Igarashi KJ, Funamoto C, Nakauchi H, Fraser HB. Disentangling cell-intrinsic and extrinsic factors underlying evolution. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.06.592777. [PMID: 38798687 PMCID: PMC11118348 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.06.592777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
A key goal of developmental biology is to determine the extent to which cells and organs develop autonomously, as opposed to requiring interactions with other cells or environmental factors. Chimeras have played a foundational role in this by enabling qualitative classification of cell-intrinsically vs. extrinsically driven processes. Here, we extend this framework to precisely decompose evolutionary divergence in any quantitative trait into cell-intrinsic, extrinsic, and intrinsic-extrinsic interaction components. Applying this framework to thousands of gene expression levels in reciprocal rat-mouse chimeras, we found that the majority of their divergence is attributable to cell-intrinsic factors, though extrinsic factors also play an integral role. For example, a rat-like extracellular environment extrinsically up-regulates the expression of a key transcriptional regulator of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response in some but not all cell types, which in turn strongly predicts extrinsic up-regulation of its target genes and of the ER stress response pathway as a whole. This effect is also seen at the protein level, suggesting propagation through multiple regulatory levels. Applying our framework to a cellular trait, neuronal differentiation, revealed a complex interaction of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Finally, we show that imprinted genes are dramatically mis-expressed in species-mismatched environments, suggesting that mismatch between rapidly evolving intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms controlling gene imprinting may contribute to barriers to interspecies chimerism. Overall, our conceptual framework opens new avenues to investigate the mechanistic basis of developmental processes and evolutionary divergence across myriad quantitative traits in any multicellular organism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Toshiya Nishimura
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- WPI Premium Research Institute for Human Metaverse Medicine (WPI-PRIMe), Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan (current address for T.N.)
- Division of Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, Department of Genome Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Kyomi J. Igarashi
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Chihiro Funamoto
- Division of Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, Department of Genome Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hiromitsu Nakauchi
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Division of Stem Cell Therapy, Distinguished Professor Unit, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8639, Japan
| | - Hunter B. Fraser
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Barraclough BN, Stubbs WT, Bohic M, Upadhyay A, Abraira VE, Ramer MS. Direct comparison of Hoxb8-driven reporter distribution in the brains of four transgenic mouse lines: towards a spinofugal projection atlas. Front Neuroanat 2024; 18:1400015. [PMID: 38817241 PMCID: PMC11137224 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2024.1400015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Hox genes govern rostro-caudal identity along the developing spinal cord, which has a well-defined division of function between dorsal (sensory) and ventral (motor) halves. Here we exploit developmental Hoxb8 expression, normally restricted to the dorsal cord below the obex, to genetically label spinal cord-to-brain ("spinofugal") axons. Methods We crossed two targeted (knock-in) and two non-targeted recombinase-expressing lines (Hoxb8-IRES-Cre and Hoxb8-T2AFlpO; Hoxb8-Cre and Hoxb8-FlpO, respectively) with appropriate tdtomato-expressing reporter strains. Serial sectioning, confocal and superresolution microscopy, as well as light-sheet imaging was used to reveal robust labeling of ascending axons and their terminals in expected and unexpected regions. Results This strategy provides unprecedented anatomical detail of ascending spinal tracts anterior to the brainstem, and reveals a previously undescribed decussating tract in the ventral hypothalamus (the spinofugal hypothalamic decussating tract, or shxt). The absence of Hoxb8-suppressing elements led to multiple instances of ectopic reporter expression in Hoxb8-Cre mice (retinal ganglion and vomeronasal axons, anterior thalamic nuclei and their projections to the anterior cingulate and retrosplenial cortices and subiculum, and a population of astrocytes at the cephalic flexure) and Hoxb8-FlpO mice (Cajal-Retzius cells of the dentate gyrus, and mesenchymal cells of the choroid plexus). While targeted transgenic lines were similar in terms of known spinofugal projections, Hoxb8-IRES-Cre reporters had an additional projection to the core of the facial motor nucleus, and more abundant Hoxb8-lineage microglia scattered throughout the brain than Hoxb8-T2A-FlpO (or any other) mice, suggesting dysregulated Hoxb8-driven reporter expression in one or both lines. Discussion This work complements structural and connectivity atlases of the mouse central nervous system, and provides a platform upon which their reactions to injury or disease can be studied. Ectopic Hoxb8-driven recombinase expression may also be a useful tool to study structure and function of other cell populations in non-targeted lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget N. Barraclough
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - W. Terrence Stubbs
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Manon Bohic
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Aman Upadhyay
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Victoria E. Abraira
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Matt S. Ramer
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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3
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Weyer MP, Strehle J, Schäfer MKE, Tegeder I. Repurposing of pexidartinib for microglia depletion and renewal. Pharmacol Ther 2024; 253:108565. [PMID: 38052308 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2023.108565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Pexidartinib (PLX3397) is a small molecule receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor of colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) with moderate selectivity over other members of the platelet derived growth factor receptor family. It is approved for treatment of tenosynovial giant cell tumors (TGCT). CSF1R is highly expressed by microglia, which are macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS) that defend the CNS against injury and pathogens and contribute to synapse development and plasticity. Challenged by pathogens, apoptotic cells, debris, or inflammatory molecules they adopt a responsive state to propagate the inflammation and eventually return to a homeostatic state. The phenotypic switch may fail, and disease-associated microglia contribute to the pathophysiology in neurodegenerative or neuropsychiatric diseases or long-lasting detrimental brain inflammation after brain, spinal cord or nerve injury or ischemia/hemorrhage. Microglia also contribute to the growth permissive tumor microenvironment of glioblastoma (GBM). In rodents, continuous treatment for 1-2 weeks via pexidartinib food pellets leads to a depletion of microglia and subsequent repopulation from the remaining fraction, which is aided by peripheral monocytes that search empty niches for engraftment. The putative therapeutic benefit of such microglia depletion or forced renewal has been assessed in almost any rodent model of CNS disease or injury or GBM with heterogeneous outcomes, but a tendency of partial beneficial effects. So far, microglia monitoring e.g. via positron emission imaging is not standard of care for patients receiving Pexidartinib (e.g. for TGCT), so that the depletion and repopulation efficiency in humans is still largely unknown. Considering the virtuous functions of microglia, continuous depletion is likely no therapeutic option but short-lasting transient partial depletion to stimulate microglia renewal or replace microglia in genetic disease in combination with e.g. stem cell transplantation or as part of a multimodal concept in treatment of glioblastoma appears feasible. The present review provides an overview of the preclinical evidence pro and contra microglia depletion as a therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc-Philipp Weyer
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Faculty of Medicine, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Jenny Strehle
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany
| | - Michael K E Schäfer
- Department of Anesthesiology, University Medical Center Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany
| | - Irmgard Tegeder
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Faculty of Medicine, Frankfurt, Germany.
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4
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Laflamme OD, Markin SN, Deska-Gauthier D, Banks R, Zhang Y, Danner SM, Akay T. Distinct roles of spinal commissural interneurons in transmission of contralateral sensory information. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3452-3464.e4. [PMID: 37531957 PMCID: PMC10528931 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.07.014] [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: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Crossed reflexes are mediated by commissural pathways transmitting sensory information to the contralateral side of the body, but the underlying network is not fully understood. Commissural pathways coordinating the activities of spinal locomotor circuits during locomotion have been characterized in mice, but their relationship to crossed reflexes is unknown. We show the involvement of two genetically distinct groups of commissural interneurons (CINs) described in mice, V0 and V3 CINs, in the crossed reflex pathways. Our data suggest that the exclusively excitatory V3 CINs are directly involved in the excitatory crossed reflexes and show that they are essential for the inhibitory crossed reflexes. In contrast, the V0 CINs, a population that includes excitatory and inhibitory CINs, are not directly involved in excitatory or inhibitory crossed reflexes but downregulate the inhibitory crossed reflexes. Our data provide insights into the spinal circuitry underlying crossed reflexes in mice, describing the roles of V0 and V3 CINs in crossed reflexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier D Laflamme
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3T 0A6, Canada
| | - Sergey N Markin
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Dylan Deska-Gauthier
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3T 0A6, Canada
| | - Rachel Banks
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3T 0A6, Canada
| | - Ying Zhang
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3T 0A6, Canada
| | - Simon M Danner
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Turgay Akay
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3T 0A6, Canada.
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5
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Villarino NW, Hamed YMF, Ghosh B, Dubin AE, Lewis AH, Odem MA, Loud MC, Wang Y, Servin-Vences MR, Patapoutian A, Marshall KL. Labeling PIEZO2 activity in the peripheral nervous system. Neuron 2023; 111:2488-2501.e8. [PMID: 37321223 PMCID: PMC10527906 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Sensory neurons detect mechanical forces from both the environment and internal organs to regulate physiology. PIEZO2 is a mechanosensory ion channel critical for touch, proprioception, and bladder stretch sensation, yet its broad expression in sensory neurons suggests it has undiscovered physiological roles. To fully understand mechanosensory physiology, we must know where and when PIEZO2-expressing neurons detect force. The fluorescent styryl dye FM 1-43 was previously shown to label sensory neurons. Surprisingly, we find that the vast majority of FM 1-43 somatosensory neuron labeling in mice in vivo is dependent on PIEZO2 activity within the peripheral nerve endings. We illustrate the potential of FM 1-43 by using it to identify novel PIEZO2-expressing urethral neurons that are engaged by urination. These data reveal that FM 1-43 is a functional probe for mechanosensitivity via PIEZO2 activation in vivo and will facilitate the characterization of known and novel mechanosensory processes in multiple organ systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas W Villarino
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Yasmeen M F Hamed
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Graduate Program in Development, Disease Models, and Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Britya Ghosh
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Adrienne E Dubin
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Amanda H Lewis
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Max A Odem
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Meaghan C Loud
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - M Rocio Servin-Vences
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ardem Patapoutian
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
| | - Kara L Marshall
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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6
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Servin-Vences MR, Lam RM, Koolen A, Wang Y, Saade DN, Loud M, Kacmaz H, Frausto S, Zhang Y, Beyder A, Marshall KL, Bönnemann CG, Chesler AT, Patapoutian A. PIEZO2 in somatosensory neurons controls gastrointestinal transit. Cell 2023; 186:3386-3399.e15. [PMID: 37541196 PMCID: PMC10501318 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract is in a state of constant motion. These movements are tightly regulated by the presence of food and help digestion by mechanically breaking down and propelling gut content. Mechanical sensing in the gut is thought to be essential for regulating motility; however, the identity of the neuronal populations, the molecules involved, and the functional consequences of this sensation are unknown. Here, we show that humans lacking PIEZO2 exhibit impaired bowel sensation and motility. Piezo2 in mouse dorsal root, but not nodose ganglia is required to sense gut content, and this activity slows down food transit rates in the stomach, small intestine, and colon. Indeed, Piezo2 is directly required to detect colon distension in vivo. Our study unveils the mechanosensory mechanisms that regulate the transit of luminal contents throughout the gut, which is a critical process to ensure proper digestion, nutrient absorption, and waste removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rocio Servin-Vences
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, San Diego, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Ruby M Lam
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; NIH-Brown University Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Providence, RI, USA; National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alize Koolen
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, San Diego, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, San Diego, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Dimah N Saade
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Meaghan Loud
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, San Diego, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Halil Kacmaz
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Enteric Neuroscience Program (ENSP), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Suzanne Frausto
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, San Diego, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Yunxiao Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, San Diego, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Arthur Beyder
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Enteric Neuroscience Program (ENSP), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kara L Marshall
- Department of Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Carsten G Bönnemann
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alexander T Chesler
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Ardem Patapoutian
- Department of Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, Scripps Research, San Diego, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
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7
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Bohic M, Upadhyay A, Eisdorfer JT, Keating J, Simon RC, Briones BA, Azadegan C, Nacht HD, Oputa O, Martinez AM, Bethell BN, Gradwell MA, Romanienko P, Ramer MS, Stuber GD, Abraira VE. A new Hoxb8FlpO mouse line for intersectional approaches to dissect developmentally defined adult sensorimotor circuits. Front Mol Neurosci 2023; 16:1176823. [PMID: 37603775 PMCID: PMC10437123 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1176823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Improvements in the speed and cost of expression profiling of neuronal tissues offer an unprecedented opportunity to define ever finer subgroups of neurons for functional studies. In the spinal cord, single cell RNA sequencing studies support decades of work on spinal cord lineage studies, offering a unique opportunity to probe adult function based on developmental lineage. While Cre/Flp recombinase intersectional strategies remain a powerful tool to manipulate spinal neurons, the field lacks genetic tools and strategies to restrict manipulations to the adult mouse spinal cord at the speed at which new tools develop. This study establishes a new workflow for intersectional mouse-viral strategies to dissect adult spinal function based on developmental lineages in a modular fashion. To restrict manipulations to the spinal cord, we generate a brain-sparing Hoxb8FlpO mouse line restricting Flp recombinase expression to caudal tissue. Recapitulating endogenous Hoxb8 gene expression, Flp-dependent reporter expression is present in the caudal embryo starting day 9.5. This expression restricts Flp activity in the adult to the caudal brainstem and below. Hoxb8FlpO heterozygous and homozygous mice do not develop any of the sensory or locomotor phenotypes evident in Hoxb8 heterozygous or mutant animals, suggesting normal developmental function of the Hoxb8 gene and protein in Hoxb8FlpO mice. Compared to the variability of brain recombination in available caudal Cre and Flp lines, Hoxb8FlpO activity is not present in the brain above the caudal brainstem, independent of mouse genetic background. Lastly, we combine the Hoxb8FlpO mouse line with dorsal horn developmental lineage Cre mouse lines to express GFP in developmentally determined dorsal horn populations. Using GFP-dependent Cre recombinase viruses and Cre recombinase-dependent inhibitory chemogenetics, we target developmentally defined lineages in the adult. We show how developmental knock-out versus transient adult silencing of the same ROR𝛃 lineage neurons affects adult sensorimotor behavior. In summary, this new mouse line and viral approach provides a blueprint to dissect adult somatosensory circuit function using Cre/Flp genetic tools to target spinal cord interneurons based on genetic lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Bohic
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Aman Upadhyay
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- Neuroscience PhD Program at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Jaclyn T. Eisdorfer
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Jessica Keating
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- School of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
- M.D./PhD Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Rhiana C. Simon
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Brandy A. Briones
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Chloe Azadegan
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Hannah D. Nacht
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Olisemeka Oputa
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Alana M. Martinez
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Bridget N. Bethell
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries and Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mark A. Gradwell
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | - Peter Romanienko
- Genome Editing Shared Resource, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Matt S. Ramer
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries and Department of Zoology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Garret D. Stuber
- Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, Pain, and Emotion, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Victoria E. Abraira
- Cell Biology and Neuroscience Department, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, United States
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8
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Laflamme OD, Markin SN, Banks R, Zhang Y, Danner SM, Akay T. Distinct roles of spinal commissural interneurons in transmission of contralateral sensory information. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.16.528842. [PMID: 36824871 PMCID: PMC9949098 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.16.528842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2023]
Abstract
Crossed reflexes (CR) are mediated by commissural pathways transmitting sensory information to the contralateral side of the body, but the underlying network is not fully understood. Commissural pathways coordinating the activities of spinal locomotor circuits during locomotion have been characterized in mice, but their relationship to CR is unknown. We show the involvement of two genetically distinct groups of commissural interneurons (CINs) described in mice, V0 and V3 CINs, in the CR pathways. Our data suggest that the exclusively excitatory V3 CINs are directly involved in the excitatory CR, and show that they are essential for the inhibitory CR. In contrast, the V0 CINs, a population that includes excitatory and inhibitory CINs, are not directly involved in excitatory or inhibitory CRs but down-regulate the inhibitory CR. Our data provide insights into the spinal circuitry underlying CR in mice, describing the roles of V0 and V3 CINs in CR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier D. Laflamme
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Sergey N. Markin
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Rachel Banks
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Ying Zhang
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Simon M. Danner
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Turgay Akay
- Atlantic Mobility Action Project, Brain Repair Centre, Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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9
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Albisetti GW, Ganley RP, Pietrafesa F, Werynska K, Magalhaes de Sousa M, Sipione R, Scheurer L, Bösl MR, Pelczar P, Wildner H, Zeilhofer HU. Inhibitory Kcnip2 neurons of the spinal dorsal horn control behavioral sensitivity to environmental cold. Neuron 2023; 111:92-105.e5. [PMID: 36323322 PMCID: PMC9831669 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Proper sensing of ambient temperature is of utmost importance for the survival of euthermic animals, including humans. While considerable progress has been made in our understanding of temperature sensors and transduction mechanisms, the higher-order neural circuits processing such information are still only incompletely understood. Using intersectional genetics in combination with circuit tracing and functional neuron manipulation, we identified Kcnip2-expressing inhibitory (Kcnip2GlyT2) interneurons of the mouse spinal dorsal horn as critical elements of a neural circuit that tunes sensitivity to cold. Diphtheria toxin-mediated ablation of these neurons increased cold sensitivity without affecting responses to other somatosensory modalities, while their chemogenetic activation reduced cold and also heat sensitivity. We also show that Kcnip2GlyT2 neurons become activated preferentially upon exposure to cold temperatures and subsequently inhibit spinal nociceptive output neurons that project to the lateral parabrachial nucleus. Our results thus identify a hitherto unknown spinal circuit that tunes cold sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gioele W. Albisetti
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Robert P. Ganley
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Francesca Pietrafesa
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Karolina Werynska
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Rebecca Sipione
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Louis Scheurer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michael R. Bösl
- Institute of Experimental Biomedicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, and Rudolf Virchow Center, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany
| | - Pawel Pelczar
- Center for Transgenic Models, University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hendrik Wildner
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland,Corresponding author
| | - Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland,Center for Neuroscience Zurich (ZNZ), 8057 Zürich, Switzerland,Drug Discovery Network Zurich (DDNZ), 8057 Zürich, Switzerland,Corresponding author
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10
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Ganley RP, de Sousa MM, Werder K, Öztürk T, Mendes R, Ranucci M, Wildner H, Zeilhofer HU. Targeted anatomical and functional identification of antinociceptive and pronociceptive serotonergic neurons that project to the spinal dorsal horn. eLife 2023; 12:78689. [PMID: 36752606 PMCID: PMC9943064 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinally projecting serotonergic neurons play a key role in controlling pain sensitivity and can either increase or decrease nociception depending on physiological context. It is currently unknown how serotonergic neurons mediate these opposing effects. Utilizing virus-based strategies and Tph2-Cre transgenic mice, we identified two anatomically separated populations of serotonergic hindbrain neurons located in the lateral paragigantocellularis (LPGi) and the medial hindbrain, which respectively innervate the superficial and deep spinal dorsal horn and have contrasting effects on sensory perception. Our tracing experiments revealed that serotonergic neurons of the LPGi were much more susceptible to transduction with spinally injected AAV2retro vectors than medial hindbrain serotonergic neurons. Taking advantage of this difference, we employed intersectional chemogenetic approaches to demonstrate that activation of the LPGi serotonergic projections decreases thermal sensitivity, whereas activation of medial serotonergic neurons increases sensitivity to mechanical von Frey stimulation. Together these results suggest that there are functionally distinct classes of serotonergic hindbrain neurons that differ in their anatomical location in the hindbrain, their postsynaptic targets in the spinal cord, and their impact on nociceptive sensitivity. The LPGi neurons that give rise to rather global and bilateral projections throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the spinal cord appear to be ideally poised to contribute to widespread systemic pain control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Philip Ganley
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | | | - Kira Werder
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Tugce Öztürk
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Raquel Mendes
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Matteo Ranucci
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Hendrik Wildner
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of TechnologyZurichSwitzerland
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11
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Shin SM, Moehring F, Itson-Zoske B, Fan F, Stucky CL, Hogan QH, Yu H. Piezo2 mechanosensitive ion channel is located to sensory neurons and nonneuronal cells in rat peripheral sensory pathway: implications in pain. Pain 2021; 162:2750-2768. [PMID: 34285153 PMCID: PMC8526381 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Piezo2 mechanotransduction channel is a crucial mediator of sensory neurons for sensing and transducing touch, vibration, and proprioception. We here characterized Piezo2 expression and cell specificity in rat peripheral sensory pathway using a validated Piezo2 antibody. Immunohistochemistry using this antibody revealed Piezo2 expression in pan primary sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglia in naïve rats, which was actively transported along afferent axons to both central presynaptic terminals innervating the spinal dorsal horn (DH) and peripheral afferent terminals in the skin. Piezo2 immunoreactivity (IR) was also detected in the postsynaptic neurons of the DH and in the motor neurons of the ventral horn, but not in spinal glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive and Iba1-positive glia. Notably, Piezo2-IR was clearly identified in peripheral nonneuronal cells, including perineuronal glia, Schwann cells in the sciatic nerve and surrounding cutaneous afferent endings, as well as in skin epidermal Merkel cells and melanocytes. Immunoblots showed increased Piezo2 in dorsal root ganglia ipsilateral to plantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant, and immunostaining revealed increased Piezo2-IR intensity in the DH ipsilateral to complete Freund's adjuvant injection. This elevation of DH Piezo2-IR was also evident in various neuropathic pain models and monosodium iodoacetate knee osteoarthritis pain model, compared with controls. We conclude that (1) the pan neuronal profile of Piezo2 expression suggests that Piezo2 may function extend beyond simply touch or proprioception mediated by large-sized low-threshold mechanosensitive primary sensory neurons; (2) Piezo2 may have functional roles involving sensory processing in the spinal cord, Schwann cells, and skin melanocytes; and (3) aberrant Piezo2 expression may contribute pain pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung Min Shin
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Francie Moehring
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Brandon Itson-Zoske
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Fan Fan
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Mississippi University Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi 39216
| | - Cheryl L. Stucky
- Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
| | - Quinn H. Hogan
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
- Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53295
| | - Hongwei Yu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226
- Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53295
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12
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Marcantoni M, Fuchs A, Löw P, Bartsch D, Kiehn O, Bellardita C. Early delivery and prolonged treatment with nimodipine prevents the development of spasticity after spinal cord injury in mice. Sci Transl Med 2021; 12:12/539/eaay0167. [PMID: 32295897 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay0167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Spasticity, one of the most frequent comorbidities of spinal cord injury (SCI), disrupts motor recovery and quality of life. Despite major progress in neurorehabilitative and pharmacological approaches, therapeutic strategies for treating spasticity are lacking. Here, we show in a mouse model of chronic SCI that treatment with nimodipine-an L-type calcium channel blocker already approved from the European Medicine Agency and from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-starting in the acute phase of SCI completely prevents the development of spasticity measured as increased muscle tone and spontaneous spasms. The aberrant muscle activities associated with spasticity remain inhibited even after termination of the treatment. Constitutive and conditional silencing of the L-type calcium channel CaV1.3 in neuronal subtypes demonstrated that this channel mediated the preventive effect of nimodipine on spasticity after SCI. This study identifies a treatment protocol and suggests that targeting CaV1.3 could prevent spasticity after SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maite Marcantoni
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Andrea Fuchs
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 17162 Solna, Sweden
| | - Peter Löw
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 17162 Solna, Sweden
| | - Dusan Bartsch
- Transgenic Models, Central Institute of Mental Health, 28159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ole Kiehn
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen Denmark. .,Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 17162 Solna, Sweden
| | - Carmelo Bellardita
- Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen Denmark
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13
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Differential Contribution of V0 Interneurons to Execution of Rhythmic and Nonrhythmic Motor Behaviors. J Neurosci 2021; 41:3432-3445. [PMID: 33637562 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1979-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotion, scratching, and stabilization of the body orientation in space are basic motor functions which are critically important for animal survival. Their execution requires coordinated activity of muscles located in the left and right halves of the body. Commissural interneurons (CINs) are critical elements of the neuronal networks underlying the left-right motor coordination. V0 interneurons (characterized by the early expression of the transcription factor Dbx1) contain a major class of CINs in the spinal cord (excitatory, V0V; inhibitory, V0D), and a small subpopulation of excitatory ipsilaterally projecting interneurons. The role of V0 CINs in left-right coordination during forward locomotion was demonstrated earlier. Here, to reveal the role of glutamatergic V0 and other V0 subpopulations in control of backward locomotion, scratching, righting behavior, and postural corrections, kinematics of these movements performed by wild-type mice and knock-out mice with glutamatergic V0 or all V0 interneurons ablated were compared. Our results suggest that the functional effect of excitatory V0 neurons during backward locomotion and scratching is inhibitory, and that the execution of scratching involves active inhibition of the contralateral scratching central pattern generator mediated by excitatory V0 neurons. By contrast, other V0 subpopulations are elements of spinal networks generating postural corrections. Finally, all V0 subpopulations contribute to the generation of righting behavior. We found that different V0 subpopulations determine left-right coordination in the anterior and posterior parts of the body during a particular behavior. Our study shows a differential contribution of V0 subpopulations to diverse motor acts that provides new insight to organization of motor circuits.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Commissural interneurons with their axons crossing the midline of the nervous system are critical elements of the neuronal networks underlying the left-right motor coordination. For the majority of motor behaviors, the neuronal mechanisms underlying left-right coordination are unknown. Here, we demonstrate the functional role of excitatory V0 neurons and other subpopulations of V0 interneurons in control of a number of basic motor behaviors-backward locomotion, scratching, righting behavior, and postural corrections-which are critically important for animal survival. We have shown that different subpopulations of V0 neurons determine left-right coordination in the context of different behaviors as well as in the anterior and posterior parts of the body during a particular behavior.
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14
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Neumann E, Küpfer L, Zeilhofer HU. The α2/α3GABAA receptor modulator TPA023B alleviates not only the sensory but also the tonic affective component of chronic pain in mice. Pain 2021; 162:421-431. [PMID: 32773599 PMCID: PMC7808355 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Diminished synaptic inhibition in the spinal dorsal horn is a major contributor to pathological pain syndromes of neuropathic or inflammatory origin. Drugs that enhance the activity of dorsal horn α2/α3GABAARs normalize exaggerated nociceptive responses in rodents with neuropathic nerve lesions or peripheral inflammation but lack most of the typical side effects of less specific GABAergic drugs. It is however still unknown whether such drugs also reduce the clinically more relevant conscious perception of pain. Here, we investigated the effects of the α2/α3GABAAR subtype-selective modulator TPA023B on the tonic aversive component of pain in mice with peripheral inflammation or neuropathy. In neuropathic mice with a chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve, TPA023B not only reversed hyperalgesia to tactile and heat stimuli but also was highly effective in the conditioned place preference test. In the formalin test, TPA023B not only reduced licking of the injected paw but also reversed facial pain expression scores in the mouse grimace scale assay. Taken together, our results demonstrate that α2/α3GABAA receptor subtype-selective modulators not only reduce nociceptive withdrawal responses but also alleviate the tonic aversive components of chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Neumann
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laura Küpfer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Drug Discovery Network Zurich (DDNZ), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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15
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Bourojeni FB, Zeilhofer HU, Kania A. Netrin-1 receptor DCC is required for the contralateral topography of lamina I anterolateral system neurons. Pain 2021; 162:161-175. [PMID: 32701653 PMCID: PMC7737868 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Anterolateral system (AS) neurons relay nociceptive information from the spinal cord to the brain, protecting the body from harm by evoking a variety of behaviours and autonomic responses. The developmental programs that guide the connectivity of AS neurons remain poorly understood. Spinofugal axons cross the spinal midline in response to Netrin-1 signalling through its receptor deleted in colorectal carcinoma (DCC); however, the relevance of this canonical pathway to AS neuron development has only been demonstrated recently. Here, we disrupted Netrin-1:DCC signalling developmentally in AS neurons and assessed the consequences on the path finding of the different classes of spinofugal neurons. Many lamina I AS neurons normally innervate the lateral parabrachial nucleus and periaqueductal gray on the contralateral side. The loss of DCC in the developing spinal cord resulted in increased frequency of ipsilateral projection of spinoparabrachial and spinoperiaqueductal gray neurons. Given that contralateral spinofugal projections are largely associated with somatotopic representation of the body, changes in the laterality of AS spinofugal projections may contribute to reduced precision in pain localization observed in mice and humans carrying Dcc mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farin B. Bourojeni
- Research Unit in Neural Circuit Development, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Artur Kania
- Research Unit in Neural Circuit Development, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
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16
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Roome RB, Bourojeni FB, Mona B, Rastegar-Pouyani S, Blain R, Dumouchel A, Salesse C, Thompson WS, Brookbank M, Gitton Y, Tessarollo L, Goulding M, Johnson JE, Kmita M, Chédotal A, Kania A. Phox2a Defines a Developmental Origin of the Anterolateral System in Mice and Humans. Cell Rep 2020; 33:108425. [PMID: 33238113 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 07/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Anterolateral system neurons relay pain, itch, and temperature information from the spinal cord to pain-related brain regions, but the differentiation of these neurons and their specific contribution to pain perception remain poorly defined. Here, we show that most mouse spinal neurons that embryonically express the autonomic-system-associated Paired-like homeobox 2A (Phox2a) transcription factor innervate nociceptive brain targets, including the parabrachial nucleus and the thalamus. We define the Phox2a anterolateral system neuron birth order, migration, and differentiation and uncover an essential role for Phox2a in the development of relay of nociceptive signals from the spinal cord to the brain. Finally, we also demonstrate that the molecular identity of Phox2a neurons is conserved in the human fetal spinal cord, arguing that the developmental expression of Phox2a is a prominent feature of anterolateral system neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Brian Roome
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Farin B Bourojeni
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Bishakha Mona
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Shima Rastegar-Pouyani
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Raphael Blain
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris 75012, France
| | - Annie Dumouchel
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Charleen Salesse
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - W Scott Thompson
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Megan Brookbank
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Yorick Gitton
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris 75012, France
| | - Lino Tessarollo
- Neural Development Section, Mouse Cancer Genetics Program, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Martyn Goulding
- Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jane E Johnson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Marie Kmita
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B2, Canada
| | - Alain Chédotal
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris 75012, France
| | - Artur Kania
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada; Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B4, Canada; Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada; Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A 2B2, Canada.
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17
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Tudeau L, Acuña MA, Albisetti GW, Neumann E, Ralvenius WT, Scheurer L, Poe M, Cook JM, Johannssen HC, Zeilhofer HU. Mice lacking spinal α2GABA A receptors: Altered GABAergic neurotransmission, diminished GABAergic antihyperalgesia, and potential compensatory mechanisms preventing a hyperalgesic phenotype. Brain Res 2020; 1741:146889. [PMID: 32439345 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Diminished synaptic inhibition in the superficial spinal dorsal horn contributes to exaggerated pain responses that accompany peripheral inflammation and neuropathy. α2GABAA receptors (α2GABAAR) constitute the most abundant GABAAR subtype at this site and are the targets of recently identified antihyperalgesic compounds. Surprisingly, hoxb8-α2-/- mice that lack α2GABAAR from the spinal cord and peripheral sensory neurons exhibit unaltered sensitivity to acute painful stimuli and develop normal inflammatory and neuropathic hyperalgesia. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of GABAergic neurotransmission, of behavioral phenotypes and of possible compensatory mechanisms in hoxb8-α2-/- mice. Our results confirm that hoxb8-α2-/- mice show significantly diminished GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in the superficial dorsal horn but no hyperalgesic phenotype. We also confirm that the potentiation of dorsal horn GABAergic IPSCs by the α2-preferring GABAAR modulator HZ-166 is reduced in hoxb8-α2-/- mice and that hoxb8-α2-/- mice are resistant to the analgesic effects of HZ-166. Tonic GABAergic currents, glycinergic IPSCs, and sensory afferent-evoked EPSCs did not show significant changes in hoxb8-α2-/- mice rendering a compensatory up-regulation of other GABAAR subtypes or of glycine receptors unlikely. Although expression of serotonin and of the serotonin producing enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH2) was significantly increased in the dorsal horn of hoxb8-α2-/- mice, ablation of serotonergic terminals from the lumbar spinal cord failed to unmask a nociceptive phenotype. Our results are consistent with an important contribution of α2GABAAR to spinal nociceptive control but their ablation early in development appears to activate yet-to-be identified compensatory mechanisms that protect hoxb8-α2-/- mice from hyperalgesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia Tudeau
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mario A Acuña
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gioele W Albisetti
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Elena Neumann
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - William T Ralvenius
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Louis Scheurer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Poe
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, USA
| | - James M Cook
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, USA
| | - Helge C Johannssen
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, CH-8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
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18
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Accarias S, Sanchez T, Labrousse A, Ben-Neji M, Boyance A, Poincloux R, Maridonneau-Parini I, Le Cabec V. Genetic engineering of Hoxb8-immortalized hematopoietic progenitors - a potent tool to study macrophage tissue migration. J Cell Sci 2020; 133:jcs236703. [PMID: 31964707 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.236703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are detrimental in most cancers. Controlling their recruitment is thus potentially therapeutic. We previously found that TAMs perform protease-dependent mesenchymal migration in cancer, while macrophages perform amoeboid migration in other tissues. Inhibition of mesenchymal migration correlates with decreased TAM infiltration and tumor growth, providing rationale for a new cancer immunotherapy specifically targeting TAM motility. To identify new effectors of mesenchymal migration, we produced ER-Hoxb8-immortalized hematopoietic progenitors (cells with estrogen receptor-regulated Hoxb8 expression), which show unlimited proliferative ability in the presence of estrogen. The functionality of macrophages differentiated from ER-Hoxb8 progenitors was compared to bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). They polarized into M1- and M2-orientated macrophages, generated reactive oxygen species (ROS), ingested particles, formed podosomes, degraded the extracellular matrix, adopted amoeboid and mesenchymal migration in 3D, and infiltrated tumor explants ex vivo using mesenchymal migration. We also used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to disrupt gene expression of a known effector of mesenchymal migration, WASP (also known as WAS), to provide a proof of concept. We observed impaired podosome formation and mesenchymal migration capacity, thus recapitulating the phenotype of BMDM isolated from Wasp-knockout mice. Thus, we validate the use of ER-Hoxb8-immortalized macrophages as a potent tool to investigate macrophage functionalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Solene Accarias
- Institut de Pharmacologie et Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31290, France
| | - Thibaut Sanchez
- Institut de Pharmacologie et Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31290, France
| | - Arnaud Labrousse
- Institut de Pharmacologie et Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31290, France
| | - Myriam Ben-Neji
- Institut de Pharmacologie et Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31290, France
| | - Aurélien Boyance
- Institut de Pharmacologie et Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31290, France
| | - Renaud Poincloux
- Institut de Pharmacologie et Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31290, France
| | - Isabelle Maridonneau-Parini
- Institut de Pharmacologie et Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31290, France
| | - Véronique Le Cabec
- Institut de Pharmacologie et Biologie Structurale, IPBS, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse 31290, France
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19
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The influence of environment and origin on brain resident macrophages and implications for therapy. Nat Neurosci 2019; 23:157-166. [PMID: 31792468 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0545-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Microglia are the tissue-resident macrophages of the brain and spinal cord. They are critical players in the development, normal function, and decline of the CNS. Unlike traditional monocyte-derived macrophages, microglia originate from primitive hematopoiesis in the embryonic yolk sac and self-renew throughout life. Microglia also have a unique genetic signature among tissue resident macrophages. Recent studies identify the contributions of both brain environment and developmental history to the transcriptomic identity of microglia. Here we review this emerging literature and discuss the potential implications of origin on microglial function, with particular focus on existing and future therapies using bone-marrow- or stem-cell-derived cells for the treatment of neurological diseases.
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20
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TGFB1-Mediated Gliosis in Multiple Sclerosis Spinal Cords Is Favored by the Regionalized Expression of HOXA5 and the Age-Dependent Decline in Androgen Receptor Ligands. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20235934. [PMID: 31779094 PMCID: PMC6928867 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20235934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with a progressive form of the disease, spinal cord (SC) functions slowly deteriorate beyond age 40. We previously showed that in the SC of these patients, large areas of incomplete demyelination extend distance away from plaque borders and are characterized by a unique progliotic TGFB1 (Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1) genomic signature. Here, we attempted to determine whether region- and age-specific physiological parameters could promote the progression of SC periplaques in MS patients beyond age 40. An analysis of transcriptomics databases showed that, under physiological conditions, a set of 10 homeobox (HOX) genes are highly significantly overexpressed in the human SC as compared to distinct brain regions. Among these HOX genes, a survey of the human proteome showed that only HOXA5 encodes a protein which interacts with a member of the TGF-beta signaling pathway, namely SMAD1 (SMAD family member 1). Moreover, HOXA5 was previously found to promote the TGF-beta pathway. Interestingly, SMAD1 is also a protein partner of the androgen receptor (AR) and an unsupervised analysis of gene ontology terms indicates that the AR pathway antagonizes the TGF-beta/SMAD pathway. Retrieval of promoter analysis data further confirmed that AR negatively regulates the transcription of several members of the TGF-beta/SMAD pathway. On this basis, we propose that in progressive MS patients, the physiological SC overexpression of HOXA5 combined with the age-dependent decline in AR ligands may favor the slow progression of TGFB1-mediated gliosis. Potential therapeutic implications are discussed.
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21
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Murthy SE, Loud MC, Daou I, Marshall KL, Schwaller F, Kühnemund J, Francisco AG, Keenan WT, Dubin AE, Lewin GR, Patapoutian A. The mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo2 mediates sensitivity to mechanical pain in mice. Sci Transl Med 2019; 10:10/462/eaat9897. [PMID: 30305457 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aat9897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The brush of a feather and a pinprick are perceived as distinct sensations because they are detected by discrete cutaneous sensory neurons. Inflammation or nerve injury can disrupt this sensory coding and result in maladaptive pain states, including mechanical allodynia, the development of pain in response to innocuous touch. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the alteration of mechanical sensitization are poorly understood. In mice and humans, loss of mechanically activated PIEZO2 channels results in the inability to sense discriminative touch. However, the role of Piezo2 in acute and sensitized mechanical pain is not well defined. Here, we showed that optogenetic activation of Piezo2-expressing sensory neurons induced nociception in mice. Mice lacking Piezo2 in caudal sensory neurons had impaired nocifensive responses to mechanical stimuli. Consistently, ex vivo recordings in skin-nerve preparations from these mice showed diminished Aδ-nociceptor and C-fiber firing in response to mechanical stimulation. Punctate and dynamic allodynia in response to capsaicin-induced inflammation and spared nerve injury was absent in Piezo2-deficient mice. These results indicate that Piezo2 mediates inflammation- and nerve injury-induced sensitized mechanical pain, and suggest that targeting PIEZO2 might be an effective strategy for treating mechanical allodynia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swetha E Murthy
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Meaghan C Loud
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Ihab Daou
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Kara L Marshall
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Frederick Schwaller
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Johannes Kühnemund
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Allain G Francisco
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - William T Keenan
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Adrienne E Dubin
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Gary R Lewin
- Department of Neuroscience, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Robert-Rössle Straße 10, Berlin 13125, Germany.,Excellence Cluster Neurocure, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Ardem Patapoutian
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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22
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Ralvenius WT, Neumann E, Pagani M, Acuña MA, Wildner H, Benke D, Fischer N, Rostaher A, Schwager S, Detmar M, Frauenknecht K, Aguzzi A, Hubbs JL, Rudolph U, Favrot C, Zeilhofer HU. Itch suppression in mice and dogs by modulation of spinal α2 and α3GABA A receptors. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3230. [PMID: 30104684 PMCID: PMC6089996 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05709-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic itch is a highly debilitating condition affecting about 10% of the general population. The relay of itch signals is under tight control by inhibitory circuits of the spinal dorsal horn, which may offer a hitherto unexploited therapeutic opportunity. Here, we found that specific pharmacological targeting of inhibitory α2 and α3GABAA receptors reduces acute histaminergic and non-histaminergic itch in mice. Systemic treatment with an α2/α3GABAA receptor selective modulator alleviates also chronic itch in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis and in dogs sensitized to house dust mites, without inducing sedation, motor dysfunction, or loss of antipruritic activity after prolonged treatment. Transsynaptic circuit tracing, immunofluorescence, and electrophysiological experiments identify spinal α2 and α3GABAA receptors as likely molecular targets underlying the antipruritic effect. Our results indicate that drugs targeting α2 and α3GABAA receptors are well-suited to alleviate itch, including non-histaminergic chronic itch for which currently no approved treatment exists.
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Affiliation(s)
- William T Ralvenius
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Elena Neumann
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martina Pagani
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mario A Acuña
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hendrik Wildner
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Dietmar Benke
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.,Drug Discovery Network Zürich (DDNZ), Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Nina Fischer
- Dermatology Department, Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, Winterthurerstrasse 260, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ana Rostaher
- Dermatology Department, Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, Winterthurerstrasse 260, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Simon Schwager
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Detmar
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Katrin Frauenknecht
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zürich and University Hospital Zürich, Schmelzbergstrasse 12, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Adriano Aguzzi
- Institute of Neuropathology, University of Zürich and University Hospital Zürich, Schmelzbergstrasse 12, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jed Lee Hubbs
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Uwe Rudolph
- Laboratory of Genetic Neuropharmacology, McLean Hospital, 115 Mill Street, Belmont, MA, 02478, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Claude Favrot
- Dermatology Department, Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, Winterthurerstrasse 260, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Hanns Ulrich Zeilhofer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland. .,Neuroscience Center Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland. .,Drug Discovery Network Zürich (DDNZ), Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland. .,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland.
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23
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Zhang MD, Su J, Adori C, Cinquina V, Malenczyk K, Girach F, Peng C, Ernfors P, Löw P, Borgius L, Kiehn O, Watanabe M, Uhlén M, Mitsios N, Mulder J, Harkany T, Hökfelt T. Ca2+-binding protein NECAB2 facilitates inflammatory pain hypersensitivity. J Clin Invest 2018; 128:3757-3768. [PMID: 29893745 DOI: 10.1172/jci120913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Pain signals are transmitted by multisynaptic glutamatergic pathways. Their first synapse between primary nociceptors and excitatory spinal interneurons gates the sensory load. In this pathway, glutamate release is orchestrated by Ca2+-sensor proteins, with N-terminal EF-hand Ca2+-binding protein 2 (NECAB2) being particular abundant. However, neither the importance of NECAB2+ neuronal contingents in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) and spinal cord nor the function determination by NECAB2 has been defined. A combination of histochemical analyses and single-cell RNA-sequencing showed NECAB2 in small- and medium-sized C- and Aδ D-hair low-threshold mechanoreceptors in DRGs, as well as in protein kinase C γ excitatory spinal interneurons. NECAB2 was downregulated by peripheral nerve injury, leading to the hypothesis that NECAB2 loss of function could limit pain sensation. Indeed, Necab2-/- mice reached a pain-free state significantly faster after peripheral inflammation than did WT littermates. Genetic access to transiently activated neurons revealed that a mediodorsal cohort of NECAB2+ neurons mediates inflammatory pain in the mouse spinal dorsal horn. Here, besides dampening excitatory transmission in spinal interneurons, NECAB2 limited pronociceptive brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) release from sensory afferents. Hoxb8-dependent reinstatement of NECAB2 expression in Necab2-/- mice then demonstrated that spinal and DRG NECAB2 alone could control inflammation-induced sensory hypersensitivity. Overall, we identify NECAB2 as a critical component of pronociceptive pain signaling, whose inactivation offers substantial pain relief.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Dong Zhang
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jie Su
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Csaba Adori
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Valentina Cinquina
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Katarzyna Malenczyk
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fatima Girach
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Changgeng Peng
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Patrik Ernfors
- Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Löw
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Lotta Borgius
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ole Kiehn
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Mathias Uhlén
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nicholas Mitsios
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jan Mulder
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomas Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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24
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Zhao Z, Hiraoka Y, Ogawa H, Tanaka K. Region-specific deletions of the glutamate transporter GLT1 differentially affect nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain in mice. Glia 2018; 66:1988-1998. [DOI: 10.1002/glia.23452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 03/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoyang Zhao
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Medical Research Institute (MRI), Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima; Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8510 Japan
| | - Yuichi Hiraoka
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Medical Research Institute (MRI), Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima; Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8510 Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ogawa
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Medical Research Institute (MRI), Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima; Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8510 Japan
| | - Kohichi Tanaka
- Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Medical Research Institute (MRI), Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima; Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8510 Japan
- Center for Brain Integration Research (CBIR), TMDU, 1-5-45 Yushima; Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8510 Japan
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25
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Sugiyama K, Tanaka K. Spinal cord-specific deletion of the glutamate transporter GLT1 causes motor neuron death in mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018; 497:689-693. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.02.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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26
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Peng J, Ferent J, Li Q, Liu M, Da Silva RV, Zeilhofer HU, Kania A, Zhang Y, Charron F. Loss of Dcc in the spinal cord is sufficient to cause a deficit in lateralized motor control and the switch to a hopping gait. Dev Dyn 2018; 247:620-629. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.24549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2017] [Revised: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 06/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy Peng
- Montréal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM); Montréal Quebec Canada
- Department of Biology; McGill University; Montréal Quebec Canada
| | - Julien Ferent
- Montréal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM); Montréal Quebec Canada
| | - Qingyu Li
- Department of Medical Neuroscience; Dalhousie University; Halifax Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Mingwei Liu
- Department of Medical Neuroscience; Dalhousie University; Halifax Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Ronan Vinicius Da Silva
- Montréal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM); Montréal Quebec Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience; McGill University; Montréal Quebec Canada
| | | | - Artur Kania
- Montréal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM); Montréal Quebec Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience; McGill University; Montréal Quebec Canada
- Department of Medicine; University of Montréal; Montréal Quebec Canada
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Medical Neuroscience; Dalhousie University; Halifax Nova Scotia Canada
| | - Frédéric Charron
- Montréal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM); Montréal Quebec Canada
- Department of Biology; McGill University; Montréal Quebec Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience; McGill University; Montréal Quebec Canada
- Department of Medicine; University of Montréal; Montréal Quebec Canada
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27
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da Silva RV, Johannssen HC, Wyss MT, Roome RB, Bourojeni FB, Stifani N, Marsh AP, Ryan MM, Lockhart PJ, Leventer RJ, Richards LJ, Rosenblatt B, Srour M, Weber B, Zeilhofer HU, Kania A. DCC Is Required for the Development of Nociceptive Topognosis in Mice and Humans. Cell Rep 2018; 22:1105-1114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/29/2017] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
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28
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Acetaminophen Relieves Inflammatory Pain through CB 1 Cannabinoid Receptors in the Rostral Ventromedial Medulla. J Neurosci 2017; 38:322-334. [PMID: 29167401 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1945-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Revised: 10/27/2017] [Accepted: 11/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Acetaminophen (paracetamol) is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic drug with only incompletely understood mechanisms of action. Previous work, using models of acute nociceptive pain, indicated that analgesia by acetaminophen involves an indirect activation of CB1 receptors by the acetaminophen metabolite and endocannabinoid reuptake inhibitor AM 404. However, the contribution of the cannabinoid system to antihyperalgesia against inflammatory pain, the main indication of acetaminophen, and the precise site of the relevant CB1 receptors have remained elusive. Here, we analyzed acetaminophen analgesia in mice of either sex with inflammatory pain and found that acetaminophen exerted a dose-dependent antihyperalgesic action, which was mimicked by intrathecally injected AM 404. Both compounds lost their antihyperalgesic activity in CB1-/- mice, confirming the involvement of the cannabinoid system. Consistent with a mechanism downstream of proinflammatory prostaglandin formation, acetaminophen also reversed hyperalgesia induced by intrathecal prostaglandin E2 To distinguish between a peripheral/spinal and a supraspinal action, we administered acetaminophen and AM 404 to hoxB8-CB1-/- mice, which lack CB1 receptors from the peripheral nervous system and the spinal cord. These mice exhibited unchanged antihyperalgesia indicating a supraspinal site of action. Accordingly, local injection of the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant into the rostral ventromedial medulla blocked acetaminophen-induced antihyperalgesia, while local rostral ventromedial medulla injection of AM 404 reduced hyperalgesia in wild-type mice but not in CB1-/- mice. Our results indicate that the cannabinoid system contributes not only to acetaminophen analgesia against acute pain but also against inflammatory pain, and suggest that the relevant CB1 receptors reside in the rostral ventromedial medulla.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Acetaminophen is a widely used analgesic drug with multiple but only incompletely understood mechanisms of action, including a facilitation of endogenous cannabinoid signaling via one of its metabolites. Our present data indicate that enhanced cannabinoid signaling is also responsible for the analgesic effects of acetaminophen against inflammatory pain. Local injections of the acetaminophen metabolite AM 404 and of cannabinoid receptor antagonists as well as data from tissue-specific CB1 receptor-deficient mice suggest the rostral ventromedial medulla as an important site of the cannabinoid-mediated analgesia by acetaminophen.
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29
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Calpain-Dependent Degradation of Nucleoporins Contributes to Motor Neuron Death in a Mouse Model of Chronic Excitotoxicity. J Neurosci 2017; 37:8830-8844. [PMID: 28821644 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0730-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity induces neuronal death by altering various intracellular signaling pathways and is implicated as a common pathogenic pathway in many neurodegenerative diseases. In the case of motor neuron disease, there is significant evidence to suggest that the overactivation of AMPA receptors due to deficiencies in the expression and function of glial glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST plays an important role in the mechanisms of neuronal death. However, a causal role for glial glutamate transporter dysfunction in motor neuron death remains unknown. Here, we developed a new animal model of excitotoxicity by conditionally deleting astroglial glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST in the spinal cords of mice (GLAST+/-/GLT1-cKO). GLAST+/-/GLT1-cKO mice (both sexes) exhibited nuclear irregularity and calpain-mediated degradation of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are responsible for nucleocytoplasmic transport. These abnormalities were associated with progressive motor neuron loss, severe paralysis, and shortened lifespan. The nuclear export inhibitor KPT-350 slowed but did not prevent motor neuron death, whereas long-term treatment of the AMPA receptor antagonist perampanel and the calpain inhibitor SNJ-1945 had more persistent beneficial effects. Thus, NPC degradation contributes to AMPA receptor-mediated excitotoxic motor neuronal death, and preventing NPC degradation has robust protective effects. Normalization of NPC function could be a novel therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative disorders in which AMPA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity is a contributory factor.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite glial glutamate transporter dysfunction leading to excitotoxicity has been documented in many neurological diseases, it remains unclear whether its dysfunction is a primary cause or secondary outcome of neuronal death at disease state. Here we show the combined loss of glial glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST in spinal cord caused motor neuronal death and hindlimb paralysis. Further, our novel mutant exhibits the nuclear irregularities and calpain-mediated progressive nuclear pore complex degradation. Our study reveals that glial glutamate transporter dysfunction is sufficient to cause motor neuronal death in vivo.
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30
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Katori S, Noguchi-Katori Y, Itohara S, Iwasato T. Spinal RacGAP α-Chimaerin Is Required to Establish the Midline Barrier for Proper Corticospinal Axon Guidance. J Neurosci 2017; 37:7682-7699. [PMID: 28747385 PMCID: PMC6596649 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3123-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the developing CNS, the midline barrier, which comprises guidance molecule-expressing midline glial somata and processes, plays a pivotal role in midline axon guidance. Accumulating evidence has revealed the molecular mechanisms by which the midline barrier ensures proper midline guidance for axons. In contrast, the mechanisms for establishing the midline barrier remain obscure. Here, we report that Rac-specific GTPase-activating protein (RacGAP) α-chimaerin is required for both axonal repulsion at and establishment of the midline barrier in the spinal cord. We generated cortex-specific and spinal-cord-specific α-chimaerin gene (Chn1) knock-out mice (Cx-Chn1KO and Sp-Chn1KO mice, respectively) and found that both showed aberrant corticospinal tract (CST) axon midline crossing in the spinal cord. Strikingly, Sp-Chn1KO mice had breaks (holes) in the ephrinB3(+) spinal midline barrier and EphA4(+) CST axons aberrantly crossed the midline through these holes. During normal embryonic development, EphA4(+) spinal cells are located in juxta-midline areas but are excluded from the midline. In contrast, in Chn1KO embryos, several EphA4(+) cells were aberrantly relocated into the midline and the midline barrier was broken around these cells. Similarly, the spinal cord midline of Epha4KO mice was invaded by juxta-midline EphA4 cells (i.e., Epha4 promoter-active cells) during the embryonic stage and holes were formed in the midline barrier. Juxta-midline EphA4 cells in the spinal cord expressed α-chimaerin. We propose that spinal α-chimaerin aids in establishing an intact spinal midline barrier by mediating juxta-midline EphA4(+) cell repulsion, thus preventing these cells from breaking into the ephrinB3(+) midline barrier.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The midline barrier plays a critical role in midline axon guidance, which is fundamental to the formation of neural circuits that are responsible for proper left-right coordination of the body. Studies have revealed some of the mechanisms underlying how the midline barrier navigates axons. In contrast, the establishment of the midline barrier during embryonic development remains unclear. In this study, we determined that α-chimaerin is required for the formation of an intact midline barrier. Spinal-cord-specific α-chimaerin knock-out mice had spinal midline barriers with numerous breaks (holes), through which corticospinal axons aberrantly crossed the midline. We propose that α-chimaerin protects the midline barrier by mediating cell-repulsive signaling in juxta-midline cells, which prevents these cells from invading the midline.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shota Katori
- Division of Neurogenetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Yukiko Noguchi-Katori
- Division of Neurogenetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Shigeyoshi Itohara
- Laboratory for Behavioral Genetics, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan, and
| | - Takuji Iwasato
- Division of Neurogenetics, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan,
- Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
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Tetrahelical structural family adopted by AGCGA-rich regulatory DNA regions. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15355. [PMID: 28513602 PMCID: PMC5442326 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we describe AGCGA-quadruplexes, an unexpected addition to the well-known tetrahelical families, G-quadruplexes and i-motifs, that have been a focus of intense research due to their potential biological impact in G- and C-rich DNA regions, respectively. High-resolution structures determined by solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy demonstrate that AGCGA-quadruplexes comprise four 5′-AGCGA-3′ tracts and are stabilized by G-A and G-C base pairs forming GAGA- and GCGC-quartets, respectively. Residues in the core of the structure are connected with edge-type loops. Sequences of alternating 5′-AGCGA-3′ and 5′-GGG-3′ repeats could be expected to form G-quadruplexes, but are shown herein to form AGCGA-quadruplexes instead. Unique structural features of AGCGA-quadruplexes together with lower sensitivity to cation and pH variation imply their potential biological relevance in regulatory regions of genes responsible for basic cellular processes that are related to neurological disorders, cancer and abnormalities in bone and cartilage development. DNA tetrahelical structures such as G-quadruplexes are known to play important roles in DNA replication and repair. Here the authors present the structure of 5′-AGCGA-3′-quadruplexes enriched in genetic regulatory regions.
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Peirs C, Williams SPG, Zhao X, Walsh CE, Gedeon JY, Cagle NE, Goldring AC, Hioki H, Liu Z, Marell PS, Seal RP. Dorsal Horn Circuits for Persistent Mechanical Pain. Neuron 2015; 87:797-812. [PMID: 26291162 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 223] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2015] [Revised: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Persistent mechanical hypersensitivity that occurs in the setting of injury or disease remains a major clinical problem largely because the underlying neural circuitry is still not known. Here we report the functional identification of key components of the elusive dorsal horn circuit for mechanical allodynia. We show that the transient expression of VGLUT3 by a discrete population of neurons in the deep dorsal horn is required for mechanical pain and that activation of the cells in the adult conveys mechanical hypersensitivity. The cells, which receive direct low threshold input, point to a novel location for circuit initiation. Subsequent analysis of c-Fos reveals the circuit extends dorsally to nociceptive lamina I projection neurons, and includes lamina II calretinin neurons, which we show also convey mechanical allodynia. Lastly, using inflammatory and neuropathic pain models, we show that multiple microcircuits in the dorsal horn encode this form of pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Peirs
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Sean-Paul G Williams
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Xinyi Zhao
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Tsinghua M.D. Program, Tsinghua University School of Medicine, 30 Shuang Qing Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Claire E Walsh
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Jeremy Y Gedeon
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Natalie E Cagle
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Adam C Goldring
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Hioki
- Department of Morphological Brain Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Zheng Liu
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Paulina S Marell
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Rebecca P Seal
- Departments of Neurobiology and Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Center for Pain Research, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
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Woo SH, Lukacs V, de Nooij JC, Zaytseva D, Criddle CR, Francisco A, Jessell TM, Wilkinson KA, Patapoutian A. Piezo2 is the principal mechanotransduction channel for proprioception. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1756-62. [PMID: 26551544 PMCID: PMC4661126 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 358] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Proprioception, the perception of body and limb position, is mediated by proprioceptors, specialized mechanosensory neurons that convey information about the stretch and tension experienced by muscles, tendons, skin and joints. In mammals, the molecular identity of the stretch-sensitive channel that mediates proprioception is unknown. We found that the mechanically activated nonselective cation channel Piezo2 was expressed in sensory endings of proprioceptors innervating muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs in mice. Two independent mouse lines that lack Piezo2 in proprioceptive neurons showed severely uncoordinated body movements and abnormal limb positions. Moreover, the mechanosensitivity of parvalbumin-expressing neurons that predominantly mark proprioceptors was dependent on Piezo2 expression in vitro, and the stretch-induced firing of proprioceptors in muscle-nerve recordings was markedly reduced in Piezo2-deficient mice. Together, our results indicate that Piezo2 is the major mechanotransducer of mammalian proprioceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung-Hyun Woo
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Viktor Lukacs
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Joriene C de Nooij
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dasha Zaytseva
- Department of Biological Sciences, San José State University, San Jose, California, USA
| | - Connor R Criddle
- Department of Biological Sciences, San José State University, San Jose, California, USA
| | - Allain Francisco
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Thomas M Jessell
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Katherine A Wilkinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, San José State University, San Jose, California, USA
| | - Ardem Patapoutian
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
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Hoxb8 intersection defines a role for Lmx1b in excitatory dorsal horn neuron development, spinofugal connectivity, and nociception. J Neurosci 2015; 35:5233-46. [PMID: 25834049 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4690-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord neurons respond to peripheral noxious stimuli and relay this information to higher brain centers, but the molecules controlling the assembly of such pathways are poorly known. In this study, we use the intersection of Lmx1b and Hoxb8::Cre expression in the spinal cord to genetically define nociceptive circuits. Specifically, we show that Lmx1b, previously shown to be expressed in glutamatergic dorsal horn neurons and critical for dorsal horn development, is expressed in nociceptive dorsal horn neurons and that its deletion results in the specific loss of excitatory dorsal horn neurons by apoptosis, without any effect on inhibitory neuron numbers. To assess the behavioral consequences of Lmx1b deletion in the spinal cord, we used the brain-sparing driver Hoxb8::Cre. We show that such a deletion of Lmxb1 leads to a robust reduction in sensitivity to mechanical and thermal noxious stimulation. Furthermore, such conditional mutant mice show a loss of a subpopulation of glutamatergic dorsal horn neurons, abnormal sensory afferent innervations, and reduced spinofugal innervation of the parabrachial nucleus and the periaqueductal gray, important nociceptive structures. Together, our results demonstrate an important role for the intersection of Lmx1b and Hoxb8::cre expression in the development of nociceptive dorsal horn circuits critical for mechanical and thermal pain processing.
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Spinal glutamatergic neurons defined by EphA4 signaling are essential components of normal locomotor circuits. J Neurosci 2014; 34:3841-53. [PMID: 24623763 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4992-13.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
EphA4 signaling is essential for the spatiotemporal organization of neuronal circuit formation. In mice, deletion of this signaling pathway causes aberrant midline crossing of axons from both brain and spinal neurons and the complete knock-outs (KOs) exhibit a pronounced change in motor behavior, where alternating gaits are replaced by a rabbit-like hopping gait. The neuronal mechanism that is responsible for the gait switch in these KO mice is not known. Here, using intersectional genetics, we demonstrate that a spinal cord-specific deletion of EphA4 signaling is sufficient to generate the overground hopping gait. In contrast, selective deletion of EphA4 signaling in forebrain neurons, including the corticospinal tract neurons, did not result in a change in locomotor pattern. The gait switch was attributed to the loss of EphA4 signaling in excitatory Vglut2+ neurons, which is accompanied by an increased midline crossing of Vglut2+ neurons in the ventral spinal cord. Our findings functionally define spinal EphA4 signaling in excitatory Vglut2+ neurons as required for proper organization of the spinal locomotor circuitry, and place these cells as essential components of the mammalian locomotor network.
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Antihyperalgesia by α2-GABAA receptors occurs via a genuine spinal action and does not involve supraspinal sites. Neuropsychopharmacology 2014; 39:477-87. [PMID: 24045508 PMCID: PMC3870792 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2013.221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2013] [Revised: 08/08/2013] [Accepted: 08/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Drugs that enhance GABAergic inhibition alleviate inflammatory and neuropathic pain after spinal application. This antihyperalgesia occurs mainly through GABAA receptors (GABAARs) containing α2 subunits (α2-GABAARs). Previous work indicates that potentiation of these receptors in the spinal cord evokes profound antihyperalgesia also after systemic administration, but possible synergistic or antagonistic actions of supraspinal α2-GABAARs on spinal antihyperalgesia have not yet been addressed. Here we generated two lines of GABAAR-mutated mice, which either lack α2-GABAARs specifically from the spinal cord, or, which express only benzodiazepine-insensitive α2-GABAARs at this site. We analyzed the consequences of these mutations for antihyperalgesia evoked by systemic treatment with the novel non-sedative benzodiazepine site agonist HZ166 in neuropathic and inflammatory pain. Wild-type mice and both types of mutated mice had similar baseline nociceptive sensitivities and developed similar hyperalgesia. However, antihyperalgesia by systemic HZ166 was reduced in both mutated mouse lines by about 60% and was virtually indistinguishable from that of global point-mutated mice, in which all α2-GABAARs were benzodiazepine insensitive. The major (α2-dependent) component of GABAAR-mediated antihyperalgesia was therefore exclusively of spinal origin, whereas supraspinal α2-GABAARs had neither synergistic nor antagonistic effects on antihyperalgesia. Our results thus indicate that drugs that specifically target α2-GABAARs exert their antihyperalgesic effect through enhanced spinal nociceptive control. Such drugs may therefore be well-suited for the systemic treatment of different chronic pain conditions.
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Dual-mode operation of neuronal networks involved in left–right alternation. Nature 2013; 500:85-8. [DOI: 10.1038/nature12286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2012] [Accepted: 05/13/2013] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Genome-wide expression analysis of Ptf1a- and Ascl1-deficient mice reveals new markers for distinct dorsal horn interneuron populations contributing to nociceptive reflex plasticity. J Neurosci 2013; 33:7299-307. [PMID: 23616538 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0491-13.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibitory interneurons of the spinal dorsal horn play critical roles in the processing of noxious and innocuous sensory information. They form a family of morphologically and functionally diverse neurons that likely fall into distinct subtypes. Traditional classifications rely mainly on differences in dendritic tree morphology and firing patterns. Although useful, these markers are not comprehensive and cannot be used to drive specific genetic manipulations targeted at defined subsets of neurons. Here, we have used genome-wide expression profiling of spinal dorsal horns of wild-type mice and of two strains of transcription factor-deficient mice (Ptf1a(-/-) and Ascl1/Mash1(-/-) mice) to identify new genetic markers for specific subsets of dorsal horn inhibitory interneurons. Ptf1a(-/-) mice lack all inhibitory interneurons in the dorsal horn, whereas only the late-born inhibitory interneurons are missing in Ascl1(-/-) mice. We found 30 genes that were significantly downregulated in the dorsal horn of Ptf1a(-/-) mice. Twenty-one of those also showed reduced expression in Ascl1(-/-) mice. In situ hybridization analyses of all 30 genes identified four genes with primarily non-overlapping expression patterns in the dorsal horn. Three genes, pDyn coding the neuropeptide dynorphin, Kcnip2 encoding a potassium channel associated protein, and the nuclear receptor encoding gene Rorb, were expressed in Ascl1-dependent subpopulations of the superficial dorsal horn. The fourth gene, Tfap2b, encoding a transcription factor, is expressed mainly in a Ascl1-independent subpopulation of the deep dorsal horn. Functional experiments in isolated spinal cords showed that the Ascl1-dependent inhibitory interneurons are key players of nociceptive reflex plasticity.
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