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Quintana DS, Glaser BD, Kang H, Kildal ESM, Audunsdottir K, Sartorius AM, Barth C. The interplay of oxytocin and sex hormones. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105765. [PMID: 38885888 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105765] [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: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin has historically been associated with reproduction and maternal behavior. However, more recent research has uncovered that oxytocin has a much wider range of roles in physiology and behavior. Despite the excitement surrounding potential therapeutical applications of intranasally administered oxytocin, the results of these intervention studies have been inconsistent. Various reasons for these mixed results have been proposed, which tend to focus on methodological issues, such as study design. While methodological issues are certainly important, emerging evidence suggests that the interaction between oxytocin and sex hormones may also account for these varied findings. To better understand the purpose and function of the interaction of oxytocin with sex hormones, with a focus on estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone, we conducted a comprehensive thematic review via four perspectives: evolutionary, developmental, mechanistic, and survival. Altogether, this synergistic approach highlights the critical function of sex hormone activity for accomplishing the diverse roles of oxytocin via the modulation of oxytocin release and oxytocin receptor activity, which is also likely to contribute to the heterogeneity of outcomes after oxytocin administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Quintana
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NevSom, Department of Rare Disorders, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Bernt D Glaser
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Heemin Kang
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Emilie S M Kildal
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychiatry, Lovisenberg Diakonale Sykehus, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kristin Audunsdottir
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Claudia Barth
- Department of Psychiatric Research, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway
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Vargas-Pinilla P, S Oliveira Fam B, Medina Tavares G, Lima T, Landau L, Paré P, de Cássia Aleixo Tostes R, Pissinatti A, Falótico T, Costa-Neto C, Maestri R, Bortolini MC. From molecular variations to behavioral adaptations: Unveiling adaptive epistasis in primate oxytocin system. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24947. [PMID: 38783700 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Our primary objective was to investigate the variability of oxytocin (OT) and the GAMEN binding motif within the LNPEP oxytocinase in primates. MATERIALS AND METHODS We sequenced the LNPEP segment encompassing the GAMEN motif in 34 Platyrrhini species, with 21 of them also sequenced for the OT gene. Our dataset was supplemented with primate sequences of LNPEP, OT, and the oxytocin receptor (OTR) sourced from public databases. Evolutionary analysis and coevolution predictions were made followed by the macroevolution analysis of relevant amino acids associated with phenotypic traits, such as mating systems, parental care, and litter size. To account for phylogenetic structure, we utilized two distinct statistical tests. Additionally, we calculated binding energies focusing on the interaction between Callithtrix jacchus VAMEN and Pro8OT. RESULTS We identified two novel motifs (AAMEN and VAMEN), challenging the current knowledge of motif conservation in placental mammals. Coevolution analysis demonstrated a correlation between GAMEN, AAMEN, and VAMEN and their corresponding OTs and OTRs. Callithrix jacchus exhibited a higher binding energy between VAMEN and Pro8OT than orthologous molecules found in humans (GAMEN and Leu8OT). DISCUSSION The coevolution of AAMEN and VAMEN with their corresponding OTs and OTRs suggests a functional relationship that could have contributed to specific reproductive and adaptive behaviors, including paternal care, social monogamy, and twin births, prominent traits in Cebidae species, such as marmosets and tamarins. Our findings underscore the coevolution of taxon-specific amino acids among the three studied molecules, shedding light on the oxytocinergic system as an adaptive epistatic repertoire in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Vargas-Pinilla
- Laboratory of Human and Molecular Evolution, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Bibiana S Oliveira Fam
- Laboratory of Human and Molecular Evolution, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Laboratório de Medicina Genômica, Centro de Pesquisa Experimental (CPE), Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Medina Tavares
- Laboratory of Human and Molecular Evolution, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Thaynara Lima
- Laboratory of Human and Molecular Evolution, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Luane Landau
- Laboratory of Human and Molecular Evolution, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Pâmela Paré
- Laboratory of Human and Molecular Evolution, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | | | - Tiago Falótico
- Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cláudio Costa-Neto
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Renan Maestri
- Laboratório de Ecomorfologia e Macroevolução, Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Maria Cátira Bortolini
- Laboratory of Human and Molecular Evolution, Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Goniotaki D, Tamagnini F, Biasetti L, Rumpf SL, Troakes C, Pollack SJ, Ukwesa S, Sun H, Kraev I, Serpell LC, Noble W, Staras K, Hanger DP. Tau-mediated synaptic dysfunction is coupled with HCN channelopathy. Alzheimers Dement 2024. [PMID: 38994745 DOI: 10.1002/alz.14074] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In tauopathies, altered tau processing correlates with impairments in synaptic density and function. Changes in hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels contribute to disease-associated abnormalities in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. METHODS To investigate the link between tau and HCN channels, we performed histological, biochemical, ultrastructural, and functional analyses of hippocampal tissues from Alzheimer's disease (AD), age-matched controls, Tau35 mice, and/or Tau35 primary hippocampal neurons. RESULTS Expression of specific HCN channels is elevated in post mortem AD hippocampus. Tau35 mice develop progressive abnormalities including increased phosphorylated tau, enhanced HCN channel expression, decreased dendritic branching, reduced synapse density, and vesicle clustering defects. Tau35 primary neurons show increased HCN channel expression enhanced hyperpolarization-induced membrane voltage "sag" and changes in the frequency and kinetics of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents. DISCUSSION Our findings are consistent with a model in which pathological changes in tauopathies impact HCN channels to drive network-wide structural and functional synaptic deficits. HIGHLIGHTS Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels are functionally linked to the development of tauopathy. Expression of specific HCN channels is elevated in the hippocampus in Alzheimer's disease and the Tau35 mouse model of tauopathy. Increased expression of HCN channels in Tau35 mice is accompanied by hyperpolarization-induced membrane voltage "sag" demonstrating a detrimental effect of tau abnormalities on HCN channel function. Tau35 expression alters synaptic organization, causing a loosened vesicle clustering phenotype in Tau35 mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Despoina Goniotaki
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Francesco Tamagnini
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Luca Biasetti
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Svenja-Lotta Rumpf
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Claire Troakes
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Saskia J Pollack
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Shalom Ukwesa
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Haoyue Sun
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Igor Kraev
- Electron Microscopy Suite, STEM Faculty, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
| | - Louise C Serpell
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Wendy Noble
- Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Kevin Staras
- Sussex Neuroscience, School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Diane P Hanger
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute, King's College London, London, UK
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Zhou H, Zhu R, Xia Y, Zhang X, Wang Z, Lorimer GH, Ghiladi RA, Bayram H, Wang J. Neuropeptides affecting social behavior in mammals: Oxytocin. Peptides 2024; 177:171223. [PMID: 38626843 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2024.171223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/30/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT), a neuropeptide consisting of only nine amino acids, is synthesized in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. Although OXT is best known for its role in lactation and parturition, recent research has shown that it also has a significant impact on social behaviors in mammals. However, a comprehensive review of this topic is still lacking. In this paper, we systematically reviewed the effects of OXT on social behavior in mammals. These effects of OXT from the perspective of five key behavioral dimensions were summarized: parental behavior, anxiety, aggression, attachment, and empathy. To date, researchers have agreed that OXT plays a positive regulatory role in a wide range of social behaviors, but there have been controversially reported results. In this review, we have provided a detailed panorama of the role of OXT in social behavior and, for the first time, delved into the underlying regulatory mechanisms, which may help better understand the multifaceted role of OXT. Levels of OXT in previous human studies were also summarized to provide insights for diagnosis of mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zhou
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | - Rui Zhu
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | - Yuqing Xia
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | - Xinming Zhang
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | - Zixu Wang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China
| | | | - Reza A Ghiladi
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Hasan Bayram
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul 34450, Turkey
| | - Jun Wang
- Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; International Center for Redox Biology & Precision Medicine of Hubei Province, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China; National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430068, China.
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Sajjaviriya C, Fujianti, Azuma M, Tsuchiya H, Koshimizu TA. Computer vision analysis of mother-infant interaction identified efficient pup retrieval in V1b receptor knockout mice. Peptides 2024; 177:171226. [PMID: 38649033 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2024.171226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Close contact between lactating rodent mothers and their infants is essential for effective nursing. Whether the mother's effort to retrieve the infants to their nest requires the vasopressin-signaling via V1b receptor has not been fully defined. To address this question, V1b receptor knockout (V1bKO) and control mice were analyzed in pup retrieval test. Because an exploring mother in a new test cage randomly accessed to multiple infants in changing backgrounds over time, a computer vision-based deep learning analysis was applied to continuously calculate the distances between the mother and the infants as a parameter of their relationship. In an open-field, a virgin female V1bKO mice entered fewer times into the center area and moved shorter distances than wild-type (WT). While this behavioral pattern persisted in V1bKO mother, the pup retrieval test demonstrated that total distances between a V1bKO mother and infants came closer in a shorter time than with a WT mother. Moreover, in the medial preoptic area, parts of the V1b receptor transcripts were detected in galanin- and c-fos-positive neurons following maternal stimulation by infants. This research highlights the effectiveness of deep learning analysis in evaluating the mother-infant relationship and the critical role of V1b receptor in pup retrieval during the early lactation phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chortip Sajjaviriya
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi 329-0489, Japan
| | - Fujianti
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi 329-0489, Japan
| | - Morio Azuma
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi 329-0489, Japan
| | - Hiroyoshi Tsuchiya
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi 329-0489, Japan
| | - Taka-Aki Koshimizu
- Division of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi 329-0489, Japan.
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Jarne C, Caruso M. Effect in the spectra of eigenvalues and dynamics of RNNs trained with excitatory-inhibitory constraint. Cogn Neurodyn 2024; 18:1323-1335. [PMID: 38826641 PMCID: PMC11143133 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-023-09956-w] [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: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to comprehend and enhance models that describes various brain regions it is important to study the dynamics of trained recurrent neural networks. Including Dale's law in such models usually presents several challenges. However, this is an important aspect that allows computational models to better capture the characteristics of the brain. Here we present a framework to train networks using such constraint. Then we have used it to train them in simple decision making tasks. We characterized the eigenvalue distributions of the recurrent weight matrices of such networks. Interestingly, we discovered that the non-dominant eigenvalues of the recurrent weight matrix are distributed in a circle with a radius less than 1 for those whose initial condition before training was random normal and in a ring for those whose initial condition was random orthogonal. In both cases, the radius does not depend on the fraction of excitatory and inhibitory units nor the size of the network. Diminution of the radius, compared to networks trained without the constraint, has implications on the activity and dynamics that we discussed here. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-023-09956-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Jarne
- Departmento de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Argentina
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariano Caruso
- Present Address: Fundación I+D del Software Libre–FIDESOL, Granada, Spain
- Universidad Internacional de La Rioja–UNIR, La Rioja, Spain
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Lefevre A, Meza J, Miller CT. Long-range projections of oxytocin neurons in the marmoset brain. J Neuroendocrinol 2024; 36:e13397. [PMID: 38659185 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The neurohormone oxytocin (OT) has become a major target for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder because of its integral role in governing many facets of mammalian social behavior. Whereas extensive work in rodents has produced much of our knowledge of OT, we lack basic information about its neurobiology in primates making it difficult to interpret the limited effects that OT manipulations have had in human patients. In fact, previous studies have revealed only limited OT fibers in primate brains. Here, we investigated the OT connectome in marmoset using immunohistochemistry, and mapped OT fibers throughout the brains of adult male and female marmoset monkeys. We found extensive OT projections reaching limbic and cortical areas that are involved in the regulation of social behaviors, such as the amygdala, the medial prefrontal cortex, and the basal ganglia. The pattern of OT fibers observed in marmosets is notably similar to the OT connectomes described in rodents. Our findings here contrast with previous results by demonstrating a broad distribution of OT throughout the marmoset brain. Given the prevalence of this neurohormone in the primate brain, methods developed in rodents to manipulate endogenous OT are likely to be applicable in marmosets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Lefevre
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, CNRS and University of Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Jazlynn Meza
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Cory T Miller
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Hou W, Ma H, Huang C, Li Y, Li L, Zhang L, Qu Y, Xun Y, Yang Q, He Z, Tai F. Effects of paternal deprivation on empathetic behavior and the involvement of oxytocin receptors in the anterior cingulate cortex. Horm Behav 2024; 162:105536. [PMID: 38522143 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2024.105536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Paternal deprivation (PD) impairs social cognition and sociality and increases levels of anxiety-like behavior. However, whether PD affects the levels of empathy in offspring and its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The present study found that PD increased anxiety-like behavior in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), impaired sociality, reduced the ability of emotional contagion, and the level of consolation behavior. Meanwhile, PD reduced OT neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) in both male and female mandarin voles. PD decreased the level of OT receptor (OTR) mRNA in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of male and female mandarin voles. Besides, OTR overexpression in the ACC reversed the PD-induced changes in anxiety-like behavior, social preference, emotional contagion, and consolation behavior. Interference of OTR expression in the ACC increased levels of anxiety-like behaviors, while it reduced levels of sociality, emotional contagion, and consolation. These results revealed that the OTR in the ACC is involved in the effects of PD on empathetic behaviors, and provide mechanistic insight into how social experiences affect empathetic behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Hou
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China; School of Environmental and Material Engineering, Yantai University, 264005, China
| | - Huan Ma
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Caihong Huang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yin Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Lu Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Lizi Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yishan Qu
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yufeng Xun
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Qixuan Yang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Zhixiong He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
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Cera N, Pinto J, Pignatelli D. The Role of Oxytocin in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Systematic Review. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2024; 46:5223-5241. [PMID: 38920985 PMCID: PMC11201948 DOI: 10.3390/cimb46060313] [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: 04/08/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder that affects women of reproductive age, representing the primary cause of anovulatory infertility. The nonapeptide oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in cognitive, emotional, and reproductive functions in human beings. Oxytocin receptors are expressed in several body parts, including the ovaries. Despite this, the possible role played by oxytocin in symptoms of PCOS is not clear. The present systematic review aimed at understanding the presence of possible oxytocin level alterations in PCOS, the connection between alterations of OT levels and the symptoms of PCOS, and the effect of oxytocin administration in PCOS. After a systematic search in the principal databases, eight studies, five human and three animal, were included. Four human studies and one animal study highlighted the role played by oxytocin in fertility issues related to PCOS. Three human and two animal studies investigated the role of body weight and OT levels. Studies that analyzed oxytocin basal levels in women agreed that PCOS is associated with a reduction in the serum level of oxytocin. Two human studies and one animal study agreed about lower levels of oxytocin, confirming a possible implication of the dysfunction of OT in the pathogenesis of PCOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Cera
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal;
- Research Unit in Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy, Cross I&D Lisbon Research Centre, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa, 1300-125 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Joana Pinto
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal;
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Duarte Pignatelli
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal;
- Department of Endocrinology, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
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Xia X, Li Y. A new GRAB sensor reveals differences in the dynamics and molecular regulation between neuropeptide and neurotransmitter release. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.22.595424. [PMID: 38826473 PMCID: PMC11142204 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.22.595424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
The co-existence and co-transmission of neuropeptides and small molecule neurotransmitters in the same neuron is a fundamental aspect of almost all neurons across various species. However, the differences regarding their in vivo spatiotemporal dynamics and underlying molecular regulation remain poorly understood. Here, we developed a GPCR-activation-based (GRAB) sensor for detecting short neuropeptide F (sNPF) with high sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution. Furthermore, we explore the differences of in vivo dynamics and molecular regulation between sNPF and acetylcholine (ACh) from the same neurons. Interestingly, the release of sNPF and ACh shows different spatiotemporal dynamics. Notably, we found that distinct synaptotagmins (Syt) are involved in these two processes, as Syt7 and Sytα for sNPF release, while Syt1 for ACh release. Thus, this new GRAB sensor provides a powerful tool for studying neuropeptide release and providing new insights into the distinct release dynamics and molecular regulation between neuropeptides and small molecule neurotransmitters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiju Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS), and Peking University–Tsinghua University–National Institute of Biological Sciences Joint Graduate Program (PTN), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 100871, China
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies (AAIS), and Peking University–Tsinghua University–National Institute of Biological Sciences Joint Graduate Program (PTN), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China
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11
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McGlone F, Uvnäs Moberg K, Norholt H, Eggart M, Müller-Oerlinghausen B. Touch medicine: bridging the gap between recent insights from touch research and clinical medicine and its special significance for the treatment of affective disorders. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1390673. [PMID: 38881553 PMCID: PMC11177324 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1390673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Interpersonal touch represents the primal sensory experience between humans, fostering social bonding from the cradle to the death bed. In recent decades "affective touch" has been intensely studied, stimulated by the discovery of a population of mechanosensitive unmyelinated C-tactile afferents in mammalian skin. A lack of touch in childhood is associated with negative consequences for psychosocial and physical health and the benefits of professional touch techniques in the prevention and treatment of various diseases have been shown over and over again in clinical studies. However, its application in mainstream clinical applications remains limited. To bridge the gap between recent discoveries in touch research and clinical medicine, we propose the establishment of a new discipline: 'Touch Medicine'. Here, we unfold the potential of Touch Medicine by focusing on the treatment of depression, which in our view is primarily a disorder of the lived body. Controlled studies and systematic reviews have demonstrated the antidepressant, anxiolytic and analgesic effects of specific massage techniques. Underlying mechanisms of action are currently under investigation, ranging from interoceptive, endocrinological, to stress-related or psychological underpinnings. Touch Medicine represents a novel interdisciplinary field connected to various medical specialities such as neonatology, pediatrics, pain medicine, neurology, psychiatry, and geriatrics - but also clinical psychology and psychosomatic medicine might benefit from the integration of these findings into their daily practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis McGlone
- Department of Life Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Department of Neuroscience & Biomedical Engineering, School of Science, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kerstin Uvnäs Moberg
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara, Sweden
| | - Henrik Norholt
- SomAffect - The Somatosensory & Affective Neuroscience Group, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Eggart
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Neuruppin, Germany
- Faculty of Social Work, Health and Nursing, Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences, Weingarten, Germany
| | - Bruno Müller-Oerlinghausen
- Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Neuruppin, Germany
- Charité University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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12
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Hofbauer B, Zandawala M, Reinhard N, Rieger D, Werner C, Evers JF, Wegener C. The neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor signals independently of Bruchpilot-labelled active zones in daily remodelled terminals of Drosophila clock neurons. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2665-2685. [PMID: 38414155 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16294] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
The small ventrolateral neurons (sLNvs) are key components of the central clock in the Drosophila brain. They signal via the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) to align the molecular clockwork of different central clock neurons and to modulate downstream circuits. The dorsal terminals of the sLNvs undergo daily morphological changes that affect presynaptic sites organised by the active zone protein Bruchpilot (BRP), a homolog of mammalian ELKS proteins. However, the role of these presynaptic sites for PDF release is ill-defined. Here, we combined expansion microscopy with labelling of active zones by endogenously tagged BRP to examine the spatial correlation between PDF-containing dense-core vesicles and BRP-labelled active zones. We found that the number of BRP-labelled puncta in the sLNv terminals was similar while their density differed between Zeitgeber time (ZT) 2 and 14. The relative distance between BRP- and PDF-labelled puncta was increased in the morning, around the reported time of PDF release. Spontaneous dense-core vesicle release profiles of sLNvs in a publicly available ssTEM dataset (FAFB) consistently lacked spatial correlation to BRP-organised active zones. RNAi-mediated downregulation of brp and other active zone proteins expressed by the sLNvs did not affect PDF-dependent locomotor rhythmicity. In contrast, down-regulation of genes encoding proteins of the canonical vesicle release machinery, the dense-core vesicle-related protein CADPS, as well as PDF impaired locomotor rhythmicity. Taken together, our study suggests that PDF release from the sLNvs is independent of BRP-organised active zones, while BRP may be redistributed to active zones in a time-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Hofbauer
- Biocenter, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Neurobiology and Genetics, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Meet Zandawala
- Biocenter, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Neurobiology and Genetics, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Nils Reinhard
- Biocenter, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Neurobiology and Genetics, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Dirk Rieger
- Biocenter, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Neurobiology and Genetics, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christian Werner
- Biocenter, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Department of Biotechnology and Biophysics, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jan Felix Evers
- Centre for organismal studies COS, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Cairn GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Wegener
- Biocenter, Theodor-Boveri-Institute, Neurobiology and Genetics, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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13
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Li H, Jiang T, An S, Xu M, Gou L, Ren B, Shi X, Wang X, Yan J, Yuan J, Xu X, Wu QF, Luo Q, Gong H, Bian WJ, Li A, Yu X. Single-neuron projectomes of mouse paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus oxytocin neurons reveal mutually exclusive projection patterns. Neuron 2024; 112:1081-1099.e7. [PMID: 38290516 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.12.022] [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: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT) plays important roles in autonomic control and behavioral modulation. However, it is unknown how the projection patterns of OXT neurons align with underlying physiological functions. Here, we present the reconstructed single-neuron, whole-brain projectomes of 264 OXT neurons of the mouse paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) at submicron resolution. These neurons hierarchically clustered into two groups, with distinct morphological and transcriptional characteristics and mutually exclusive projection patterns. Cluster 1 (177 neurons) axons terminated exclusively in the median eminence (ME) and have few collaterals terminating within hypothalamic regions. By contrast, cluster 2 (87 neurons) sent wide-spread axons to multiple brain regions, but excluding ME. Dendritic arbors of OXT neurons also extended outside of the PVH, suggesting capability to sense signals and modulate target regions. These single-neuron resolution observations reveal distinct OXT subpopulations, provide comprehensive analysis of their morphology, and lay the structural foundation for better understanding the functional heterogeneity of OXT neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Humingzhu Li
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and Peking University McGovern Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tao Jiang
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Sile An
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Mingrui Xu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Lingfeng Gou
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Biyu Ren
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xiaoxue Shi
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xiaofei Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jun Yan
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing Yuan
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou 215123, China; Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Xiaohong Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qing-Feng Wu
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qingming Luo
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou 215123, China; Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Hui Gong
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou 215123, China; Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Wen-Jie Bian
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, China; School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, China.
| | - Anan Li
- HUST-Suzhou Institute for Brainsmatics, JITRI, Suzhou 215123, China; Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
| | - Xiang Yu
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and Peking University McGovern Institute, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing 102206, China.
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14
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Hristov M, Landzhov B, Yakimova K. Effect of leptin on nitrergic neurons in the lateral hypothalamic area and the supraoptic nucleus of rats. Biotech Histochem 2024; 99:125-133. [PMID: 38533595 DOI: 10.1080/10520295.2024.2335167] [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] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The adipocyte-derived hormone, leptin, plays a key role in the maintenance of energy homeostasis. Leptin binds to the long form of its receptor, which is predominantly expressed in various hypothalamic regions, including the lateral hypothalamic area (LH) and supraoptic nucleus (SO). Several studies have suggested that leptin directly activates neuronal nitric oxide synthase, leading to increased nitric oxide production. We used histochemistry for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) as a marker for nitric oxide synthase activity and assessed the effect of leptin on nitrergic neurons in the LH and SO of rats. We found that intraperitoneal administration of leptin led to a significant increase in the number of NADPH-d-positive neurons in the LH and SO. In addition, the intensity (optical density) of NADPH-d staining in LH and SO neurons was significantly elevated in rats that received leptin compared with saline-treated rats. These findings suggest that nitrergic neurons in the LH and SO may be implicated in mediating the central effects of leptin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milen Hristov
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Boycho Landzhov
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Krassimira Yakimova
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
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15
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Ford CL, McDonough AA, Horie K, Young LJ. Melanocortin agonism in a social context selectively activates nucleus accumbens in an oxytocin-dependent manner. Neuropharmacology 2024; 247:109848. [PMID: 38253222 PMCID: PMC10923148 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Social deficits are debilitating features of many psychiatric disorders, including autism. While time-intensive behavioral therapy is moderately effective, there are no pharmacological interventions for social deficits in autism. Many studies have attempted to treat social deficits using the neuropeptide oxytocin for its powerful neuromodulatory abilities and influence on social behaviors and cognition. However, clinical trials utilizing supplementation paradigms in which exogenous oxytocin is chronically administered independent of context have failed. An alternative treatment paradigm suggests pharmacologically activating the endogenous oxytocin system during behavioral therapy to enhance the efficacy of therapy by facilitating social learning. To this end, melanocortin receptor agonists like Melanotan II (MTII), which induces central oxytocin release and accelerates formation of partner preference, a form of social learning, in prairie voles, are promising pharmacological tools. To model pharmacological activation of the endogenous oxytocin system during behavioral therapy, we administered MTII prior to social interactions between male and female voles. We assessed its effect on oxytocin-dependent activity in brain regions subserving social learning using Fos expression as a proxy for neuronal activation. In non-social contexts, MTII only activated hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, a primary site of oxytocin synthesis. However, during social interactions, MTII selectively increased oxytocin-dependent activation of nucleus accumbens, a site critical for social learning. These results suggest a mechanism for the MTII-induced acceleration of partner preference formation observed in previous studies. Moreover, they are consistent with the hypothesis that pharmacologically activating the endogenous oxytocin system with a melanocortin agonist during behavioral therapy has potential to facilitate social learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles L Ford
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
| | - Anna A McDonough
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Kengo Horie
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Silvio O. Conte Center for Oxytocin and Social Cognition, Emory National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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16
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Zhang MG, Seyedolmohadesin M, Hawk S, Park H, Finnen N, Schroeder F, Venkatachalam V, Sternberg PW. Sensory integration of food availability and population density during the diapause exit decision involves insulin-like signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.20.586022. [PMID: 38586049 PMCID: PMC10996498 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.20.586022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Decisions made over long time scales, such as life cycle decisions, require coordinated interplay between sensory perception and sustained gene expression. The Caenorhabditis elegans dauer (or diapause) exit developmental decision requires sensory integration of population density and food availability to induce an all-or-nothing organismal-wide response, but the mechanism by which this occurs remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate how the ASJ chemosensory neurons, known to be critical for dauer exit, perform sensory integration at both the levels of gene expression and calcium activity. In response to favorable conditions, dauers rapidly produce and secrete the dauer exit-promoting insulin-like peptide INS-6. Expression of ins-6 in the ASJ neurons integrate population density and food level and can reflect decision commitment since dauers committed to exiting have higher ins-6 expression levels than those of non-committed dauers. Calcium imaging in dauers reveals that the ASJ neurons are activated by food, and this activity is suppressed by pheromone, indicating that sensory integration also occurs at the level of calcium transients. We find that ins-6 expression in the ASJ neurons depends on neuronal activity in the ASJs, cGMP signaling, a CaM-kinase pathway, and the pheromone components ascr#8 and ascr#2. We propose a model in which decision commitment to exit the dauer state involves an autoregulatory feedback loop in the ASJ neurons that promotes high INS-6 production and secretion. These results collectively demonstrate how insulin-like peptide signaling helps animals compute long-term decisions by bridging sensory perception to decision execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark G Zhang
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Soraya Hawk
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Heenam Park
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Nerissa Finnen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Frank Schroeder
- Boyce Thompson Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Paul W Sternberg
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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17
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Uvnäs-Moberg K. The physiology and pharmacology of oxytocin in labor and in the peripartum period. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2024; 230:S740-S758. [PMID: 38462255 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2023.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Oxytocin is a reproductive hormone implicated in the process of parturition and widely used during labor. Oxytocin is produced within the supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary lobe into the circulation. Oxytocin is released in pulses with increasing frequency and amplitude in the first and second stages of labor, with a few pulses released in the third stage of labor. During labor, the fetus exerts pressure on the cervix of the uterus, which activates a feedforward reflex-the Ferguson reflex-which releases oxytocin. When myometrial contractions activate sympathetic nerves, it decreases oxytocin release. When oxytocin binds to specific myometrial oxytocin receptors, it induces myometrial contractions. High levels of circulating estrogen at term make the receptors more sensitive. In addition, oxytocin stimulates prostaglandin synthesis and release in the decidua and chorioamniotic membranes by activating a specific type of oxytocin receptor. Prostaglandins contribute to cervical ripening and uterine contractility in labor. The oxytocin system in the brain has been implicated in decreasing maternal levels of fear, pain, and stress, and oxytocin release and function during labor are stimulated by a social support. Moreover, studies suggest, but have not yet proven, that labor may be associated with long-term, behavioral and physiological adaptations in the mother and infant, possibly involving epigenetic modulation of oxytocin production and release and the oxytocin receptor. In addition, infusions of synthetic oxytocin are used to induce and augment labor. Oxytocin may be administered according to different dose regimens at increasing rates from 1 to 3 mIU/min to a maximal rate of 36 mIU/min at 15- to 40-minute intervals. The total amount of synthetic oxytocin given during labor can be 5 to 10 IU, but lower and higher amounts of oxytocin may also be given. High-dose infusions of oxytocin may shorten the duration of labor by up to 2 hours compared with no infusion of oxytocin; however, it does not lower the frequency of cesarean delivery. When synthetic oxytocin is administered, the plasma concentration of oxytocin increases in a dose-dependent way: at infusion rates of 20 to 30 mIU/min, plasma oxytocin concentration increases approximately 2- to 3-fold above the basal level. Synthetic oxytocin administered at recommended dose levels is not likely to cross the placenta or maternal blood-brain barrier. Synthetic oxytocin should be administered with caution as high levels may induce tachystole and uterine overstimulation, with potentially negative consequences for the fetus and possibly the mother. Of note, 5 to 10 IU of synthetic oxytocin is often routinely given as an intravenous or intramuscular bolus administration after delivery to induce uterine contractility, which, in turn, induces uterine separation of the placenta and prevents postpartum hemorrhage. Furthermore, it promotes the expulsion of the placenta.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Uvnäs-Moberg
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agriculture, Uppsala, Sweden.
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18
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Lefevre A, Meza J, Miller CT. Long range projections of oxytocin neurons in the marmoset brain. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.02.573953. [PMID: 38260560 PMCID: PMC10802265 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.02.573953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
The neurohormone oxytocin (OT) has become a major target for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder because of its integral role in governing many facets of mammalian social behavior. Whereas extensive work in rodents has produced much of our knowledge of OT, we lack basic information about its neurobiology in primates making it difficult to interpret the limited effects that OT manipulations have had in human patients. In fact, previous studies have revealed only limited OT fibers in primate brains. Here, we investigated the OT connectome in marmoset using immunohistochemistry, and mapped OT fibers throughout the brains of adult male and female marmoset monkeys. We found extensive OT projections reaching limbic and cortical areas that are involved in the regulation of social behaviors, such as the amygdala, the medial prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia. The pattern of OT fibers observed in marmosets is notably similar to the OT connectomes described in rodents. Our findings here contrast with previous results by demonstrating a broad distribution of OT throughout the marmoset brain. Given the prevalence of this neurohormone in the primate brain, methods developed in rodents to manipulate endogenous OT are likely to be applicable in marmosets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Lefevre
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Institute of cognitive sciences Marc Jeannerod, CNRS and University of Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Jazlynn Meza
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Cory T. Miller
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Neuroscience graduate program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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19
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Tsai SF, Kuo YM. The Role of Central Oxytocin in Autonomic Regulation. CHINESE J PHYSIOL 2024; 67:3-14. [PMID: 38780268 DOI: 10.4103/ejpi.ejpi-d-23-00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin (OXT), a neuropeptide originating from the hypothalamus and traditionally associated with peripheral functions in parturition and lactation, has emerged as a pivotal player in the central regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This comprehensive ANS, comprising sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric components, intricately combines sympathetic and parasympathetic influences to provide unified control. The central oversight of sympathetic and parasympathetic outputs involves a network of interconnected regions spanning the neuroaxis, playing a pivotal role in the real-time regulation of visceral function, homeostasis, and adaptation to challenges. This review unveils the significant involvement of the central OXT system in modulating autonomic functions, shedding light on diverse subpopulations of OXT neurons within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and their intricate projections. The narrative progresses from the basics of central ANS regulation to a detailed discussion of the central controls of sympathetic and parasympathetic outflows. The subsequent segment focuses specifically on the central OXT system, providing a foundation for exploring the central role of OXT in ANS regulation. This review synthesizes current knowledge, paving the way for future research endeavors to unravel the full scope of autonomic control and understand multifaceted impact of OXT on physiological outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Feng Tsai
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Min Kuo
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
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20
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Romanov RA, Harkany T. Grabbing neuropeptide signals in the brain. Science 2023; 382:764-765. [PMID: 37972194 DOI: 10.1126/science.adl1788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Bioengineered sensors resolve the dynamics of neuropeptide action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman A Romanov
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum 7D, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
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21
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Wang H, Qian T, Zhao Y, Zhuo Y, Wu C, Osakada T, Chen P, Chen Z, Ren H, Yan Y, Geng L, Fu S, Mei L, Li G, Wu L, Jiang Y, Qian W, Zhang L, Peng W, Xu M, Hu J, Jiang M, Chen L, Tang C, Zhu Y, Lin D, Zhou JN, Li Y. A tool kit of highly selective and sensitive genetically encoded neuropeptide sensors. Science 2023; 382:eabq8173. [PMID: 37972184 PMCID: PMC11205257 DOI: 10.1126/science.abq8173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Neuropeptides are key signaling molecules in the endocrine and nervous systems that regulate many critical physiological processes. Understanding the functions of neuropeptides in vivo requires the ability to monitor their dynamics with high specificity, sensitivity, and spatiotemporal resolution. However, this has been hindered by the lack of direct, sensitive, and noninvasive tools. We developed a series of GRAB (G protein-coupled receptor activation‒based) sensors for detecting somatostatin (SST), corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), cholecystokinin (CCK), neuropeptide Y (NPY), neurotensin (NTS), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). These fluorescent sensors, which enable detection of specific neuropeptide binding at nanomolar concentrations, establish a robust tool kit for studying the release, function, and regulation of neuropeptides under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Tongrui Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yulin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yizhou Zhuo
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Chunling Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Peng Chen
- Institute of Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Zijun Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, Shenzhen Neher Neural Plasticity Laboratory, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Huixia Ren
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yuqi Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Lan Geng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shengwei Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Long Mei
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Guochuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Ling Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yiwen Jiang
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Weiran Qian
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Li Zhang
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine and Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Wanling Peng
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Min Xu
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ji Hu
- School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Man Jiang
- Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medicine and Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Liangyi Chen
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Chao Tang
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yingjie Zhu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Drug Addiction, Shenzhen Neher Neural Plasticity Laboratory, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Dayu Lin
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Jiang-Ning Zhou
- Institute of Brain Science, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Diseases, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- National Biomedical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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22
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Kirchner MK, Althammer F, Donaldson KJ, Cox DN, Stern JE. Changes in neuropeptide large dense core vesicle trafficking dynamics contribute to adaptive responses to a systemic homeostatic challenge. iScience 2023; 26:108243. [PMID: 38026155 PMCID: PMC10654599 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides are packed into large dense core vesicles (LDCVs) that are transported from the soma out into their processes. Limited information exists regarding mechanisms regulating LDCV trafficking, particularly during challenges to bodily homeostasis. Addressing this gap, we used 2-photon imaging in an ex vivo preparation to study LDCVs trafficking dynamics in vasopressin (VP) neurons, which traffic and release neuropeptide from their dendrites and axons. We report a dynamic bidirectional trafficking of VP-LDCVs with important differences in speed and directionality between axons and dendrites. Acute, short-lasting stimuli known to alter VP firing activity and axonal/dendritic release caused modest changes in VP-LDCVs trafficking dynamics. Conversely, chronic/sustained systemic osmotic challenges upregulated VP-LDCVs trafficking dynamic, with a larger effect in dendrites. These results support differential regulation of dendritic and axonal LDCV trafficking, and that changes in trafficking dynamics constitute a novel mechanism by which peptidergic neurons can efficiently adapt to conditions of increased hormonal demand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew K. Kirchner
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Ferdinand Althammer
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Institute of Human Genetics, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kevin J. Donaldson
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Center for Neuromics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Daniel N. Cox
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Center for Neuromics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Javier E. Stern
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
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23
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Mapelli L, Mapelli J, Wicher D. Editorial: Insights in cellular neurophysiology: 2022. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1330849. [PMID: 38034590 PMCID: PMC10683639 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1330849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Mapelli
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Jonathan Mapelli
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Dieter Wicher
- Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
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24
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Badshah M, Ibrahim J, Su N, Whiley P, Whittaker M, Exintaris B. The Effects of Age on Prostatic Responses to Oxytocin and the Effects of Antagonists. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2956. [PMID: 38001957 PMCID: PMC10669827 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11112956] [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: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related enlargement of the prostate with urethral obstruction that predominantly affects the middle-aged and older male population, resulting in disruptive lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), thus creating a profound impact on an individual's quality of life. The development of LUTS may be linked to overexpression of oxytocin receptors (OXTR), resulting in increased baseline myogenic tone within the prostate. Thus, it is hypothesised that targeting OXTR using oxytocin receptor antagonists (atosiban, cligosiban, and β-Mercapto-β,β-cyclopentamethylenepropionyl1, O-Me-Tyr2, Orn8]-Oxytocin (ßMßßC)), may attenuate myogenic tone within the prostate. Organ bath and immunohistochemistry techniques were conducted on prostate tissue from young and older rats. Our contractility studies demonstrated that atosiban significantly decreased the frequency of spontaneous contractions within the prostate of young rats (**** p < 0.0001), and cligosiban (* p < 0.05), and ßMßßC (**** p < 0.0001) in older rats. Additionally, immunohistochemistry findings revealed that nuclear-specific OXTR was predominantly expressed within the epithelium of the prostate of both young (*** p < 0.001) and older rats (**** p < 0.0001). In conclusion, our findings indicate that oxytocin is a key modulator of prostate contractility, and targeting OXTR is a promising avenue in the development of novel BPH drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masroor Badshah
- Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia;
| | - Jibriil Ibrahim
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia (N.S.)
| | - Nguok Su
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia (N.S.)
| | - Penny Whiley
- Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3168, Australia;
| | - Michael Whittaker
- Drug, Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
| | - Betty Exintaris
- Drug Discovery Biology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia (N.S.)
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25
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Chen X, Moenter SM. Gonadal Feedback Alters the Relationship between Action Potentials and Hormone Release in Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Neurons in Male Mice. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6717-6730. [PMID: 37536982 PMCID: PMC10552940 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2355-22.2023] [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: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In vertebrates, the pulsatile release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from neurons in the hypothalamus triggers secretion of anterior pituitary gonadotropins, which activate steroidogenesis, and steroids in turn exert typically homeostatic negative feedback on GnRH release. Although long-term episodic firing patterns of GnRH neurons in brain slices resemble the pulsatile release of GnRH and LH in vivo, neither the relationship between GnRH neuron firing and release nor whether this relationship is influenced by gonadal feedback are known. We combined fast-scan cyclic voltammetry and patch-clamp to perform simultaneous measurements of neuropeptide release with either spontaneous action potential firing or in response to neuromodulator or action-potential-spike templates in brain slice preparations from male mice. GnRH release increased with higher frequency spontaneous firing to a point; release reached a plateau after which further increases in firing rate did not elicit further increased release. Kisspeptin, a potent GnRH neuron activator via a Gq-coupled signaling pathway, triggered GnRH release before increasing firing rate, whether globally perfused or locally applied. Increasing the number of spikes in an applied burst template increased release; orchidectomized mice had higher sensitivity to the increased action potential number than sham-operated mice. Similarly, Ca2+ currents triggered by these burst templates were increased in GnRH neurons of orchidectomized mice. These results suggest removal of gonadal feedback increases the efficacy of the stimulus-secretion coupling mechanisms, a phenomenon that may extend to other steroid-sensitive regions of the brain.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Pulsatile secretion of GnRH plays a critical role in fertility. The temporal relationship between GnRH neuron action potential firing and GnRH release remains unknown as does whether this relationship is influenced by gonadal feedback. By combining techniques of fast-scan cyclic voltammetry and patch-clamp we, for the first time, monitored GnRH concentration changes during spontaneous and neuromodulator-induced GnRH neuron firing. We also made the novel observation that gonadal factors exert negative feedback on excitation-secretion coupling to reduce release in response to the same stimulus. This has implications for the control of normal fertility, central causes of infertility, and more broadly for the effects of sex steroids in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- Departments of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
| | - Suzanne M Moenter
- Departments of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
- Internal Medicine
- Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5622
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26
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Berget B, Vas J, Pedersen G, Uvnäs-Moberg K, Newberry RC. Oxytocin levels and self-reported anxiety during interactions between humans and cows. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1252463. [PMID: 37780173 PMCID: PMC10536144 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1252463] [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: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Positive social interactions with farm animals may have therapeutic benefits on humans by increasing brain oxytocin secretion, as inferred from circulating oxytocin levels. The aim of this observational study was to investigate acute changes in human plasma oxytocin levels and state anxiety associated with interactions with dairy cows. Methods Data were collected from 18 healthy female nursing students who performed stroking and brushing of an unfamiliar cow for 15 min. Blood samples were drawn before entering the cowshed (T1, baseline), and after 5 (T2) and 15 (T3) min of interaction with a cow. At T1 and T3, the students filled out the Norwegian version of the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State Subscale (STAI-SS). Results Across participants, no significant changes in average plasma oxytocin concentration were detected between time points (p>0.05). There was, however, a modest decline in the STAI-SS scores between T1 and T3 (p=0.015) and a positive correlation between the change in individual level of state anxiety between T1 and T3 and the change in OT concentration of the same individual between T2 and T3 (p = 0.045). Discussion The results suggest that friendly social interactions with cows are beneficial in lowering state anxiety, but any relationship with release of OT into the circulation was complex and variable across individuals. The acute reduction in state anxiety lends support to the value of interacting with farm animals in the context of Green Care for people with mental health challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bente Berget
- Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Department of Health, Social and Welfare Studies, University of South-Eastern Norway, Borre, Norway
- Department of Health and Society, NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Kristiansand, Norway
| | - Judit Vas
- Faculty of Biosciences, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Gunn Pedersen
- Faculty of Biosciences, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Kerstin Uvnäs-Moberg
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Section of Anthrozoology and Applied Ethology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara, Sweden
| | - Ruth C. Newberry
- Faculty of Biosciences, Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
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27
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Oti T, Sakamoto H. Neuropeptidergic control circuits in the spinal cord for male sexual behaviour: Oxytocin-gastrin-releasing peptide systems. J Neuroendocrinol 2023; 35:e13324. [PMID: 37515539 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptidergic mechanisms controlling socio-sexual behaviours consist of complex neuronal circuitry systems in widely distributed areas of the brain and spinal cord. At the organismal level, it is now becoming clear that "hormonal regulations" play an important role, in addition to the activation of neuronal circuits. The gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) system in the lumbosacral spinal cord is an important component of the neural circuits that control penile reflexes in rats, circuits that are commonly referred to as the "spinal ejaculation generator (SEG)." Oxytocin, long known as a neurohypophyseal hormone, is now known to be involved in the regulation of socio-sexual behaviors in mammals, ranging from social bonding to empathy. However, the functional interaction between the SEG neurons and the hypothalamo-spinal oxytocin system remains unclear. Oxytocin is known to be synthesised mainly in hypothalamic neurons and released from the posterior pituitary into the circulation. Oxytocin is also released from the dendrites of the neurons into the hypothalamus where they have important roles in social behaviours via non-synaptic volume transmission. Because the most familiar functions of oxytocin are to regulate female reproductive functions including parturition, milk ejection, and maternal behaviour, oxytocin is often thought of as a "feminine" hormone. However, there is evidence that a group of parvocellular oxytocin neurons project to the lower spinal cord and control male sexual function in rats. In this report, we review the functional interaction between the SEG neurons and the hypothalamo-spinal oxytocin system and effects of these neuropeptides on male sexual behaviour. Furthermore, we discuss the finding of a recently identified, localised "volume transmission" role of oxytocin in the spinal cord. Findings from our studies suggest that the newly discovered "oxytocin-mediated spinal control of male sexual function" may be useful in the treatment of erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Oti
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kanagawa University, Hiratsuka, Japan
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Sakamoto
- Ushimado Marine Institute (UMI), Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
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28
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Qian T, Wang H, Xia X, Li Y. Current and emerging methods for probing neuropeptide transmission. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 81:102751. [PMID: 37487399 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Neuropeptides comprise the most diverse category of neurochemicals in the brain, playing critical roles in a wide range of physiological and pathophysiological processes. Monitoring neuropeptides with high spatial and temporal resolution is essential for understanding how peptidergic transmission is regulated throughout the central nervous system. In this review, we provide an overview of current non-optical and optical approaches used to detect neuropeptides, including their design principles, intrinsic properties, and potential limitations. We also highlight the advantages of using G protein‒coupled receptor (GPCR) activation‒based (GRAB) sensors to monitor neuropeptides in vivo with high sensitivity, good specificity, and high spatiotemporal resolution. Finally, we present a promising outlook regarding the development and optimization of new GRAB neuropeptide sensors, as well as their potential applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongrui Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Huan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xiju Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, 100871, China; PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China; Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 102206, China; National Biomedical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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29
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Ilie MD, Raverot G. Oxytocin deficiency in patients with arginine vasopressin deficiency (central diabetes insipidus). Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2023; 11:442-443. [PMID: 37192643 DOI: 10.1016/s2213-8587(23)00126-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mirela Diana Ilie
- Inserm U1052, CNRS UMR5286, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, Cancer Research Center of Lyon, Lyon, France; Endocrinology Department, "C.I. Parhon" National Institute of Endocrinology, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Gérald Raverot
- Endocrinology Department, "C.I. Parhon" National Institute of Endocrinology, Bucharest, Romania; Endocrinology Department, Reference Center for Rare Pituitary Diseases HYPO, "Groupement Hospitalier Est" Hospices Civils de Lyon, 69677 Bron, France.
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30
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Taylor JH, Campbell NS, Powell JM, Elliott Albers H, Kelly AM. Distribution of Vasopressin 1a and Oxytocin Receptor Binding in the Basal Forebrain and Midbrain of Male and Female Mongolian Gerbils. Neuroscience 2023; 522:33-41. [PMID: 37172688 PMCID: PMC10330636 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.05.004] [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: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The nonapeptide system modulates a diversity of social behaviors, including aggression, parental care, affiliation, sexual behavior, and pair bonding. Such social behaviors are regulated through oxytocin and vasopressin activation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and vasopressin V1a receptor (AVPR1A) in the brain. Nonapeptide receptor distributions have been mapped for several species, however, studies have demonstrated that there is substantial variation across species. Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) are an excellent organism for studying family dynamics, social development, pair bonding, and territorial aggression. Although an increasing number of studies are examining the neural mechanisms of social behavior in Mongolian gerbils, nonapeptide receptor distributions have yet to be characterized for this species. Here we conducted receptor autoradiography to map distributions of OXTR and AVPR1A binding throughout the basal forebrain and midbrain of female and male Mongolian gerbils. Further, we assessed whether gonadal sex influenced binding densities in brain regions important for social behavior and reward, however, we observed no effects of sex on OXTR or AVPR1A binding densities. These findings provide mapping distributions of nonapeptide receptors in male and female Mongolian gerbils, laying a foundation for future studies that seek to manipulate the nonapeptide system to examine nonapeptide-mediated social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack H Taylor
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Noah S Campbell
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jeanne M Powell
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - H Elliott Albers
- Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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31
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Qian T, Wang H, Wang P, Geng L, Mei L, Osakada T, Wang L, Tang Y, Kania A, Grinevich V, Stoop R, Lin D, Luo M, Li Y. A genetically encoded sensor measures temporal oxytocin release from different neuronal compartments. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:944-957. [PMID: 36593404 PMCID: PMC11182738 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01561-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT), a peptide hormone and neuromodulator, is involved in diverse physiological and pathophysiological processes in the central nervous system and the periphery. However, the regulation and functional sequences of spatial OT release in the brain remain poorly understood. We describe a genetically encoded G-protein-coupled receptor activation-based (GRAB) OT sensor called GRABOT1.0. In contrast to previous methods, GRABOT1.0 enables imaging of OT release ex vivo and in vivo with suitable sensitivity, specificity and spatiotemporal resolution. Using this sensor, we visualize stimulation-induced OT release from specific neuronal compartments in mouse brain slices and discover that N-type calcium channels predominantly mediate axonal OT release, whereas L-type calcium channels mediate somatodendritic OT release. We identify differences in the fusion machinery of OT release for axon terminals versus somata and dendrites. Finally, we measure OT dynamics in various brain regions in mice during male courtship behavior. Thus, GRABOT1.0 provides insights into the role of compartmental OT release in physiological and behavioral functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tongrui Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Huan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Medical Center for Human Reproduction, Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lan Geng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Long Mei
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Takuya Osakada
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Peking University-Tsinghua University-National Institute of Biological Sciences Joint Graduate Program, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Tang
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alan Kania
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Department of Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Ron Stoop
- Center for Psychiatric Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital Center (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dayu Lin
- Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Minmin Luo
- National Institute of Biological Sciences (NIBS), Beijing, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research (TIMBR), Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing, China.
- PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China.
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
- National Biomedical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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Imaizumi J, Kamada S, Taniguchi M, Sugimoto T, Maeda T, Arakaki R, Yamamoto S, Shirakawa A, Mineda A, Yoshida A, Iwasa T, Kaji T. Developmental Changes in Hypothalamic and Serum Oxytocin Levels in Prenatally Normally Nourished and Undernourished Rats. Nutrients 2023; 15:2768. [PMID: 37375670 DOI: 10.3390/nu15122768] [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: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Changes in the activities of some metabolic factors have been suggested to increase the risk of conditions associated with the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). We examined changes in oxytocin (OT), a metabolic factor, and OT receptor (OTR) mRNA levels throughout the developmental period in rats of intrauterine undernutrition. Pregnant rats were divided into two groups: a maternal normal nutrition (mNN) and maternal undernutrition (mUN) group. Serum OT concentrations and hypothalamic mRNA levels of OT and OTR were measured in both offspring at various postnatal stages. Both offspring showed significant increases in serum OT concentrations during the neonatal period, significant reductions around the pubertal period, and significant increases in adulthood. Hypothalamic OT mRNA expression levels gradually increased from the neonatal to pubertal period and decreased in adulthood in both offspring. In the pre-weaning period, hypothalamic OT mRNA expression levels were significantly lower in the mUN offspring than in the mNN offspring. In the mUN offspring, hypothalamic OTR mRNA expression levels transiently increased during the neonatal period, decreased around the pubertal period, and increased again in adulthood, whereas transient changes were not detected in mNN offspring. These changes could affect nutritional and metabolic regulation systems in later life and play a role in the mechanisms underlying DOHaD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junki Imaizumi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Shuhei Kamada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Miyu Taniguchi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Tatsuro Sugimoto
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Takaaki Maeda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Arakaki
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Shota Yamamoto
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
- Department of Renal and Genitourinary Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8648, Japan
| | - Aya Shirakawa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Ayuka Mineda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Atsuko Yoshida
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Takeshi Iwasa
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Takashi Kaji
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
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Trigo S, Silva PA, Cardoso GC, Soares MC. Effects of mesotocin manipulation on the behavior of male and female common waxbills. Physiol Behav 2023; 267:114226. [PMID: 37150430 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The oxytocin family of neuropeptides is implicated in the regulation of sociality across vertebrates. Non-mammalian homologs of oxytocin, such as isotocin in fish and mesotocin in amphibians, reptiles and birds, all play crucial roles modulating social and reproductive behavior. In this study, we exogenously manipulated the mesotocinergic system in a highly social bird, the common waxbill Estrild astrild, and tested the effects on affiliative and aggressive behavior by performing tests of competition over food. Birds treated with mesotocin showed a sedative state, decreasing almost all the behaviors we studied (movement, feeding, allopreening), while birds treated with an oxytocin antagonist showed a decrease only in social behaviors (aggressions and allopreening). We also found two sex-specific effects: mesotocin reduced allopreening more in males than females, and the oxytocin antagonist reduced aggressiveness only in females. Our results suggest sex-specific effects in the modulation of affiliative and aggressive behaviors via mesotocinergic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Trigo
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.
| | - Paulo A Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.
| | - Gonçalo C Cardoso
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.
| | - Marta C Soares
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre / ARNET - Aquatic Research Network, Institute for Research and Advanced Training (IIFA), University of Évora, 7002-554, Évora, Portugal.
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34
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Rahman MM, Islam MR, Supti FA, Dhar PS, Shohag S, Ferdous J, Shuvo SK, Akter A, Hossain MS, Sharma R. Exploring the Therapeutic Effect of Neurotrophins and Neuropeptides in Neurodegenerative Diseases: at a Glance. Mol Neurobiol 2023:10.1007/s12035-023-03328-5. [PMID: 37052791 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03328-5] [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: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023]
Abstract
Neurotrophins and neuropeptides are the essential regulators of peripheral nociceptive nerves that help to induce, sensitize, and maintain pain. Neuropeptide has a neuroprotective impact as it increases trophic support, regulates calcium homeostasis, and reduces excitotoxicity and neuroinflammation. In contrast, neurotrophins target neurons afflicted by ischemia, epilepsy, depression, and eating disorders, among other neuropsychiatric conditions. Neurotrophins are reported to inhibit neuronal death. Strategies maintained for "brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) therapies" are to upregulate BDNF levels using the delivery of protein and genes or compounds that target BDNF production and boosting BDNF signals by expanding with BDNF mimetics. This review discusses the mechanisms of neurotrophins and neuropeptides against acute neural damage as well as highlighting neuropeptides as a potential therapeutic agent against Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Machado-Joseph disease (MJD), the signaling pathways affected by neurotrophins and their receptors in both standard and diseased CNS systems, and future perspectives that can lead to the potent application of neurotrophins and neuropeptides in neurodegenerative diseases (NDs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Mominur Rahman
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Md Rezaul Islam
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Fatema Akter Supti
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Puja Sutro Dhar
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Sheikh Shohag
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Faculty of Earth and Ocean Science, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Mirpur 12, Dhaka, 1216, Bangladesh
| | - Jannatul Ferdous
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Shakil Khan Shuvo
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Aklima Akter
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Md Sarowar Hossain
- Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh
| | - Rohit Sharma
- Department of Rasa Shastra & Bhaishajya Kalpana, Faculty of Ayurveda, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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35
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Russo AF, Hay DL. CGRP physiology, pharmacology, and therapeutic targets: migraine and beyond. Physiol Rev 2023; 103:1565-1644. [PMID: 36454715 PMCID: PMC9988538 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00059.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 54.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a neuropeptide with diverse physiological functions. Its two isoforms (α and β) are widely expressed throughout the body in sensory neurons as well as in other cell types, such as motor neurons and neuroendocrine cells. CGRP acts via at least two G protein-coupled receptors that form unusual complexes with receptor activity-modifying proteins. These are the CGRP receptor and the AMY1 receptor; in rodents, additional receptors come into play. Although CGRP is known to produce many effects, the precise molecular identity of the receptor(s) that mediates CGRP effects is seldom clear. Despite the many enigmas still in CGRP biology, therapeutics that target the CGRP axis to treat or prevent migraine are a bench-to-bedside success story. This review provides a contextual background on the regulation and sites of CGRP expression and CGRP receptor pharmacology. The physiological actions of CGRP in the nervous system are discussed, along with updates on CGRP actions in the cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, immune, hematopoietic, and reproductive systems and metabolic effects of CGRP in muscle and adipose tissues. We cover how CGRP in these systems is associated with disease states, most notably migraine. In this context, we discuss how CGRP actions in both the peripheral and central nervous systems provide a basis for therapeutic targeting of CGRP in migraine. Finally, we highlight potentially fertile ground for the development of additional therapeutics and combinatorial strategies that could be designed to modulate CGRP signaling for migraine and other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew F Russo
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
- Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Visual Loss, Department of Veterans Affairs Health Center, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - Debbie L Hay
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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36
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Negi D, Granak S, Shorter S, O'Leary VB, Rektor I, Ovsepian SV. Molecular Biomarkers of Neuronal Injury in Epilepsy Shared with Neurodegenerative Diseases. Neurotherapeutics 2023; 20:767-778. [PMID: 36884195 PMCID: PMC10275849 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-023-01355-7] [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] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
In neurodegenerative diseases, changes in neuronal proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood are viewed as potential biomarkers of the primary pathology in the central nervous system (CNS). Recent reports suggest, however, that level of neuronal proteins in fluids also alters in several types of epilepsy in various age groups, including children. With increasing evidence supporting clinical and sub-clinical seizures in Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, Parkinson's disease, and in other less common neurodegenerative conditions, these findings call into question the specificity of neuronal protein response to neurodegenerative process and urge analysis of the effects of concomitant epilepsy and other comorbidities. In this article, we revisit the evidence for alterations in neuronal proteins in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid associated with epilepsy with and without neurodegenerative diseases. We discuss shared and distinctive characteristics of changes in neuronal markers, review their neurobiological mechanisms, and consider the emerging opportunities and challenges for their future research and diagnostic use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepika Negi
- Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich London, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Simon Granak
- National Institute of Mental Health, Topolova 748, Klecany, 25067, Czech Republic
| | - Susan Shorter
- Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich London, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Valerie B O'Leary
- Department of Medical Genetics, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, Prague, 10000, Czech Republic
| | - Ivan Rektor
- First Department of Neurology, St. Anne's University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging Research Group, CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Saak V Ovsepian
- Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of Greenwich London, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK.
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37
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Senturk GE, Sezer Z, Sahin H, Isildar B, Abdulova A. Effects of Chronically Exogenous Oxytocin on Ovary and Uterus: A Comparison of Intraperitoneal and Intranasal Administration. Peptides 2023; 165:171006. [PMID: 37003476 DOI: 10.1016/j.peptides.2023.171006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) has been studied as a therapeutic neuropeptide in various diseases, but its effect on the ovary and uterus is not fully known. This study investigates the effects of intranasal and intraperitoneal OT administration on ovaries and uterus in rats. Four experimental groups were created using 7-week-old Sprague Dawley-type female rats: Control (Ctrl), oxytocin-intraperitoneal (0.1µg/day) (OT-IP), oxytocin-intranasal (0.05µg/day) (OT-IN1), and oxytocin-intranasal (0.1µg/day) (OT-IN2). The blood, the ovarian, and the uterus were collected at the end of the 28th day of OT administration. Afterward, histological and biochemical analyses were performed. We observed that the Graaf follicles were higher in both OT-IN2 and OT-IP groups compared to the Ctrl group. Moreover, the corpus luteum was increased only in the OT-IN2 group. Ki-67, CD31, VEGF, and TGF-ß immunostaining showed no significant change in the ovary. In contrast, Ki-67, VEGF, and OTR expressions demonstrated significant alterations in the uterus. Furthermore, TGF-ß immunohistochemistry and the histopathologic score did not reveal the statistical change in the uterus. Serum hormone levels showed that the anti-Müllerian hormone increased in all OT groups vs. the Ctrl. OT-IP showed an increment of follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol decrement. There was a decrease in serum E2 levels, although the Graafian follicle number increased in OT-IP groups compared to the Ctrl group. However, luteinizing hormone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, progesterone, testosterone, OT levels, and oxidative stress index did not reveal any statistical difference. Accordingly, the intranasal route may have beneficial effects compared to the intraperitoneal route regarding exogenous OT administration-related studies. In conclusion, we reported that exogenous OT increases the follicle reserve and may cause histological changes in the reproductive system of female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gozde Erkanli Senturk
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Zehra Sezer
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Hakan Sahin
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Basak Isildar
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Balikesir University, Balıkesir, Turkey.
| | - Aynur Abdulova
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Istanbul, Turkey.
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38
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Korogod SM, Stern JE, Cymbalyuk GS. Microgeometrical dendritic factors predict electrical decoupling between somatic and dendritic compartments in magnocellular neurosecretory neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2023; 17:1125029. [PMID: 37032839 PMCID: PMC10081025 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2023.1125029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
It is generally assumed that dendritic release of neuropeptides from magnocellular neurosecretory neurons (MNNs), a critical process involved in homeostatic functions, is an activity-dependent process that requires backpropagating action potentials (APs). Still, growing evidence indicates that dendritic release can occur in the absence of APs, and axonal APs have been shown to fail to evoke dendritic release. These inconsistencies strongly suggest that APs in MNNs may fail to backpropagating into dendrites. Here we tested whether simple factors of electrical signal attenuation could lead to effective decoupling between cell's body and dendritic release site within typical geometrical characteristics of MNN. We developed a family of linear mathematical models of MNNs and evaluated whether the somato-dendritic transfer of electrical signals is influenced by the geometrical characteristics. We determined the prerequisites for critically strong dendritic attenuation of the somatic input which are sufficient to explain the failure of APs initiated in the soma to backpropagating into dendritic compartments. Being measured in 100 μm from soma voltage attenuations down to 0.1 and 0.01 of the input value were chosen as the markers of electrical decoupling of dendritic sites from the soma, considering 0.1 insufficient for triggering dendritic spikes and 0.01 indistinguishable from background noise. The tested micro-geometrical factors were the dendritic stem diameter, varicosities, and size of peri-dendritic space limited by glial sheath wrapping. Varicosities increased the attenuation along homogeneous proximal dendrites by providing an increased current leak at the junction with the proximal dendritic section. The glial sheath wrapping a dendrite section promoted greater attenuation by increasing longitudinal resistance of the interstitial peri-dendritic space thus playing the insulating role. These decoupling effects were strengthened in the case of the dendritic stems with thinner diameters of and/or increased conductivity of the membrane. These micro-geometrical factors are biophysically realistic and predict electrical decoupling between somatic and dendritic compartments in MNNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergiy M. Korogod
- The Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Department of Molecular Biophysics, O. O. Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Javier E. Stern
- The Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Gennady S. Cymbalyuk
- The Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
- Center for Neuroinflammation and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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39
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Hou W, Huang S, Li L, Guo X, He Z, Shang S, Jia Z, Zhang L, Qu Y, Huang C, Li Y, Li Y, Lv Z, Tai F. Oxytocin treatments or activation of the paraventricular nucleus-the shell of nucleus accumbens pathway reduce adverse effects of chronic social defeat stress on emotional and social behaviors in Mandarin voles. Neuropharmacology 2023; 230:109482. [PMID: 36893984 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Chronic social stress can cause psychological disease. Although oxytocin (OT) has been showed to modulate effects of chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) on emotional and social behaviors, however, how OT circuits mediate effects of CSDS on emotional and social abnormalities remains unclear. Here, we found that repeated intraperitoneal OT administration in the process of CSDS buffered adverse effects of CSDS on emotional and social behaviors in mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus) of both sexes except no effect on depression-like behavior of males. Repeated OT treatments during CSDS prevented decrease of oxytocin receptors in nucleus accumbens (NAc) in females, but produced no effects on males. Furthermore, using designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs (DREADDs)-based chemogenetic tools, we determined that the activation of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN)-the shell of NAc (NAcs) projections before social defeat during CSDS process significantly prevented the increase of the anxiety-like behaviors and social avoidance induced by CSDS in both sexes, and reversed the depressive-like behaviors induced by CSDS only in females. Besides, optogenetic activation of PVN-NAcs projections after CSDS reduced anxiety-like behaviors and increased levels of sociality. Collectively, we suggest that PVN-NAcs projections modulate emotional and social behaviors during or after the process of CSDS sex-specifically, although AAV viruses did not specifically infect OT neurons. These findings offer potential targets for preventing or treating emotional and social disorders induced by chronic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjuan Hou
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Shuying Huang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Lu Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Xing Guo
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Zhixiong He
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Shufeng Shang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China; College of Bioscience and Engineering, Shaanxi University of Technology, Hanzhong, 723000, China
| | - Ziyan Jia
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Lizi Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Yishan Qu
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Caihong Huang
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Yin Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Yitong Li
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Zijian Lv
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China
| | - Fadao Tai
- Institute of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, 710062, China.
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40
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Powell JM, Inoue K, Wallace KJ, Seifert AW, Young LJ, Kelly AM. Distribution of vasopressin 1a and oxytocin receptor protein and mRNA in the basal forebrain and midbrain of the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:413-431. [PMID: 36271259 PMCID: PMC9974677 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02581-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The nonapeptide system modulates numerous social behaviors through oxytocin and vasopressin activation of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) and vasopressin receptor (AVPR1A) in the brain. OXTRs and AVPR1As are widely distributed throughout the brain and binding densities exhibit substantial variation within and across species. Although OXTR and AVPR1A binding distributions have been mapped for several rodents, this system has yet to be characterized in the spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus). Here we conducted receptor autoradiography and in situ hybridization to map distributions of OXTR and AVPR1A binding and Oxtr and Avpr1a mRNA expression throughout the basal forebrain and midbrain of male and female spiny mice. We found that nonapeptide receptor mRNA is diffuse throughout the forebrain and midbrain and does not always align with OXTR and AVPR1A binding. Analyses of sex differences in brain regions involved in social behavior and reward revealed that males exhibit higher OXTR binding densities in the lateral septum, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and anterior hypothalamus. However, no association with gonadal sex was observed for AVPR1A binding. Hierarchical clustering analysis further revealed that co-expression patterns of OXTR and AVPR1A binding across brain regions involved in social behavior and reward differ between males and females. These findings provide mapping distributions and sex differences in nonapeptide receptors in spiny mice. Spiny mice are an excellent organism for studying grouping behaviors such as cooperation and prosociality, and the nonapeptide receptor mapping here can inform the study of nonapeptide-mediated behavior in a highly social, large group-living rodent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne M Powell
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Kiyoshi Inoue
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
| | - Kelly J Wallace
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Ashley W Seifert
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, 101 Morgan Building, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA
| | - Larry J Young
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Aubrey M Kelly
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, 36 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA.
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Xiong H, Wilson BA, Slesinger PA, Qin Z. Understanding Neuropeptide Transmission in the Brain by Optical Uncaging and Release. ACS Chem Neurosci 2023; 14:516-523. [PMID: 36719384 PMCID: PMC10302814 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.2c00684] [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] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides are abundant and essential signaling molecules in the nervous system involved in modulating neural circuits and behavior. Neuropeptides are generally released extrasynaptically and signal via volume transmission through G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). Although substantive functional roles of neuropeptides have been discovered, many questions on neuropeptide transmission remain poorly understood, including the local diffusion and transmission properties in the brain extracellular space. To address this challenge, intensive efforts are required to develop advanced tools for releasing and detecting neuropeptides with high spatiotemporal resolution. Because of the rapid development of biosensors and materials science, emerging tools are beginning to provide a better understanding of neuropeptide transmission. In this perspective, we summarize the fundamental advances in understanding neuropeptide transmission over the past decade, highlight the tools for releasing neuropeptides with high spatiotemporal solution in the brain, and discuss open questions and future directions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hejian Xiong
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Blake A. Wilson
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
| | - Paul A. Slesinger
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Zhenpeng Qin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
- Department of Surgery, The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
- Center for Advanced Pain Studies, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
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Baudon A, Clauss Creusot E, Charlet A. [Emergent role of astrocytes in oxytocin-mediated modulatory control of neuronal circuits and brain functions]. Biol Aujourdhui 2023; 216:155-165. [PMID: 36744981 DOI: 10.1051/jbio/2022022] [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: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The neuropeptide oxytocin has been in the focus of scientists for decades due to its profound and pleiotropic effects on physiology, activity of neuronal circuits and behaviors. Until recently, it was believed that oxytocinergic action exclusively occurs through direct activation of neuronal oxytocin receptors. However, several studies demonstrated the existence and functional relevance of astroglial oxytocin receptors in various brain regions in the mouse and rat brain. Astrocytic signaling and activity are critical for many important physiological processes including metabolism, neurotransmitter clearance from the synaptic cleft and integrated brain functions. While it can be speculated that oxytocinergic action on astrocytes predominantly facilitates neuromodulation via the release of gliotransmitters, the precise role of astrocytic oxytocin receptors remains elusive. In this review, we discuss the latest studies on the interaction between the oxytocinergic system and astrocytes, and give details of underlying intracellular cascades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Baudon
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, 8 allée du Général Rouvillois, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Etienne Clauss Creusot
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, 8 allée du Général Rouvillois, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Alexandre Charlet
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Université de Strasbourg, Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, 8 allée du Général Rouvillois, 67000 Strasbourg, France
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43
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Toya A, Fukada M, Aoki E, Matsuki T, Ueda M, Eda S, Hashizume Y, Iio A, Masaki S, Nakayama A. The distribution of neuroligin4, an autism-related postsynaptic molecule, in the human brain. Mol Brain 2023; 16:20. [PMID: 36747195 PMCID: PMC9903511 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-023-00999-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
NLGN4X was identified as a single causative gene of rare familial nonsyndromic autism for the first time. It encodes the postsynaptic membrane protein Neuroligin4 (NLGN4), the functions and roles of which, however, are not fully understood due to the lack of a closely homologous gene in rodents. It has been confirmed only recently that human NLGN4 is abundantly expressed in the cerebral cortex and is localized mainly to excitatory synapses. However, the detailed histological distribution of NLGN4, which may have important implications regarding the relationships between NLGN4 and autistic phenotypes, has not been clarified. In this study, we raised specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against NLGN4 and examined the distribution of NLGN4 in developing and developed human brains by immunohistochemistry. We found that, in the brain, NLGN4 is expressed almost exclusively in neurons, in which it has a widespread cytoplasmic pattern of distribution. Among various types of neurons with NLGN4 expression, we identified consistently high expression of NLGN4 in hypothalamic oxytocin (OXT)/vasopressin (AVP)-producing cells. Quantitative analyses revealed that the majority of OXT/AVP-producing neurons expressed NLGN4. NLGN4 signals in other large neurons, such as pyramidal cells in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus as well as neurons in the locus coeruleus and the raphe nucleus, were also remarkable, clearly contrasting with no or scarce signals in Purkinje cells. These data suggest that NLGN4 functions in systems involved in intellectual abilities, social abilities, and sleep and wakefulness, impairments of which are commonly seen in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akie Toya
- grid.440395.f0000 0004 1773 8175Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392 Japan ,grid.27476.300000 0001 0943 978XDepartment of Neurochemistry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, 466-8560 Japan
| | - Masahide Fukada
- grid.440395.f0000 0004 1773 8175Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392 Japan
| | - Eiko Aoki
- grid.440395.f0000 0004 1773 8175Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392 Japan
| | - Tohru Matsuki
- grid.440395.f0000 0004 1773 8175Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392 Japan
| | - Masashi Ueda
- grid.440395.f0000 0004 1773 8175Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392 Japan
| | - Shima Eda
- grid.440395.f0000 0004 1773 8175Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392 Japan
| | - Yoshio Hashizume
- grid.411234.10000 0001 0727 1557Institute for Medical Science of Aging, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute, 480-1195 Japan
| | - Akio Iio
- grid.440395.f0000 0004 1773 8175Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392 Japan
| | - Shigeo Masaki
- grid.440395.f0000 0004 1773 8175Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392 Japan
| | - Atsuo Nakayama
- Department of Cellular Pathology, Institute for Developmental Research, Aichi Developmental Disability Center, Kasugai, 480-0392, Japan. .,Department of Neurochemistry, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, 466-8560, Japan.
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Caria A. A Hypothalamic Perspective of Human Socioemotional Behavior. Neuroscientist 2023:10738584221149647. [PMID: 36703298 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221149647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Historical evidence from stimulation and lesion studies in animals and humans demonstrated a close association between the hypothalamus and typical and atypical socioemotional behavior. A central hypothalamic contribution to regulation of socioemotional responses was also provided indirectly by studies on oxytocin and arginine vasopressin. However, a limited number of studies have so far directly investigated the contribution of the hypothalamus in human socioemotional behavior. To reconsider the functional role of the evolutionarily conserved hypothalamic region in regulating human social behavior, here I provide a synthesis of neuroimaging investigations showing that the hypothalamus is involved in multiple and diverse facets of human socioemotional behavior through widespread functional interactions with other cortical and subcortical regions. These neuroimaging findings are then integrated with recent optogenetics studies in animals demonstrating that the hypothalamus plays a more active role in eliciting socioemotional responses and is not simply a downstream effector of higher-level brain systems. Building on the aforementioned evidence, the hypothalamus is argued to substantially contribute to a continuum of human socioemotional behaviors promoting survival and preservation of the species that extends from exploratory and approaching responses facilitating social bonding to aggressive and avoidance responses aimed to protect and defend formed relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Caria
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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Kim DI, Park S, Ye M, Chen JY, Jhang J, Hunker AC, Zweifel LS, Palmiter RD, Han S. Novel genetically encoded tools for imaging or silencing neuropeptide release from presynaptic terminals in vivo. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.19.524797. [PMID: 36712060 PMCID: PMC9882317 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.19.524797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Neurons produce and release neuropeptides to communicate with one another. Despite their profound impact on critical brain functions, circuit-based mechanisms of peptidergic transmission are poorly understood, primarily due to the lack of tools for monitoring and manipulating neuropeptide release in vivo. Here, we report the development of two genetically encoded tools for investigating peptidergic transmission in behaving mice: a genetically encoded large dense core vesicle (LDCV) sensor that detects the neuropeptides release presynaptically, and a genetically encoded silencer that specifically degrades neuropeptides inside the LDCV. Monitoring and silencing peptidergic and glutamatergic transmissions from presynaptic terminals using our newly developed tools and existing genetic tools, respectively, reveal that neuropeptides, not glutamate, are the primary transmitter in encoding unconditioned stimulus during Pavlovian threat learning. These results show that our sensor and silencer for peptidergic transmission are reliable tools to investigate neuropeptidergic systems in awake behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Il Kim
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Sekun Park
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mao Ye
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jane Y. Chen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Jinho Jhang
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Avery C. Hunker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Larry S. Zweifel
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Richard D. Palmiter
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sung Han
- Peptide Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
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Martinez Damonte V, Pomrenze MB, Manning CE, Casper C, Wolfden AL, Malenka RC, Kauer JA. Somatodendritic Release of Cholecystokinin Potentiates GABAergic Synapses Onto Ventral Tegmental Area Dopamine Cells. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 93:197-208. [PMID: 35961792 PMCID: PMC9976994 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuropeptides are contained in nearly every neuron in the central nervous system and can be released not only from nerve terminals but also from somatodendritic sites. Cholecystokinin (CCK), among the most abundant neuropeptides in the brain, is expressed in the majority of midbrain dopamine neurons. Despite this high expression, CCK function within the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is not well understood. METHODS We confirmed CCK expression in VTA dopamine neurons through immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization and detected optogenetically induced CCK release using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. To investigate whether CCK modulates VTA circuit activity, we used whole-cell patch clamp recordings in mouse brain slices. We infused CCK locally in vivo and tested food intake and locomotion in fasted mice. We also used in vivo fiber photometry to measure Ca2+ transients in dopamine neurons during feeding. RESULTS Here we report that VTA dopamine neurons release CCK from somatodendritic regions, where it triggers long-term potentiation of GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) synapses. The somatodendritic release occurs during trains of optogenetic stimuli or prolonged but modest depolarization and is dependent on synaptotagmin-7 and T-type Ca2+ channels. Depolarization-induced long-term potentiation is blocked by a CCK2 receptor antagonist and mimicked by exogenous CCK. Local infusion of CCK in vivo inhibits food consumption and decreases distance traveled in an open field test. Furthermore, intra-VTA-infused CCK reduced dopamine cell Ca2+ signals during food consumption after an overnight fast and was correlated with reduced food intake. CONCLUSIONS Our experiments introduce somatodendritic neuropeptide release as a previously unknown feedback regulator of VTA dopamine cell excitability and dopamine-related behaviors.
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Maejima Y, Yokota S, Ono T, Yu Z, Yamachi M, Hidema S, Nollet KE, Nishimori K, Tomita H, Yaginuma H, Shimomura K. Identification of oxytocin expression in human and murine microglia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 119:110600. [PMID: 35842075 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Oxytocin is a neuropeptide synthesized in the hypothalamus. In addition to its role in parturition and lactation, oxytocin mediates social behavior and pair bonding. The possibility of using oxytocin to modify behavior in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, is of clinical interest. Microglia are tissue-resident macrophages with roles in neurogenesis, synapse pruning, and immunological mediation of brain homeostasis. Recently, oxytocin was found to attenuate microglial secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, but the source of this oxytocin was not established. This prompted us to investigate whether microglia themselves were the source. METHODS We examined oxytocin expression in human and murine brain tissue in both sexes using immunohistochemistry. Oxytocin mRNA expression and secretion were examined in isolated murine microglia from wild type and oxytocin-knockout mice. Also, secretion of oxytocin and cytokines was measured in cultured microglia (MG6) stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RESULTS We identified oxytocin expression in microglia of human brain tissue, cultured microglia (MG6), and primary murine microglia. Furthermore, LPS stimulation increased oxytocin mRNA expression in primary murine microglia and MG6 cells, and oxytocin secretion as well. A positive correlation between oxytocin and IL-1β, IL-10 secretion emerged, respectively. CONCLUSION This may be the first demonstration of oxytocin expression in microglia. Functionally, oxytocin might regulate inflammatory cytokine release from microglia in a paracrine/autocrine manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuko Maejima
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan; Department of Obesity and Inflammation Research, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan.
| | - Shoko Yokota
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Ono
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan; Department of Obesity and Inflammation Research, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Zhiqian Yu
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
| | - Megumi Yamachi
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Shizu Hidema
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Kenneth E Nollet
- Department of Blood Transfusion and Transplantation Immunology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Nishimori
- Department of Obesity and Inflammation Research, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Tomita
- Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8573, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Yaginuma
- Department of Neuroanatomy and Embryology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan
| | - Kenju Shimomura
- Department of Bioregulation and Pharmacological Medicine, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan; Department of Obesity and Inflammation Research, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima 960-1295, Japan.
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The Role of Oxytocin in Abnormal Brain Development: Effect on Glial Cells and Neuroinflammation. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233899. [PMID: 36497156 PMCID: PMC9740972 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The neonatal period is critical for brain development and determinant for long-term brain trajectory. Yet, this time concurs with a sensitivity and risk for numerous brain injuries following perinatal complications such as preterm birth. Brain injury in premature infants leads to a complex amalgam of primary destructive diseases and secondary maturational and trophic disturbances and, as a consequence, to long-term neurocognitive and behavioral problems. Neuroinflammation is an important common factor in these complications, which contributes to the adverse effects on brain development. Mediating this inflammatory response forms a key therapeutic target in protecting the vulnerable developing brain when complications arise. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) plays an important role in the perinatal period, and its importance for lactation and social bonding in early life are well-recognized. Yet, novel functions of OT for the developing brain are increasingly emerging. In particular, OT seems able to modulate glial activity in neuroinflammatory states, but the exact mechanisms underlying this connection are largely unknown. The current review provides an overview of the oxytocinergic system and its early life development across rodent and human. Moreover, we cover the most up-to-date understanding of the role of OT in neonatal brain development and the potential neuroprotective effects it holds when adverse neural events arise in association with neuroinflammation. A detailed assessment of the underlying mechanisms between OT treatment and astrocyte and microglia reactivity is given, as well as a focus on the amygdala, a brain region of crucial importance for socio-emotional behavior, particularly in infants born preterm.
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Triana-Del Rio R, Ranade S, Guardado J, LeDoux J, Klann E, Shrestha P. The modulation of emotional and social behaviors by oxytocin signaling in limbic network. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:1002846. [PMID: 36466805 PMCID: PMC9714608 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.1002846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptides can exert volume modulation in neuronal networks, which account for a well-calibrated and fine-tuned regulation that depends on the sensory and behavioral contexts. For example, oxytocin (OT) and oxytocin receptor (OTR) trigger a signaling pattern encompassing intracellular cascades, synaptic plasticity, gene expression, and network regulation, that together function to increase the signal-to-noise ratio for sensory-dependent stress/threat and social responses. Activation of OTRs in emotional circuits within the limbic forebrain is necessary to acquire stress/threat responses. When emotional memories are retrieved, OTR-expressing cells act as gatekeepers of the threat response choice/discrimination. OT signaling has also been implicated in modulating social-exposure elicited responses in the neural circuits within the limbic forebrain. In this review, we describe the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the neuromodulation by OT, and how OT signaling in specific neural circuits and cell populations mediate stress/threat and social behaviors. OT and downstream signaling cascades are heavily implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by emotional and social dysregulation. Thus, a mechanistic understanding of downstream cellular effects of OT in relevant cell types and neural circuits can help design effective intervention techniques for a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sayali Ranade
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Jahel Guardado
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Joseph LeDoux
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Eric Klann
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Prerana Shrestha
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
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50
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Marcinkowska AB, Biancardi VC, Winklewski PJ. Arginine Vasopressin, Synaptic Plasticity, and Brain Networks. Curr Neuropharmacol 2022; 20:2292-2302. [PMID: 35193483 PMCID: PMC9890292 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x20666220222143532] [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: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The arginine vasopressin (AVP), a neurohypophysial hormone, is synthesized within specific sites of the central nervous system and axonally transported to multiple areas, acting as a neurotransmitter/ neuromodulator. In this context, AVP acts primarily through vasopressin receptors A and B and is involved in regulating complex social and cognition behaviors and basic autonomic function. Many earlier studies have shown that AVP as a neuromodulator affects synaptic plasticity. This review updates our current understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms by which AVP affects synaptic plasticity. Moreover, we discuss AVP modulatory effects on event-related potentials and blood oxygen level-dependent responses in specific brain structures, and AVP effects on the network level oscillatory activity. We aimed at providing an overview of the AVP effects on the brain from the synaptic to the network level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna B. Marcinkowska
- Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of Human Physiology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
- 2-nd Department of Radiology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Vinicia C. Biancardi
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, Auburn University, and Center for Neurosciences Initiative, Auburn University, Auburn, USA
| | - Pawel J. Winklewski
- 2-nd Department of Radiology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
- Department of Human Physiology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland
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