Electrophysiology of corneal cold receptor nerve terminals

Imaging activation of peptidergic spinal afferent varicosities within visceral organs using novel CGRPα-mCherry reporter mice

In vertebrates, visceral pain from internal organs is detected by spinal afferents, whose cell bodies lie in dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Until now, all recordings from spinal afferents have been restricted to recording transmission of action potentials along axons, or from cell bodies lying outside their target organ, which is not where sensory transduction occurs. Our aim was to record directly from a major class of spinal afferent within visceral organs, where transduction of sensory stimuli into action potentials occurs. Using novel calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)α reporter mice, DRG neurons expressed mCherry, including nerve axons within viscera. In colon, a minority of total CGRP immunoreactivity was attributed CGRPα. In isolated unstretched colon, calcium imaging from CGRPα-expressing varicose axons did not detect resolvable calcium transients. However, noxious levels of maintained circumferential stretch to the colon induced repetitive calcium transients simultaneously in multiple neighboring varicosities along single mCherry-expressing axons. Discrete varicosities could generate unitary calcium transients independently of neighboring varicosities. However, axons expressing mCherry only generated coordinated calcium transients when accompanied by simultaneous activation of multiple varicosities along that axon. Simultaneous imaging from different classes of myenteric neurons at the same time as mCherry-expressing axons revealed coordinated calcium transients in multiple myenteric neurons, independent of activity in mCherry-expressing axons. CGRPα-expressing axon terminals preferentially responded to heat, capsaicin, and low pH. We show that direct recordings can be made from the major class of peptidergic spinal afferent that contributes to visceral nociception. This approach can provide powerful insights into transduction of stimuli in viscera.

Imaging stretch-activated firing of spinal afferent nerve endings in mouse colon

Spinal afferent neurons play a major role in detecting noxious and innocuous stimuli from visceral organs, such as the gastrointestinal tract. However, all our understanding about spinal afferents has been obtained from recordings of spinal afferent axons, or cell bodies that lie outside the gut wall, or peripheral organ they innervate. No recordings have been made directly from spinal afferent nerve endings, which is where sensory transduction occurs. We developed a preparation whereby recordings could be made from rectal afferent nerve endings in the colon, to characterize mechanisms underlying sensory transduction. Dorsal root ganglia (L6-S2) were removed from mice, whilst retaining neural continuity with the colon. Fluo-4-AM was used to record from rectal afferent nerve endings in myenteric ganglia and circular muscle at 36°C. In slack (unstretched) preparations of colon, no calcium transients were recorded from spinal afferent endings. However, in response to a maintained increase in circumferential diameter, a maintained discharge of calcium transients occurred simultaneously in multiple discrete varicosities along single axons of rectal afferents in myenteric ganglia and circular muscle. Stretch-activated calcium transients were resistant to hexamethonium and nifedipine, but were abolished by tetrodotoxin, CPA, BAPTA-AM, cobalt, gadolinium, or replacement of extracellular Na(+) with NMDG. In summary, we present a novel preparation in which stretch-activated firing of spinal afferent nerve endings can be recorded, using calcium imaging. We show that circumferential stretch of the colon activates a maintained discharge of calcium transients simultaneously in varicosities along single rectal afferent endings in myenteric ganglia and circular muscle. Non-selective cation channels, TTX-sensitive Na(+) channels and both extracellular calcium influx and intracellular Ca(2+) stores are required for stretch-activated calcium transients in rectal afferent endings.

The role of corneal afferent neurons in regulating tears under normal and dry eye conditions

The cornea is one of several orofacial structures requiring glandular secretion for proper lubrication. Glandular secretion is regulated through a neural reflex initiated by trigeminal primary afferent neurons innervating the corneal epithelium. Corneal sensory afferents must respond to irritating and potentially damaging stimuli, as well as drying that occurs with evaporation of the tear film, and the physiological properties of corneal afferents are consistent with these requirements. Polymodal neurons are sensitive to noxious mechanical, thermal and chemical stimuli, mechanoreceptive neurons are selectively activated by mechanical stimuli, and cool cells respond to innocuous cooling. The central terminations of corneal primary afferents are located within two regions of the spinal trigeminal nucleus. The more rostral region, located at the transition between the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis and interpolaris, represents a critical relay for the regulation of the lacrimation reflex. From this region, major control of lacrimation is carried through projections to preganglionic parasympathetic neurons located in or around the superior salivatory nucleus. Dry eye syndrome may be caused by a dysfunction in the tear secreting glands themselves or in the neuronal circuit regulating these glands. Furthermore, the dry eye condition itself may modify the properties of corneal afferents and affect their ability to regulate secretion, a possibility just now being explored.

Phenotyping sensory nerve endings in vitro in the mouse

This protocol details methods to identify and record from cutaneous primary afferent axons in an isolated mammalian skin-saphenous nerve preparation. The method is based on extracellular recordings of propagated action potentials from single-fiber receptive fields. Cutaneous nerve endings show graded sensitivities to various stimulus modalities that are quantified by adequate and controlled stimulation of the superfused skin with heat, cold, touch, constant punctate pressure or chemicals. Responses recorded from single-fibers are comparable with those obtained in previous in vivo experiments on the same species. We describe the components and the setting-up of the basic equipment of a skin-nerve recording station (few days), the preparation of the skin and the adherent saphenous nerve in the mouse (15-45 min) and the isolation and recording of neurons (approximately 1-3 h per recording). In addition, stimulation techniques, protocols to achieve single-fiber recordings, issues of data acquisition and action potential discrimination are discussed in detail.