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Hara T, Hasegawa S, Iwatani Y, Nishino AS. The trunk-tail junctional region in Ciona larvae autonomously expresses tail-beating bursts at ∼20 second intervals. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:275646. [PMID: 35678124 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Swimming locomotion in aquatic vertebrates, such as fish and tadpoles, is expressed through neuron networks in the spinal cord. These networks are arranged in parallel, ubiquitously distributed and mutually coupled along the spinal cord to express undulation patterns accommodated to various inputs into the networks. While these systems have been widely studied in vertebrate swimmers, their evolutionary origin along the chordate phylogeny remains unclear. Ascidians, representing a sister group of vertebrates, give rise to tadpole larvae that swim freely in seawater. In the present study, we examined the locomotor ability of the anterior and posterior body fragments of larvae of the ascidian Ciona that had been cut at an arbitrary position. Examination of more than 200 fragments revealed a necessary and sufficient body region that spanned only ∼10% of the body length and included the trunk-tail junction. 'Mid-piece' body fragments, which included the trunk-tail junctional region, but excluded most of the anterior trunk and posterior tail, autonomously expressed periodic tail-beating bursts at ∼20 s intervals. We compared the durations and intervals of tail-beating bursts expressed by mid-piece fragments, and also by whole larvae under different sensory conditions. The results suggest that body parts outside the mid-piece effect shortening of swimming intervals, particularly in the dark, and vary the burst duration. We propose that Ciona larvae express swimming behaviors by modifying autonomous and periodic locomotor drives that operate locally in the trunk-tail junctional region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Hara
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki 036-8561, Japan
| | - Shuya Hasegawa
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki 036-8561, Japan
| | - Yasushi Iwatani
- Department of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki 036-8561, Japan
| | - Atsuo S Nishino
- Department of Biology, Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki 036-8561, Japan.,Department of Bioresources Science, United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences, Iwate University, Hirosaki 036-8561, Japan
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Echevarria-Cooper DM, Hawkins NA, Misra SN, Huffman AM, Thaxton T, Thompson CH, Ben-Shalom R, Nelson AD, Lipkin AM, George AL, Bender KJ, Kearney JA. Cellular and behavioral effects of altered NaV1.2 sodium channel ion permeability in Scn2aK1422E mice. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:2964-2988. [PMID: 35417922 PMCID: PMC9433730 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variants in SCN2A, encoding the NaV1.2 voltage-gated sodium channel, are associated with a range of neurodevelopmental disorders with overlapping phenotypes. Some variants fit into a framework wherein gain-of-function missense variants that increase neuronal excitability lead to developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, while loss-of-function variants that reduce neuronal excitability lead to intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with or without co-morbid seizures. One unique case less easily classified using this framework is the de novo missense variant SCN2A-p.K1422E, associated with infant-onset developmental delay, infantile spasms and features of ASD. Prior structure–function studies demonstrated that K1422E substitution alters ion selectivity of NaV1.2, conferring Ca2+ permeability, lowering overall conductance and conferring resistance to tetrodotoxin (TTX). Based on heterologous expression of K1422E, we developed a compartmental neuron model incorporating variant channels that predicted reductions in peak action potential (AP) speed. We generated Scn2aK1422E mice and characterized effects on neurons and neurological/neurobehavioral phenotypes. Cultured cortical neurons from heterozygous Scn2aK1422E/+ mice exhibited lower current density with a TTX-resistant component and reversal potential consistent with mixed ion permeation. Recordings from Scn2aK1442E/+ cortical slices demonstrated impaired AP initiation and larger Ca2+ transients at the axon initial segment during the rising phase of the AP, suggesting complex effects on channel function. Scn2aK1422E/+ mice exhibited rare spontaneous seizures, interictal electroencephalogram abnormalities, altered induced seizure thresholds, reduced anxiety-like behavior and alterations in olfactory-guided social behavior. Overall, Scn2aK1422E/+ mice present with phenotypes similar yet distinct from other Scn2a models, consistent with complex effects of K1422E on NaV1.2 channel function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis M Echevarria-Cooper
- Departments of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611.,Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA, 60611
| | - Nicole A Hawkins
- Departments of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611
| | - Sunita N Misra
- Departments of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611.,Departments of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611.,Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA 60611
| | - Alexandra M Huffman
- Departments of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611
| | - Tyler Thaxton
- Departments of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611
| | - Christopher H Thompson
- Departments of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611
| | - Roy Ben-Shalom
- Mind Institute and Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, United States 95817
| | - Andrew D Nelson
- Department of Neurology, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA 94158
| | - Anna M Lipkin
- Department of Neurology, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA 94158.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA 94158
| | - Alfred L George
- Departments of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611.,Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA, 60611
| | - Kevin J Bender
- Department of Neurology, Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA 94158
| | - Jennifer A Kearney
- Departments of Pharmacology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Chicago, IL, USA 60611.,Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA, 60611
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