Metabotropic glutamate autoreceptors on nerve terminals of crayfish muscle depress or facilitate release

De novo assembly of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium carcinus brain transcriptome for identification of potential targets for antibody development

Crustaceans are major constituents of aquatic ecosystems and, as such, changes in their behavior and the structure and function of their bodies can serve as indicators of alterations in their immediate environment, such as those associated with climate change and anthropogenic contamination. We have used bioinformatics and a de novo transcriptome assembly approach to identify potential targets for developing specific antibodies to serve as nervous system function markers for freshwater prawns of the Macrobrachium spp. Total RNA was extracted from brain ganglia of Macrobrachium carcinus freshwater prawns and Illumina Next Generation Sequencing was performed using an Eel Pond mRNA Seq Protocol to construct a de novo transcriptome. Sequencing yielded 97,202,662 sequences: 47,630,546 paired and 1,941,570 singletons. Assembly with Trinity resulted in 197,898 assembled contigs from which 30,576 were annotated: 9,600 by orthology, 17,197 by homology, and 3,779 by transcript families. We looked for glutamate receptors contigs, due to their main role in crustacean excitatory neurotransmission, and found 138 contigs related to ionotropic receptors, 32 related to metabotropic receptors, and 18 to unidentified receptors. After performing multiple sequence alignments within different biological organisms and antigenicity analysis, we were able to develop antibodies for prawn AMPA ionotropic glutamate receptor 1, metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 and 4, and ionotropic NMDA glutamate receptor subunit 2B, with the expectation that the availability of these antibodies will help broaden knowledge regarding the underlying structural and functional mechanisms involved in prawn behavioral responses to environmental impacts. The Macrobrachium carcinus brain transcriptome can be an important tool for examining changes in many other nervous system molecules as a function of developmental stages, or in response to particular conditions or treatments.

Spatial variation in membrane excitability modulated by 4-AP-sensitive K+ channels in the axons of the crayfish neuromuscular junction

Current-clamp recordings were made from the primary (1°) and secondary (2°) branching points (BPs) of axons at the crayfish neuromuscular junction. Action potential (AP) firing initiated by current injected at the 2° BP showed strong adaptation or high-frequency firing at threshold current, whereas AP firing frequency at the 1° BP exhibited a gradual rise with increasing current amplitude. The voltage threshold for AP (V(TH)) was higher at the 2° BP than the 1° BP. 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP) at 200 μM increased AP amplitude and duration at both BPs but reduced threshold current at the 2° BP more than at the 1° BP. This blocker lowered V(TH) at both BPs, but the difference between the BPs remained. Firing patterns evoked at the 2° BP became similar to those evoked at the 1° BP in 4-AP. Thus 4-AP-sensitive channels may be more concentrated in the distal axon and control AP initiation and firing patterns there. Orthodromic APs between the two BPs were also compared. There was no difference in AP amplitude between the two BPs, but AP half-width recorded at the 2° BP was longer than that at the 1° BP. AP duration at both BPs increased gradually, by ∼17%, during a 100-Hz, 500-ms train (in-train rise). Normalized AP half-widths revealed a smaller fractional in-train rise at the 2° BP. Thus, although distal APs were broader, AP duration there was under more stringent control than that of the proximal axon. 4-AP increased AP amplitude and duration of the entire orthodromic train and reduced the magnitude of the in-train rise in AP half-width at both BPs. However, this blocker did not uncover a clear difference between the two BPs. Thus 4-AP-sensitive channels concentrated in distal axon may be essential in preventing unintended firing and modulating AP waveform without interfering with orthodromic AP propagation.

Furthering pharmacological and physiological assessment of the glutamatergic receptors at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction

Drosophila melanogaster larval neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) serve as a model for synaptic physiology. The molecular sequences of the postsynaptic glutamate receptors have been described; however, the pharmacological profile has not been fully elucidated. The postsynaptic molecular sequence suggests a novel glutamate receptor subtype. Kainate does not depolarize the muscle, but dampens evoked EPSP amplitudes. Quantal responses show a decreased amplitude and area under the voltage curve indicative of reduced postsynaptic receptor sensitivity to glutamate transmission. ATPA, a kainate receptor agonist, did not mimic kainate's action. The metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist t-ACPD had no effect. Domoic acid, a kainate/AMPA receptor agonist, blocks the postsynaptic receptors without depolarizing the muscle. However, SYM 2081, a kainate receptor agonist, did depolarize the muscle and reduce the EPSP amplitude at 1 mM but not at 0.1 mM. This supports the notion that these are generally a quisqualate subtype receptors with some oddities in the pharmacological profile. The results suggest a direct postsynaptic action of kainate due to partial antagonist action on the quisqualate receptors. There does not appear to be presynaptic auto-regulation via a kainate receptor subtype or a metabotropic auto-receptor. This study aids in furthering the pharmokinetic profiling and specificity of the receptor subtypes.

Memory is not extinguished along with CS presentation but within a few seconds after CS-offset

Prior work with the crab's contextual memory model showed that CS-US conditioned animals undergoing an unreinforced CS presentation would either reconsolidate or extinguish the CS-US memory, depending on the length of the reexposure to the CS. Either memory process is only triggered once the CS is terminated. Based on these results, the following questions are raised. First, when is extinction memory acquired, if not along extinction training, and how long does it take? Second, can acquisition and consolidation of extinction memory be pharmacologically dissected? Here we address these questions performing three series of experiments: a first one aimed to study systematically the relationship between extinction and increasing periods of unreinforced CS presentations, a second one to determine the time boundaries of the extinction memory acquisition, and the third one to assay the requirement for protein synthesis and NMDA-like receptors of acquisition and consolidation of extinction memory. Our results confirm that it is CS-offset and not the mere retrieval (CS-onset) that triggers acquisition of extinction memory and that it is completed in less than 45 sec after CS-offset. In addition, protein synthesis is required for consolidation but not for acquisition of this memory and, conversely, NMDA-like receptor activity is required for its acquisition but not for its consolidation. Finally, we offer an interpretative scheme of our results and we discuss to what extent it could apply to multitrial extinction.

Glutamatergic autoinhibition of quantal release augments the early phase of releases after a depolarization pulse

At the crayfish neuromuscular junction, glutamatergic autoinhibition of quantal excitatory postsynaptic current (qEPSC) release is mediated by a presynaptic DL-glutamate transporter and its associated Cl- conductance. I investigated whether it also affects the time course of release. qEPSCs were recorded with a perfused macroelectrode through which depolarization pulses and D- or L-glutamate could be applied to a terminal. In order to represent the time course of release, cumulative delays of qEPSCs were determined and scaled to a common final value. At 10 degrees C, on the application of D- or L-glutamate, release increased relative to the controls especially during its first millisecond, taking the mean of 20 experiments (P < 0.01). Also, in many single experiments the respective shifts in the time courses of release were highly significant. The relative surplus of early releases decreased with time constants tau1 of 86 micros and tau2 of 0.75 ms. At 0 degrees C, in the presence of glutamate, the surplus of early delays was increased relative to the controls to a significantly greater extent and for a longer time than at 10 degrees C. The tau1 of 240 micros was almost three times larger than at 10 degrees C. Autoinhibition was inactivated in Cl(-)-free solution. In such solutions the surplus of early releases also disappeared and the shortening of early delays reverted to a lengthening. Interaction of the inhibitory autoreceptor and its associated Cl- flow with the release machinery is discussed.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists modify the pyloric output of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion

We have studied the effects of groups I, II, and III metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonists and antagonists on pyloric activity in the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) of the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus. We have found that agonists for all three groups of mGluRs modify the pyloric output. The group I agonist, l-quisqualic acid (l-QA), activated the pyloric central pattern generator (CPG). When the pyloric rhythm was partially suppressed by sucrose-block of input fibers in the stomatogastric nerve (stn), l-QA accelerated the rhythmic activity. In addition, the number of spike discharges was increased in pyloric motoneurons: pyloric (PY), and lateral pyloric (LP). In completely blocked preparations, a slow pyloric rhythm was initiated by l-QA. Groups II and III agonists exerted an inhibitory effect on pyloric activity. The group II agonist, (2S,1'S,2'S)-2-(Carboxycyclopropyl)glycine (L-CCG-I), decreased both the frequency of the pyloric rhythm and the number of spike discharges in the motoneurons: ventricular dilator (VD), PY, and LP. The effects of L-CCG-I were dose-dependent. The group III agonist, l-(+)-2-Amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (l-AP4), slightly decreased the frequency of the pyloric rhythm and suppressed spike discharges in the VD neuron. All effects of mGluR agonists were reversible. The effect of l-QA was blocked by the broad spectrum mGluR antagonist (S)-Methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG). The inhibitory effect of L-CCG-I was prevented by MCPG and by the group II/III mGluR antagonist (RS)-alpha-Methyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine (MPPG), and was partially blocked by the group II mGluR antagonist (RS)-1-amino-5-phosphonoindan-1-carboxylic acid (APICA). The inhibitory effect of l-AP4 was blocked by MPPG and partially blocked by APICA.

Both d- and l-glutamate induce transporter-mediated presynaptic autoinhibition of transmitter release

In crayfish motor nerve terminals l-glutamate (Glu) is the excitatory transmitter and low l-Glu concentrations exert autoinhibition by inhibiting release of Glu quanta from the terminals. This autoinhibition has been shown to be mediated by binding and transport of l-Glu by Glu transporters in the presynaptic membrane. Activated transporters open an associated Cl(-) channel and inhibit release [J. Dudel & M. Schramm (2003) Eur. J. Neurosci., 18, 902-910]. The excitatory, glutamatergic synaptic transmission is specific for the l-Glu isomer. However, transporters are non-selective for the stereoisomers. It is shown here that low concentrations (5 micro m) of d- as well as l-Glu inhibit quantal release on average to 55 and 68%, respectively. The power of inhibition varies widely at different terminals but the local sensitivity to d-Glu is seen to be the same as that for l-Glu. l-Glutamate has been reported to reduce the mean amplitude of nerve terminal action currents (excitatory nerve terminal currents) by about 10%, presumably due to the opening of Cl(-) channels. Evidence is given that d-Glu also inhibits this by an average of 10% (P < 0.001), as expected if both l- and d-Glu activate a transporter-associated Cl(-) conductance. The results give further support for this novel mechanism of regulation of synaptic strength.

A receptor for presynaptic glutamatergic autoinhibition is a glutamate transporter

Monoquantal excitatory postsynaptic currents were recorded by means of a perfused macropatch electrode from 9 to 15 micro m stretches of crayfish neuromuscular junctions. The excitatory transmitter l-glutamate superfused to a terminal inhibits quantal release by activating autoreceptors [Parnas et al. (1996) Eur. J. Neurosci., 8, 116-126]. Substances related to glutamate that do not activate glutamatergic postsynaptic channels, but are substrates of glutamate transporters, elicited analogous inhibitions, e.g. l- and d-aspartate and some other glutamate transport blockers. As expected, all transport blockers prolonged synaptic currents. Blockers that bind to the transporter receptors but are not transported did not inhibit release, but prevented inhibition by the transport substrates. It appears that autoinhibition is elicited by transport of glutamate or its analogues. Transport into cells is powered by symport of three Na+. To block the transport step electrochemically, extracellular Na+ concentration was lowered to one-quarter, but this surprisingly left the inhibition of release by glutamate unaffected, showing inhibition to be associated to a step between binding and transport. After binding a substrate, glutamate transporters open a parallel Cl- channel. Replacement of extracellular Cl- prevented Cl- current, and release inhibition by glutamate or aspartate was blocked. It is suggested that the flow of Cl- across the cell membrane, after binding a transport substrate, mediates autoinhibition. We measured a related reduction of presynaptic action potentials.

Two related forms of memory in the crab Chasmagnathus are differentially affected by NMDA receptor antagonists

A visual danger stimulus (VDS) elicits an escape response in the crab Chasmagnathus that declines after a few iterative presentations. Long-lasting retention of such decrement, termed context-signal memory (CSM), is mediated by an association between danger stimulus and environmental cues, cycloheximide sensitive, correlated with PKA activity and NFkappa-B activation, positively modulated by angiotensins, and selectively regulated by a muscarinic-cholinergic mechanism. The present research was aimed at studying the possible involvement of NMDA-like receptors in CSM, given the role attributed to these receptors in vertebrate memory and their occurrence in invertebrates including crustaceans. Vertebrate antagonists (+/-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5) and (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine (MK-801) were used. Memory retention impairment was shown with MK-801 10(-3) M (1 microg/g) injected immediately before training or after training, or delayed 1 or 4 h, but not 6 h, posttraining. An AP5 10(-3) M dose (0.6 microg/g) impairs retention when given before but not after training. Neither antagonist produced retrieval deficit. A memory process similar to CSM but nonassociative in nature and induced by massed training (termed signal memory, SM), proved entirely insensitive to AP5 or MK-801, confirming the view that distinct mechanisms subserve these different types of memory in the crab.

Modulatory effects of nitric oxide on synaptic depression in the crayfish neuromuscular system

A characteristic physiological property of the neuromuscular junction between giant motor neurones (MoGs) and fast flexor muscles in crayfish is synaptic depression, in which repetitive electrical stimulation of the MoG results in a progressive decrease in excitatory junction potential (EJP) amplitude in flexor muscle fibres. Previous studies have demonstrated that l-arginine (l-Arg) modulates neuromuscular transmission. Since l-Arg is a precursor of nitric oxide (NO), we examined the possibility that NO may be involved in modulating neuromuscular transmission from MoGs to abdominal fast flexor muscles. The effect of a NO-generating compound, NOC7, was similar to that of l-Arg, reversibly decreasing the EJP amplitude mediated by the MoG. While NOC7 reduced the amplitude of the EJP, it induced no significant change in synaptic depression. In contrast, a scavenger of free radical NO, carboxy-PTIO, and an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, l-NAME, reversibly increased the EJP amplitude mediated by MoGs. Synaptic depression mediated by repetitive stimulation of MoGs at 1 Hz was partially blocked by bath application of l-NAME. Bath application of a NO scavenger, a NOS inhibitor and NO-generating compounds had no significant effects on the depolarisation of the muscle fibres evoked by local application of l-glutamate. The opposing effects on EJP amplitude of NOC7 and of carboxy-PTIO and l-NAME suggest that endogenous NO presynaptically modulates neuromuscular transmission and that it could play a prominent role at nerve terminals in eliciting MoG-mediated synaptic depression in the crayfish Procambarus clarkii.

Group I, II, and III mGluR compounds affect rhythm generation in the gastric circuit of the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion

We have studied the effects of group I, II, and III metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonists on rhythm generation by the gastric circuit of the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) of the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus. All mGluR agonists and some antagonists we tested in this study had clear and distinct effects on gastric rhythm generation when superfused over combined oscillating or blocked silent STG preparations. A consistent difference between group I agonists and group II and III agonists was that group I agonists acted excitatory. The group I-specific agonists L-quisqualic acid and (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine, as well as the nonspecific agonist (1S,3R)-1-aminocyclopentane-1, 3-dicarboxylic acid accelerated ongoing rhythms and could induce gastric rhythms in silent preparations. The group II agonist (2S,1'S, 2'S)-2-(carboxycyclopropyl)glycine (L-CCG-I) and the group III agonist L(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (L-AP4) slowed down or completely blocked ongoing gastric rhythms and were without detectable effect on silent preparations. The action of L-CCG-I was blocked partially by the group-II-specific antagonist, (RS)-1-amino-5-phosphonoindan-1-carboxylic acid [(RS)APICA], and the group-III-specific antagonist (RS)-alpha-methyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine completely blocked the action of L-AP4. Besides its antagonistic action, the group-II-specific antagonist (RS)APICA had a remarkably strong apparent inverse agonist action when applied alone on oscillating preparations. The action of all drugs was dose dependent and reversible, although recovery was not always complete. In our experiments, the effects of none of the mGluR-specific agonists were antagonized or amplified by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor-specific antagonist D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid, excluding the contamination of responses to mGluR agonists by nonspecific cross-reactivity with NMDA receptors. Picrotoxin did not prevent the inhibitory action of L-CCG-I and L-AP4. We conclude that mGluRs, probably similar to those belonging to groups I, II, and III described in mammals, may play a role as modulators of gastric circuit rhythm generation in vivo.