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Furdui A, da Silveira Scarpellini C, Montandon G. Anatomical distribution of µ-opioid receptors, neurokinin-1 receptors, and vesicular glutamate transporter 2 in the mouse brainstem respiratory network. J Neurophysiol 2024; 132:108-129. [PMID: 38748514 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00478.2023] [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: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
µ-Opioid receptors (MORs) are responsible for mediating both the analgesic and respiratory effects of opioid drugs. By binding to MORs in brainstem regions involved in controlling breathing, opioids produce respiratory depressive effects characterized by slow and shallow breathing, with potential cardiorespiratory arrest and death during overdose. To better understand the mechanisms underlying opioid-induced respiratory depression, thorough knowledge of the regions and cellular subpopulations that may be vulnerable to modulation by opioid drugs is needed. Using in situ hybridization, we determined the distribution and coexpression of Oprm1 (gene encoding MORs) mRNA with glutamatergic (Vglut2) and neurokinin-1 receptor (Tacr1) mRNA in medullary and pontine regions involved in breathing control and modulation. We found that >50% of cells expressed Oprm1 mRNA in the preBötzinger complex (preBötC), nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), nucleus ambiguus (NA), postinspiratory complex (PiCo), locus coeruleus (LC), Kölliker-Fuse nucleus (KF), and the lateral and medial parabrachial nuclei (LBPN and MPBN, respectively). Among Tacr1 mRNA-expressing cells, >50% coexpressed Oprm1 mRNA in the preBötC, NTS, NA, Bötzinger complex (BötC), PiCo, LC, raphe magnus nucleus, KF, LPBN, and MPBN, whereas among Vglut2 mRNA-expressing cells, >50% coexpressed Oprm1 mRNA in the preBötC, NTS, NA, BötC, PiCo, LC, KF, LPBN, and MPBN. Taken together, our study provides a comprehensive map of the distribution and coexpression of Oprm1, Tacr1, and Vglut2 mRNA in brainstem regions that control and modulate breathing and identifies Tacr1 and Vglut2 mRNA-expressing cells as subpopulations with potential vulnerability to modulation by opioid drugs.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Opioid drugs can cause serious respiratory side-effects by binding to µ-opioid receptors (MORs) in brainstem regions that control breathing. To better understand the regions and their cellular subpopulations that may be vulnerable to modulation by opioids, we provide a comprehensive map of Oprm1 (gene encoding MORs) mRNA expression throughout brainstem regions that control and modulate breathing. Notably, we identify glutamatergic and neurokinin-1 receptor-expressing cells as potentially vulnerable to modulation by opioid drugs and worthy of further investigation using targeted approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreea Furdui
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Gaspard Montandon
- Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Respirology, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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2
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Souza GMPR, Abbott SBG. Loss-of-function of chemoreceptor neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus: What have we learned from it? Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2024; 322:104217. [PMID: 38237884 PMCID: PMC10922619 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2024.104217] [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: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/13/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
Central respiratory chemoreceptors are cells in the brain that regulate breathing in relation to arterial pH and PCO2. Neurons located at the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) have been hypothesized to be central chemoreceptors and/or to be part of the neural network that drives the central respiratory chemoreflex. The inhibition or ablation of RTN chemoreceptor neurons has offered important insights into the role of these cells on central respiratory chemoreception and the neural control of breathing over almost 60 years since the original identification of acid-sensitive properties of this ventral medullary site. Here, we discuss the current definition of chemoreceptor neurons in the RTN and describe how this definition has evolved over time. We then summarize the results of studies that use loss-of-function approaches to evaluate the effects of disrupting the function of RTN neurons on respiration. These studies offer evidence that RTN neurons are indispensable for the central respiratory chemoreflex in mammals and exert a tonic drive to breathe at rest. Moreover, RTN has an interdependent relationship with oxygen sensing mechanisms for the maintenance of the neural drive to breathe and blood gas homeostasis. Collectively, RTN neurons are a genetically-defined group of putative central respiratory chemoreceptors that generate CO2-dependent drive that supports eupneic breathing and stimulates the hypercapnic ventilatory reflex.
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Gonye EC, Bayliss DA. Criteria for central respiratory chemoreceptors: experimental evidence supporting current candidate cell groups. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1241662. [PMID: 37719465 PMCID: PMC10502317 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1241662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
An interoceptive homeostatic system monitors levels of CO2/H+ and provides a proportionate drive to respiratory control networks that adjust lung ventilation to maintain physiologically appropriate levels of CO2 and rapidly regulate tissue acid-base balance. It has long been suspected that the sensory cells responsible for the major CNS contribution to this so-called respiratory CO2/H+ chemoreception are located in the brainstem-but there is still substantial debate in the field as to which specific cells subserve the sensory function. Indeed, at the present time, several cell types have been championed as potential respiratory chemoreceptors, including neurons and astrocytes. In this review, we advance a set of criteria that are necessary and sufficient for definitive acceptance of any cell type as a respiratory chemoreceptor. We examine the extant evidence supporting consideration of the different putative chemoreceptor candidate cell types in the context of these criteria and also note for each where the criteria have not yet been fulfilled. By enumerating these specific criteria we hope to provide a useful heuristic that can be employed both to evaluate the various existing respiratory chemoreceptor candidates, and also to focus effort on specific experimental tests that can satisfy the remaining requirements for definitive acceptance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Gonye
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
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Thakre PP, Rana S, Benevides ES, Fuller DD. Targeting drug or gene delivery to the phrenic motoneuron pool. J Neurophysiol 2023; 129:144-158. [PMID: 36416447 PMCID: PMC9829468 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00432.2022] [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: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Phrenic motoneurons (PhrMNs) innervate diaphragm myofibers. Located in the ventral gray matter (lamina IX), PhrMNs form a column extending from approximately the third to sixth cervical spinal segment. Phrenic motor output and diaphragm activation are impaired in many neuromuscular diseases, and targeted delivery of drugs and/or genetic material to PhrMNs may have therapeutic application. Studies of phrenic motor control and/or neuroplasticity mechanisms also typically require targeting of PhrMNs with drugs, viral vectors, or tracers. The location of the phrenic motoneuron pool, however, poses a challenge. Selective PhrMN targeting is possible with molecules that move retrogradely upon uptake into phrenic axons subsequent to diaphragm or phrenic nerve delivery. However, nonspecific approaches that use intrathecal or intravenous delivery have considerably advanced the understanding of PhrMN control. New opportunities for targeted PhrMN gene expression may be possible with intersectional genetic methods. This article provides an overview of methods for targeting the phrenic motoneuron pool for studies of PhrMNs in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prajwal P Thakre
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Breathing Research and Therapeutics Center, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Sabhya Rana
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Breathing Research and Therapeutics Center, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Ethan S Benevides
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Breathing Research and Therapeutics Center, Gainesville, Florida
| | - David D Fuller
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Breathing Research and Therapeutics Center, Gainesville, Florida
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5
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Toledo C, Díaz-Jara E, Diaz HS, Schwarz KG, Pereyra KV, Las Heras A, Rios-Gallardo A, Andrade DC, Moreira T, Takakura A, Marcus NJ, Del Rio R. Medullary astrocytes mediate irregular breathing patterns generation in chronic heart failure through purinergic P2X7 receptor signalling. EBioMedicine 2022; 80:104044. [PMID: 35533501 PMCID: PMC9097632 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.104044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Breathing disorders (BD) (apnoeas/hypopneas, periodic breathing) are highly prevalent in chronic heart failure (CHF) and are associated with altered central respiratory control. Ample evidence identifies the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) as an important chemosensitivity region for ventilatory control and generation of BD in CHF, however little is known about the cellular mechanisms underlying the RTN/BD relationship. Within the RTN, astrocyte‐mediated purinergic signalling modulates respiration, but the potential contribution of RTN astrocytes to BD in CHF has not been explored. Methods Selective neuron and/or astrocyte-targeted interventions using either optogenetic and chemogenetic manipulations in the RTN of CHF rats were used to unveil the contribution of the RTN on the development/maintenance of BD, the role played by astrocytes in BD and the molecular mechanism underpinning these alterations. Findings We showed that episodic photo-stimulation of RTN neurons triggered BD in healthy rats, and that RTN neurons ablation in CHF animals eliminates BD. Also, we found a reduction in astrocytes activity and ATP bioavailability within the RTN of CHF rats, and that chemogenetic restoration of normal RTN astrocyte activity and ATP levels improved breathing regularity in CHF. Importantly, P"X/ P2X7 receptor (P2X7r) expression was reduced in RTN astrocytes from CHF rats and viral vector-mediated delivery of human P2X7 P2X7r into astrocytes increases ATP bioavailability and abolished BD. Interpretation Our results support that RTN astrocytes play a pivotal role on BD generation and maintenance in the setting CHF by a mechanism encompassing P2X7r signalling. Funding This study was funded by the National Research and Development Agency of Chile (ANID).
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Abstract
Brain PCO2 is sensed primarily via changes in [H+]. Small pH changes are detected in the medulla oblongata and trigger breathing adjustments that help maintain arterial PCO2 constant. Larger perturbations of brain CO2/H+, possibly also sensed elsewhere in the CNS, elicit arousal, dyspnea, and stress, and cause additional breathing modifications. The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), a rostral medullary cluster of glutamatergic neurons identified by coexpression of Phoxb and Nmb transcripts, is the lynchpin of the central respiratory chemoreflex. RTN regulates breathing frequency, inspiratory amplitude, and active expiration. It is exquisitely responsive to acidosis in vivo and maintains breathing autorhythmicity during quiet waking, slow-wave sleep, and anesthesia. The RTN response to [H+] is partly an intrinsic neuronal property mediated by proton sensors TASK-2 and GPR4 and partly a paracrine effect mediated by astrocytes and the vasculature. The RTN also receives myriad excitatory or inhibitory synaptic inputs including from [H+]-responsive neurons (e.g., serotonergic). RTN is silenced by moderate hypoxia. RTN inactivity (periodic or sustained) contributes to periodic breathing and, likely, to central sleep apnea. RTN development relies on transcription factors Egr2, Phox2b, Lbx1, and Atoh1. PHOX2B mutations cause congenital central hypoventilation syndrome; they impair RTN development and consequently the central respiratory chemoreflex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice G Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States.
| | - Douglas A Bayliss
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, United States
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Adolescent Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome: An Easily Overlooked Diagnosis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182413402. [PMID: 34949014 PMCID: PMC8703802 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182413402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Revised: 12/12/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), also known as Ondine’s curse, is a rare, potentially fatal genetic disease, manifesting as a lack of respiratory drive. Most diagnoses are made in pediatric patients, however late-onset cases have been rarely reported. Due to the milder symptoms at presentation that might easily go overlooked, these late-onset cases can result in serious health consequences later in life. Here, we present a case report of late-onset CCHS in an adolescent female patient. In this review we summarize the current knowledge about symptoms, as well as clinical management of CCHS, and describe in detail the molecular mechanism responsible for this disorder.
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Guyenet PG, Stornetta RL. Rostral ventrolateral medulla, retropontine region and autonomic regulations. Auton Neurosci 2021; 237:102922. [PMID: 34814098 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The rostral half of the ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) and adjacent ventrolateral retropontine region (henceforth RVLMRP) have been divided into various sectors by neuroscientists interested in breathing or autonomic regulations. The RVLMRP regulates respiration, glycemia, vigilance and inflammation, in addition to blood pressure. It contains interoceptors that respond to acidification, hypoxia and intracranial pressure and its rostral end contains the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) which is the main central respiratory chemoreceptor. Acid detection by the RTN is an intrinsic property of the principal neurons that is enhanced by paracrine influences from surrounding astrocytes and CO2-dependent vascular constriction. RTN mediates the hypercapnic ventilatory response via complex projections to the respiratory pattern generator (CPG). The RVLM contributes to autonomic response patterns via differential recruitment of several subtypes of adrenergic (C1) and non-adrenergic neurons that directly innervate sympathetic and parasympathetic preganglionic neurons. The RVLM also innervates many brainstem and hypothalamic nuclei that contribute, albeit less directly, to autonomic responses. All lower brainstem noradrenergic clusters including the locus coeruleus are among these targets. Sympathetic tone to the circulatory system is regulated by subsets of presympathetic RVLM neurons whose activity is continuously restrained by the baroreceptors and modulated by the respiratory CPG. The inhibitory input from baroreceptors and the excitatory input from the respiratory CPG originate from neurons located in or close to the rhythm generating region of the respiratory CPG (preBötzinger complex).
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice G Guyenet
- University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, 1340 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0735, USA.
| | - Ruth L Stornetta
- University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, 1340 Jefferson Park Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0735, USA.
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Baizer JS, Webster CJ, Witelson SF. Individual variability in the size and organization of the human arcuate nucleus of the medulla. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 227:159-176. [PMID: 34613435 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02396-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The arcuate nucleus (Arc) of the medulla is found in almost all human brains and in a small percentage of chimpanzee brains. It is absent in the brains of other mammalian species including mice, rats, cats, and macaque monkeys. The Arc is classically considered a precerebellar relay nucleus, receiving input from the cerebral cortex and projecting to the cerebellum via the inferior cerebellar peduncle. However, several studies have found aplasia of the Arc in babies who died of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), and it was suggested that the Arc is the locus of chemosensory neurons critical for brainstem control of respiration. Aplasia of the Arc, however, has also been reported in adults, suggesting that it is not critical for survival. We have examined the Arc in closely spaced Nissl-stained sections in thirteen adult human cases to acquire a better understanding of the degree of variability of its size and location in adults. We have also examined immunostained sections to look for neurochemical compartments in this nucleus. Caudally, neurons of the Arc are ventrolateral to the pyramidal tracts (py); rostrally, they are ventro-medial to the py and extend up along the midline. In some cases, the Arc is discontinuous, with a gap between sections with the ventrolaterally located and the ventromedially located neurons. In all cases, there is some degree of left-right asymmetry in Arc position, size, and shape at all rostro-caudal levels. Somata of neurons in the Arc express calretinin (CR), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), and nonphosphorylated neurofilament protein (NPNFP). Calbindin (CB) is expressed in puncta whereas there is no expression of parvalbumin (PV) in somata or puncta. There is also immunostaining for GAD and GABA receptors suggesting inhibitory input to Arc neurons. These properties were consistent among cases. Our data show differences in location of caudal and rostral Arc neurons and considerable variability among cases in the size and shape of the Arc. The variability in size suggests that "hypoplasia" of the Arc is difficult to define. The discontinuity of the Arc in many cases suggests that establishing aplasia of the Arc requires examination of many closely spaced sections through the brainstem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan S Baizer
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, 123 Sherman Hall, South Campus, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA.
| | - Charles J Webster
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, 123 Sherman Hall, South Campus, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA
| | - Sandra F Witelson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
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Abbott SBG, Souza GMPR. Chemoreceptor mechanisms regulating CO 2 -induced arousal from sleep. J Physiol 2021; 599:2559-2571. [PMID: 33759184 DOI: 10.1113/jp281305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Arousal from sleep in response to CO2 is a life-preserving reflex that enhances ventilatory drive and facilitates behavioural adaptations to restore eupnoeic breathing. Recurrent activation of the CO2 -arousal reflex is associated with sleep disruption in obstructive sleep apnoea. In this review we examine the role of chemoreceptors in the carotid bodies, the retrotrapezoid nucleus and serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe in the CO2 -arousal reflex. We also provide an overview of the supra-medullary structures that mediate CO2 -induced arousal. We propose a framework for the CO2 -arousal reflex in which the activity of the chemoreceptors converges in the parabrachial nucleus to trigger cortical arousal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen B G Abbott
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 29903, USA
| | - George M P R Souza
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 29903, USA
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Shi Y, Stornetta DS, Reklow RJ, Sahu A, Wabara Y, Nguyen A, Li K, Zhang Y, Perez-Reyes E, Ross RA, Lowell BB, Stornetta RL, Funk GD, Guyenet PG, Bayliss DA. A brainstem peptide system activated at birth protects postnatal breathing. Nature 2021; 589:426-430. [PMID: 33268898 PMCID: PMC7855323 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2991-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Among numerous challenges encountered at the beginning of extrauterine life, the most celebrated is the first breath that initiates a life-sustaining motor activity1. The neural systems that regulate breathing are fragile early in development, and it is not clear how they adjust to support breathing at birth. Here we identify a neuropeptide system that becomes activated immediately after birth and supports breathing. Mice that lack PACAP selectively in neurons of the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) displayed increased apnoeas and blunted CO2-stimulated breathing; re-expression of PACAP in RTN neurons corrected these breathing deficits. Deletion of the PACAP receptor PAC1 from the pre-Bötzinger complex-an RTN target region responsible for generating the respiratory rhythm-phenocopied the breathing deficits observed after RTN deletion of PACAP, and suppressed PACAP-evoked respiratory stimulation in the pre-Bötzinger complex. Notably, a postnatal burst of PACAP expression occurred in RTN neurons precisely at the time of birth, coinciding with exposure to the external environment. Neonatal mice with deletion of PACAP in RTN neurons displayed increased apnoeas that were further exacerbated by changes in ambient temperature. Our findings demonstrate that well-timed PACAP expression by RTN neurons provides an important supplementary respiratory drive immediately after birth and reveal key molecular components of a peptidergic neural circuit that supports breathing at a particularly vulnerable period in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingtang Shi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Daniel S. Stornetta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Robert J. Reklow
- Department of Physiology, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alisha Sahu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Yvonne Wabara
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Ashley Nguyen
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Keyong Li
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Edward Perez-Reyes
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Rachel A. Ross
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA,McLean Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Bradford B. Lowell
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ruth L. Stornetta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Gregory D. Funk
- Department of Physiology, Women & Children’s Health Research Institute, Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Patrice G. Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Douglas A. Bayliss
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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Volatile Anesthetics Activate a Leak Sodium Conductance in Retrotrapezoid Nucleus Neurons to Maintain Breathing during Anesthesia in Mice. Anesthesiology 2020; 133:824-838. [PMID: 32773689 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000003493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Volatile anesthetics moderately depress respiratory function at clinically relevant concentrations. Phox2b-expressing chemosensitive neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus, a respiratory control center, are activated by isoflurane, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The hypothesis of this study was that the sodium leak channel contributes to the volatile anesthetics-induced modulation of retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons and to respiratory output. METHODS The contribution of sodium leak channels to isoflurane-, sevoflurane-, and propofol-evoked activity of Phox2b-expressing retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons and respiratory output were evaluated in wild-type and genetically modified mice lacking sodium leak channels (both sexes). Patch-clamp recordings were performed in acute brain slices. Whole-body plethysmography was used to measure the respiratory activity. RESULTS Isoflurane at 0.42 to 0.50 mM (~1.5 minimum alveolar concentration) increased the sodium leak channel-mediated holding currents and conductance from -75.0 ± 12.9 to -130.1 ± 34.9 pA (mean ± SD, P = 0.002, n = 6) and 1.8 ± 0.5 to 3.6 ± 1.0 nS (P = 0.001, n = 6), respectively. At these concentrations, isoflurane increased activity of Phox2b-expressing retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons from 1.1 ± 0.2 to 2.8 ± 0.2 Hz (P < 0.001, n = 5), which was eliminated by bath application of gadolinium or genetic silencing of sodium leak channel. Genetic silencing of sodium leak channel in the retrotrapezoid nucleus resulted in a diminished ventilatory response to carbon dioxide in mice under control conditions and during isoflurane anesthesia. Sevoflurane produced an effect comparable to that of isoflurane, whereas propofol did not activate sodium leak channel-mediated holding conductance. CONCLUSIONS Isoflurane and sevoflurane increase neuronal excitability of chemosensitive retrotrapezoid nucleus neurons partly by enhancing sodium leak channel conductance. Sodium leak channel expression in the retrotrapezoid nucleus is required for the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide during anesthesia by isoflurane and sevoflurane, thus identifying sodium leak channel as a requisite determinant of respiratory output during anesthesia of volatile anesthetics. EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE
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Malheiros-Lima MR, Silva JN, Souza FC, Takakura AC, Moreira TS. C1 neurons are part of the circuitry that recruits active expiration in response to the activation of peripheral chemoreceptors. eLife 2020; 9:52572. [PMID: 31971507 PMCID: PMC7010411 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Breathing results from the interaction of two distinct oscillators: the pre-Bötzinger Complex (preBötC), which drives inspiration; and the lateral parafacial region (pFRG), which drives active expiration. The pFRG is silent at rest and becomes rhythmically active during the stimulation of peripheral chemoreceptors, which also activates adrenergic C1 cells. We postulated that the C1 cells and the pFRG may constitute functionally distinct but interacting populations for controlling expiratory activity during hypoxia. We found in rats that: a) C1 neurons are activated by hypoxia and project to the pFRG region; b) active expiration elicited by hypoxia was blunted after blockade of ionotropic glutamatergic receptors at the level of the pFRG; and c) selective depletion of C1 neurons eliminated the active expiration elicited by hypoxia. These results suggest that C1 cells may regulate the respiratory cycle, including active expiration, under hypoxic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milene R Malheiros-Lima
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Josiane N Silva
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Felipe C Souza
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana C Takakura
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thiago S Moreira
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biomedical Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Dereli AS, Yaseen Z, Carrive P, Kumar NN. Adaptation of Respiratory-Related Brain Regions to Long-Term Hypercapnia: Focus on Neuropeptides in the RTN. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1343. [PMID: 31920508 PMCID: PMC6923677 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term hypercapnia is associated with respiratory conditions including obstructive sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity hypoventilation syndrome. Animal studies have demonstrated an initial (within hours) increase in ventilatory drive followed by a decrease in this response over the long-term (days–weeks) in response hypercapnia. Little is known about whether changes in the central respiratory chemoreflex are involved. Here we investigated whether central respiratory chemoreceptor neurons of the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), which project to the respiratory pattern generator within the ventral respiratory column (VRC) have a role in the mechanism of neuroplasticity associated with long-term hypercapnia. Adult male C57BL/6 mice (n = 5/group) were used. Our aims were (1) to determine if galanin, neuromedin B and gastrin-releasing peptide gene expression is altered in the RTN after long-term hypercapnia. This was achieved using qPCR to measure mRNA expression changes of neuropeptides in the RTN after short-term hypercapnia (6 or 8 h, 5 or 8% CO2) or long-term hypercapnia exposure (10 day, 5 or 8% CO2), (2) in the mouse brainstem, to determine the distribution of preprogalanin in chemoreceptors, and the co-occurrence of the galanin receptor 1 (GalR1:Gi-coupled receptor) with inhibitory GlyT2 ventral respiratory column neurons using in situ hybridization (ISH) to better characterize galaninergic RTN-VRC circuitry, (3) to investigate whether long-term hypercapnia causes changes to recruitment (detected by cFos immunohistochemistry) of respiratory related neural populations including the RTN neurons and their galaninergic subset, in vivo. Collectively, we found that hypercapnia decreases neuropeptide expression in the RTN in the short-term and has the opposite effect over the long-term. Following long term hypercapnia, the number of RTN galanin neurons remains unchanged, and their responsiveness to acute chemoreflex is sustained; in contrast, we identified multiple respiratory related sites that exhibit blunted chemoreflex activation. GalR1 was distributed in 11% of preBötC and 30% of BötC glycinergic neurons. Our working hypothesis is that during long-term hypercapnia, galanin co-release from RTN neurons may counterbalance glutamatergic inputs to respiratory centers to downscale energetically wasteful hyperventilation, thereby having a role in neuroplasticity by contributing to a decrease in ventilation, through the inhibitory effects of galanin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayse Sumeyra Dereli
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Zarwa Yaseen
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Pascal Carrive
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Natasha N Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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15
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Guyenet PG, Stornetta RL, Souza GMPR, Abbott SBG, Shi Y, Bayliss DA. The Retrotrapezoid Nucleus: Central Chemoreceptor and Regulator of Breathing Automaticity. Trends Neurosci 2019; 42:807-824. [PMID: 31635852 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2019.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The ventral surface of the rostral medulla oblongata has been suspected since the 1960s to harbor central respiratory chemoreceptors [i.e., acid-activated neurons that regulate breathing to maintain a constant arterial PCO2 (PaCO2)]. The key neurons, a.k.a. the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), have now been identified. In this review we describe their transcriptome, developmental lineage, and anatomical projections. We also review their contribution to CO2 homeostasis and to the regulation of breathing automaticity during sleep and wake. Finally, we discuss several mechanisms that contribute to the activation of RTN neurons by CO2in vivo: cell-autonomous effects of protons; paracrine effects of pH mediated by surrounding astrocytes and blood vessels; and excitatory inputs from other CO2-responsive CNS neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice G Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
| | - Ruth L Stornetta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - George M P R Souza
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Stephen B G Abbott
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Yingtang Shi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Douglas A Bayliss
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
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16
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Abstract
Breathing is a well-described, vital and surprisingly complex behaviour, with behavioural and physiological outputs that are easy to directly measure. Key neural elements for generating breathing pattern are distinct, compact and form a network amenable to detailed interrogation, promising the imminent discovery of molecular, cellular, synaptic and network mechanisms that give rise to the behaviour. Coupled oscillatory microcircuits make up the rhythmic core of the breathing network. Primary among these is the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC), which is composed of excitatory rhythmogenic interneurons and excitatory and inhibitory pattern-forming interneurons that together produce the essential periodic drive for inspiration. The preBötC coordinates all phases of the breathing cycle, coordinates breathing with orofacial behaviours and strongly influences, and is influenced by, emotion and cognition. Here, we review progress towards cracking the inner workings of this vital core.
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17
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Steuer I, Guertin PA. Central pattern generators in the brainstem and spinal cord: an overview of basic principles, similarities and differences. Rev Neurosci 2019; 30:107-164. [PMID: 30543520 DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2017-0102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Central pattern generators (CPGs) are generally defined as networks of neurons capable of enabling the production of central commands, specifically controlling stereotyped, rhythmic motor behaviors. Several CPGs localized in brainstem and spinal cord areas have been shown to underlie the expression of complex behaviors such as deglutition, mastication, respiration, defecation, micturition, ejaculation, and locomotion. Their pivotal roles have clearly been demonstrated although their organization and cellular properties remain incompletely characterized. In recent years, insightful findings about CPGs have been made mainly because (1) several complementary animal models were developed; (2) these models enabled a wide variety of techniques to be used and, hence, a plethora of characteristics to be discovered; and (3) organizations, functions, and cell properties across all models and species studied thus far were generally found to be well-preserved phylogenetically. This article aims at providing an overview for non-experts of the most important findings made on CPGs in in vivo animal models, in vitro preparations from invertebrate and vertebrate species as well as in primates. Data about CPG functions, adaptation, organization, and cellular properties will be summarized with a special attention paid to the network for locomotion given its advanced level of characterization compared with some of the other CPGs. Similarities and differences between these networks will also be highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge Steuer
- Neuroscience Unit, Laval University Medical Center (CHUL - CHU de Québec), 2705 Laurier Blvd, Quebec City, Quebec G1V 4G2, Canada
| | - Pierre A Guertin
- Neuroscience Unit, Laval University Medical Center (CHUL - CHU de Québec), 2705 Laurier Blvd, Quebec City, Quebec G1V 4G2, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences, Laval University, Quebec City, Quebec G1V 0A6, Canada
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18
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Toledo C, Andrade DC, Díaz HS, Inestrosa NC, Del Rio R. Neurocognitive Disorders in Heart Failure: Novel Pathophysiological Mechanisms Underpinning Memory Loss and Learning Impairment. Mol Neurobiol 2019; 56:8035-8051. [PMID: 31165973 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-019-01655-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Heart failure (HF) is a major public health issue affecting more than 26 million people worldwide. HF is the most common cardiovascular disease in elder population; and it is associated with neurocognitive function decline, which represent underlying brain pathology diminishing learning and memory faculties. Both HF and neurocognitive impairment are associated with recurrent hospitalization episodes and increased mortality rate in older people, but particularly when they occur simultaneously. Overall, the published studies seem to confirm that HF patients display functional impairments relating to attention, memory, concentration, learning, and executive functioning compared with age-matched controls. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underpinning neurocognitive decline in HF. The present review round step recent evidence related to the possible molecular mechanism involved in the establishment of neurocognitive disorders during HF. We will make a special focus on cerebral ischemia, neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, Wnt signaling, and mitochondrial DNA alterations as possible mechanisms associated with cognitive decline in HF. Also, we provide an integrative mechanism linking pathophysiological hallmarks of altered cardiorespiratory control and the development of cognitive dysfunction in HF patients. Graphical Abstract Main molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment of cognitive impairment during heart failure. Heart failure is characterized by chronic activation of brain areas responsible for increasing cardiac sympathetic load. In addition, HF patients also show neurocognitive impairment, suggesting that the overall mechanisms that underpin cardiac sympathoexcitation may be related to the development of cognitive disorders in HF. In low cardiac output, HF cerebral infarction due to cardiac mural emboli and cerebral ischemia due to chronic or intermittent cerebral hypoperfusion has been described as a major mechanism related to the development of CI. In addition, while acute norepinephrine (NE) release may be relevant to induce neural plasticity in the hippocampus, chronic or tonic release of NE may exert the opposite effects due to desensitization of the adrenergic signaling pathway due to receptor internalization. Enhanced chemoreflex drive is a major source of sympathoexcitation in HF, and this phenomenon elevates brain ROS levels and induces neuroinflammation through breathing instability. Importantly, both oxidative stress and neuroinflammation can induce mitochondrial dysfunction and vice versa. Then, this ROS inflammatory pathway may propagate within the brain and potentially contribute to the development of cognitive impairment in HF through the activation/inhibition of key molecular pathways involved in neurocognitive decline such as the Wnt signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Toledo
- Laboratory of Cardiorespiratory Control, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE-UC), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - D C Andrade
- Laboratory of Cardiorespiratory Control, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Centro de investigación en fisiología del ejercicio, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - H S Díaz
- Laboratory of Cardiorespiratory Control, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - N C Inestrosa
- Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE-UC), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Centro de Excelencia en Biomedicina de Magallanes (CEBIMA), Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - R Del Rio
- Laboratory of Cardiorespiratory Control, Department of Physiology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. .,Center for Aging and Regeneration (CARE-UC), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. .,Centro de Excelencia en Biomedicina de Magallanes (CEBIMA), Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile.
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19
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Ramirez JM, Severs LJ, Ramirez SC, Agosto‐Marlin IM. Advances in cellular and integrative control of oxygen homeostasis within the central nervous system. J Physiol 2018; 596:3043-3065. [PMID: 29742297 PMCID: PMC6068258 DOI: 10.1113/jp275890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals must continuously regulate the levels of O2 and CO2 , which is particularly important for the brain. Failure to maintain adequate O2 /CO2 homeostasis has been associated with numerous disorders including sleep apnoea, Rett syndrome and sudden infant death syndrome. But, O2 /CO2 homeostasis poses major regulatory challenges, even in the healthy brain. Neuronal activities change in a differentiated, spatially and temporally complex manner, which is reflected in equally complex changes in O2 demand. This raises important questions: is oxygen sensing an emergent property, locally generated within all active neuronal networks, and/or the property of specialized O2 -sensitive CNS regions? Increasing evidence suggests that the regulation of the brain's redox state involves properties that are intrinsic to many networks, but that specialized regions in the brainstem orchestrate the integrated control of respiratory and cardiovascular functions. Although the levels of O2 in arterial blood and the CNS are very different, neuro-glial interactions and purinergic signalling are critical for both peripheral and CNS chemosensation. Indeed, the specificity of neuroglial interactions seems to determine the differential responses to O2 , CO2 and the changes in pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Marino Ramirez
- Center for Integrative Brain ResearchSeattle Children's Research InstituteDepartment of Neurological SurgeryUniversity of Washington School of MedicineSeattleWAUSA
- Department of Physiology and BiophysicsUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
| | - Liza J. Severs
- Department of Physiology and BiophysicsUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
| | - Sanja C. Ramirez
- Center for Integrative Brain ResearchSeattle Children's Research InstituteDepartment of Neurological SurgeryUniversity of Washington School of MedicineSeattleWAUSA
| | - Ibis M. Agosto‐Marlin
- Center for Integrative Brain ResearchSeattle Children's Research InstituteDepartment of Neurological SurgeryUniversity of Washington School of MedicineSeattleWAUSA
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20
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Breathing responses produced by optogenetic stimulation of adrenergic C1 neurons are dependent on the connection with preBötzinger complex in rats. Pflugers Arch 2018; 470:1659-1672. [DOI: 10.1007/s00424-018-2186-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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21
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Inhibition of the hypercapnic ventilatory response by adenosine in the retrotrapezoid nucleus in awake rats. Neuropharmacology 2018; 138:47-56. [PMID: 29857188 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2018.05.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2018] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The brain regulates breathing in response to changes in tissue CO2/H+ via a process called central chemoreception. Neurons and astrocytes in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) function as respiratory chemoreceptors. The role of astrocytes in this process appears to involve CO2/H+-dependent release of ATP to enhance activity of chemosensitive RTN neurons. Considering that in most brain regions extracellular ATP is rapidly broken down to adenosine by ectonucleotidase activity and since adenosine is a potent neuromodulator, we wondered whether adenosine signaling contributes to RTN chemoreceptor function. To explore this possibility, we pharmacologically manipulated activity of adenosine receptors in the RTN under control conditions and during inhalation of 7-10% CO2 (hypercapnia). In urethane-anesthetized or unrestrained conscious rats, bilateral injections of adenosine into the RTN blunted the hypercapnia ventilatory response. The inhibitory effect of adenosine on breathing was blunted by prior RTN injection of a broad spectrum adenosine receptor blocker (8-PT) or a selective A1-receptor blocker (DPCPX). Although RTN injections of 8PT, DPCPX or the ectonucleotidase inhibitor ARL67156 did not affected baseline breathing in either anesthetized or awake rats. We did find that RTN application of DPCPX or ARL67156 potentiated the respiratory frequency response to CO2, suggesting a portion of ATP released in the RTN during high CO2/H+ is converted to adenosine and serves to limit chemoreceptor function. These results identify adenosine as a novel purinergic regulator of RTN chemoreceptor function during hypercapnia.
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22
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Guyenet PG, Bayliss DA, Stornetta RL, Kanbar R, Shi Y, Holloway BB, Souza GMPR, Basting TM, Abbott SBG, Wenker IC. Interdependent feedback regulation of breathing by the carotid bodies and the retrotrapezoid nucleus. J Physiol 2017; 596:3029-3042. [PMID: 29168167 DOI: 10.1113/jp274357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) regulates breathing in a CO2 - and state-dependent manner. RTN neurons are glutamatergic and innervate principally the respiratory pattern generator; they regulate multiple aspects of breathing, including active expiration, and maintain breathing automaticity during non-REM sleep. RTN neurons encode arterial PCO2 /pH via cell-autonomous and paracrine mechanisms, and via input from other CO2 -responsive neurons. In short, RTN neurons are a pivotal structure for breathing automaticity and arterial PCO2 homeostasis. The carotid bodies stimulate the respiratory pattern generator directly and indirectly by activating RTN via a neuronal projection originating within the solitary tract nucleus. The indirect pathway operates under normo- or hypercapnic conditions; under respiratory alkalosis (e.g. hypoxia) RTN neurons are silent and the excitatory input from the carotid bodies is suppressed. Also, silencing RTN neurons optogenetically quickly triggers a compensatory increase in carotid body activity. Thus, in conscious mammals, breathing is subject to a dual and interdependent feedback regulation by chemoreceptors. Depending on the circumstance, the activity of the carotid bodies and that of RTN vary in the same or the opposite directions, producing additive or countervailing effects on breathing. These interactions are mediated either via changes in blood gases or by brainstem neuronal connections, but their ultimate effect is invariably to minimize arterial PCO2 fluctuations. We discuss the potential relevance of this dual chemoreceptor feedback to cardiorespiratory abnormalities present in diseases in which the carotid bodies are hyperactive at rest, e.g. essential hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice G Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Douglas A Bayliss
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Ruth L Stornetta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Roy Kanbar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beyrouth, Lebanon
| | - Yingtang Shi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Benjamin B Holloway
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - George M P R Souza
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Tyler M Basting
- Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112, USA
| | - Stephen B G Abbott
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
| | - Ian C Wenker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
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23
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Phasic inhibition as a mechanism for generation of rapid respiratory rhythms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:12815-12820. [PMID: 29133427 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1711536114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Central neural networks operate continuously throughout life to control respiration, yet mechanisms regulating ventilatory frequency are poorly understood. Inspiration is generated by the pre-Bötzinger complex of the ventrolateral medulla, where it is thought that excitation increases inspiratory frequency and inhibition causes apnea. To test this model, we used an in vitro optogenetic approach to stimulate select populations of hindbrain neurons and characterize how they modulate frequency. Unexpectedly, we found that inhibition was required for increases in frequency caused by stimulation of Phox2b-lineage, putative CO2-chemosensitive neurons. As a mechanistic explanation for inhibition-dependent increases in frequency, we found that phasic stimulation of inhibitory neurons can increase inspiratory frequency via postinhibitory rebound. We present evidence that Phox2b-mediated increases in frequency are caused by rebound excitation following an inhibitory synaptic volley relayed by expiration. Thus, although it is widely thought that inhibition between inspiration and expiration simply prevents activity in the antagonistic phase, we instead propose a model whereby inhibitory coupling via postinhibitory rebound excitation actually generates fast modes of inspiration.
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24
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Neuromedin B Expression Defines the Mouse Retrotrapezoid Nucleus. J Neurosci 2017; 37:11744-11757. [PMID: 29066557 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2055-17.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Revised: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) consists, by definition, of Phox2b-expressing, glutamatergic, non-catecholaminergic, noncholinergic neurons located in the parafacial region of the medulla oblongata. An unknown proportion of RTN neurons are central respiratory chemoreceptors and there is mounting evidence for biochemical diversity among these cells. Here, we used multiplexed in situ hybridization and single-cell RNA-Seq in male and female mice to provide a more comprehensive view of the phenotypic diversity of RTN neurons. We now demonstrate that the RTN of mice can be identified with a single and specific marker, Neuromedin B mRNA (Nmb). Most (∼75%) RTN neurons express low-to-moderate levels of Nmb and display chemoreceptor properties. Namely they are activated by hypercapnia, but not by hypoxia, and express proton sensors, TASK-2 and Gpr4. These Nmb-low RTN neurons also express varying levels of transcripts for Gal, Penk, and Adcyap1, and receptors for substance P, orexin, serotonin, and ATP. A subset of RTN neurons (∼20-25%), typically larger than average, express very high levels of Nmb mRNA. These Nmb-high RTN neurons do not express Fos after hypercapnia and have low-to-undetectable levels of Kcnk5 or Gpr4 transcripts; they also express Adcyap1, but are essentially devoid of Penk and Gal transcripts. In male rats, Nmb is also a marker of the RTN but, unlike in mice, this gene is expressed by other types of nearby neurons located within the ventromedial medulla. In sum, Nmb is a selective marker of the RTN in rodents; Nmb-low neurons, the vast majority, are central respiratory chemoreceptors, whereas Nmb-high neurons likely have other functions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Central respiratory chemoreceptors regulate arterial PCO2 by adjusting lung ventilation. Such cells have recently been identified within the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), a brainstem nucleus defined by genetic lineage and a cumbersome combination of markers. Using single-cell RNA-Seq and multiplexed in situ hybridization, we show here that a single marker, Neuromedin B mRNA (Nmb), identifies RTN neurons in rodents. We also suggest that >75% of these Nmb neurons are chemoreceptors because they are strongly activated by hypercapnia and express high levels of proton sensors (Kcnk5 and Gpr4). The other RTN neurons express very high levels of Nmb, but low levels of Kcnk5/Gpr4/pre-pro-galanin/pre-pro-enkephalin, and do not respond to hypercapnia. Their function is unknown.
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25
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Schlenker EH. Sexual dimorphism of cardiopulmonary regulation in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2016; 245:37-44. [PMID: 27756648 DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2016.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2016] [Revised: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ANH) interacts with other hypothalamic nuclei, forebrain regions, and downstream brain sites to affect autonomic nervous system outflow, energy balance, temperature regulation, sleep, arousal, neuroendocrine function, reproduction, and cardiopulmonary regulation. Compared to studies of other ANH functions, how the ANH regulates cardiopulmonary function is less understood. Importantly, the ANH exhibits structural and functional sexually dimorphic characteristics and contains numerous neuroactive substances and receptors including leptin, neuropeptide Y, glutamate, acetylcholine, endorphins, orexin, kisspeptin, insulin, Agouti-related protein, cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript, dopamine, somatostatin, components of renin-angiotensin system and gamma amino butyric acid that modulate physiological functions. Moreover, several clinically relevant disorders are associated with ANH ventilatory control dysfunction. This review highlights how ANH neurotransmitter systems and receptors modulate breathing differently in male and female rodents. Results highlight the significance of the ANH in cardiopulmonary regulation. The paucity of studies in this area that will hopefully spark investigations of sexually dimorphic ANH-modulation of breathing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn H Schlenker
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine of the University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark St., Vermillion, SD, 57069, United States.
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26
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Guyenet PG, Bayliss DA, Stornetta RL, Ludwig MG, Kumar NN, Shi Y, Burke PGR, Kanbar R, Basting TM, Holloway BB, Wenker IC. Proton detection and breathing regulation by the retrotrapezoid nucleus. J Physiol 2016; 594:1529-51. [PMID: 26748771 PMCID: PMC4799966 DOI: 10.1113/jp271480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
We discuss recent evidence which suggests that the principal central respiratory chemoreceptors are located within the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) and that RTN neurons are directly sensitive to [H(+) ]. RTN neurons are glutamatergic. In vitro, their activation by [H(+) ] requires expression of a proton-activated G protein-coupled receptor (GPR4) and a proton-modulated potassium channel (TASK-2) whose transcripts are undetectable in astrocytes and the rest of the lower brainstem respiratory network. The pH response of RTN neurons is modulated by surrounding astrocytes but genetic deletion of RTN neurons or deletion of both GPR4 and TASK-2 virtually eliminates the central respiratory chemoreflex. Thus, although this reflex is regulated by innumerable brain pathways, it seems to operate predominantly by modulating the discharge rate of RTN neurons, and the activation of RTN neurons by hypercapnia may ultimately derive from their intrinsic pH sensitivity. RTN neurons increase lung ventilation by stimulating multiple aspects of breathing simultaneously. They stimulate breathing about equally during quiet wake and non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and to a lesser degree during REM sleep. The activity of RTN neurons is regulated by inhibitory feedback and by excitatory inputs, notably from the carotid bodies. The latter input operates during normo- or hypercapnia but fails to activate RTN neurons under hypocapnic conditions. RTN inhibition probably limits the degree of hyperventilation produced by hypocapnic hypoxia. RTN neurons are also activated by inputs from serotonergic neurons and hypothalamic neurons. The absence of RTN neurons probably underlies the sleep apnoea and lack of chemoreflex that characterize congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrice G Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Douglas A Bayliss
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Ruth L Stornetta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | | | - Natasha N Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Yingtang Shi
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Peter G R Burke
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Roy Kanbar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lebanese American University, Beyrouth, Lebanon
| | - Tyler M Basting
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Benjamin B Holloway
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
| | - Ian C Wenker
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA
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27
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Basting TM, Abe C, Viar KE, Stornetta RL, Guyenet PG. Is plasticity within the retrotrapezoid nucleus responsible for the recovery of the PCO2 set-point after carotid body denervation in rats? J Physiol 2016; 594:3371-90. [PMID: 26842799 DOI: 10.1113/jp272046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Arterial PCO2 is kept constant via breathing adjustments elicited, at least partly, by central chemoreceptors (CCRs) and the carotid bodies (CBs). The CBs may be active in a normal oxygen environment because their removal reduces breathing. Thereafter, breathing slowly returns to normal. In the present study, we investigated whether an increase in the activity of CCRs accounts for this return. One week after CB excision, the hypoxic ventilatory reflex was greatly reduced as expected, whereas ventilation and blood gases at rest under normoxia were normal. Optogenetic inhibition of Phox2b-expressing neurons including the retrotrapezoid nucleus, a cluster of CCRs, reduced breathing proportionally to arterial pH. The hypopnoea was greater after CB excision but only in a normal or hypoxic environment. The difference could be simply explained by the loss of fast feedback from the CBs. We conclude that, in rats, CB denervation may not produce CCR plasticity. We also question whether the transient hypoventilation elicited by CB denervation means that these afferents are active under normoxia. ABSTRACT Carotid body denervation (CBD) causes hypoventilation and increases the arterial PCO2 set-point; these effects eventually subside. The hypoventilation is attributed to reduced CB afferent activity and the PCO2 set-point recovery to CNS plasticity. In the present study, we investigated whether the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), a group of non-catecholaminergic Phox2b-expressing central respiratory chemoreceptors (CCRs), is the site of such plasticity. We evaluated the contribution of the RTN to breathing frequency (FR ), tidal volume (VT ) and minute volume (VE ) by inhibiting this nucleus optogenetically for 10 s (archaerhodopsinT3.0) in unanaesthetized rats breathing various levels of O2 and/or CO2 . The measurements were made in seven rats before and 6-7 days after CBD and were repeated in seven sham-operated rats. Seven days post-CBD, blood gases and ventilation in 21% O2 were normal, whereas the hypoxic ventilatory reflex was still depressed (95.3%) and hypoxia no longer evoked sighs. Sham surgery had no effect. In normoxia or hypoxia, RTN inhibition produced a more sustained hypopnoea post-CBD than before; in hyperoxia, the responses were identical. Post-CBD, RTN inhibition reduced FR and VE in proportion to arterial pH or PCO2 (ΔVE : 3.3 ± 1.5% resting VE /0.01 pHa). In these rats, 20.7 ± 8.9% of RTN neurons expressed archaerhodopsinT3.0. Hypercapnia (3-6% FiCO2 ) increased FR and VT in CBD rats (n = 4). In conclusion, RTN regulates FR and VE in a pH-dependent manner after CBD, consistent with its postulated CCR function. RTN inhibition produces a more sustained hypopnoea after CBD than before, although this change may simply result from the loss of the fast feedback action of the CBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler M Basting
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Chikara Abe
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Kenneth E Viar
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Ruth L Stornetta
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Patrice G Guyenet
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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