Functional impact of the hyperpolarization-activated current on the excitability of myelinated A-type vagal afferent neurons in the rat

Modulation of Neural Microcircuits That Control Complex Dynamics in Olfactory Networks

Neuromodulation influences neuronal processing, conferring neuronal circuits the flexibility to integrate sensory inputs with behavioral states and the ability to adapt to a continuously changing environment. In this original research report, we broadly discuss the basis of neuromodulation that is known to regulate intrinsic firing activity, synaptic communication, and voltage-dependent channels in the olfactory bulb. Because the olfactory system is positioned to integrate sensory inputs with information regarding the internal chemical and behavioral state of an animal, how olfactory information is modulated provides flexibility in coding and behavioral output. Herein we discuss how neuronal microcircuits control complex dynamics of the olfactory networks by homing in on a special class of local interneurons as an example. While receptors for neuromodulation and metabolic peptides are widely expressed in the olfactory circuitry, centrifugal serotonergic and cholinergic inputs modulate glomerular activity and are involved in odor investigation and odor-dependent learning. Little is known about how metabolic peptides and neuromodulators control specific neuronal subpopulations. There is a microcircuit between mitral cells and interneurons that is comprised of deep-short-axon cells in the granule cell layer. These local interneurons express pre-pro-glucagon (PPG) and regulate mitral cell activity, but it is unknown what initiates this type of regulation. Our study investigates the means by which PPG neurons could be recruited by classical neuromodulators and hormonal peptides. We found that two gut hormones, leptin and cholecystokinin, differentially modulate PPG neurons. Cholecystokinin reduces or increases spike frequency, suggesting a heterogeneous signaling pathway in different PPG neurons, while leptin does not affect PPG neuronal firing. Acetylcholine modulates PPG neurons by increasing the spike frequency and eliciting bursts of action potentials, while serotonin does not affect PPG neuron excitability. The mechanisms behind this diverse modulation are not known, however, these results clearly indicate a complex interplay of metabolic signaling molecules and neuromodulators that may fine-tune neuronal microcircuits.

Activation of TREK currents by riluzole in three subgroups of cultured mouse nodose ganglion neurons

Two-pore domain potassium channels (K2P) constitute major candidates for the regulation of background potassium currents in mammalian cells. Channels of the TREK subfamily are also well positioned to play an important role in sensory transduction due to their sensitivity to a large number of physiological and physical stimuli (pH, mechanical, temperature). Following our previous report describing the molecular expression of different K2P channels in the vagal sensory system, here we confirm that TREK channels are functionally expressed in neurons from the mouse nodose ganglion (mNG). Neurons were subdivided into three groups (A, Ah and C) based on their response to tetrodotoxin and capsaicin. Application of the TREK subfamily activator riluzole to isolated mNG neurons evoked a concentration-dependent outward current in the majority of cells from all the three subtypes studied. Riluzole increased membrane conductance and hyperpolarized the membrane potential by approximately 10 mV when applied to resting neurons. The resting potential was similar in all three groups, but C cells were clearly less excitable and showed smaller hyperpolarization-activated currents at -100 mV and smaller sustained currents at -30 mV. Our results indicate that the TREK subfamily of K2P channels might play an important role in the maintenance of the resting membrane potential in sensory neurons of the autonomic nervous system, suggesting its participation in the modulation of vagal reflexes.

Neuropeptide Y-mediated sex- and afferent-specific neurotransmissions contribute to sexual dimorphism of baroreflex afferent function

Background

Molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuropeptide-Y (NPY)-mediated gender-difference in blood pressure (BP) regulation are largely unknown.

Methods

Baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS) was evaluated by measuring the response of BP to phenylephrine/nitroprusside. Serum NPY concentration was determined using ELISA. The mRNA and protein expression of NPY receptors were assessed in tissue and single-cell by RT-PCR, immunoblot, and immunohistochemistry. NPY was injected into the nodose while arterial pressure was monitored. Electrophysiological recordings were performed on nodose neurons from rats by patch-clamp technique.

Results

The BRS was higher in female than male and ovariectomized rats, while serum NPY concentration was similar among groups. The sex-difference was detected in Y₁R, not Y₂R protein expression, however, both were upregulated upon ovariectomy and canceled by estrogen replacement. Immunostaining confirmed Y₁R and Y₂R expression in myelinated and unmyelinated afferents. Single-cell PCR demonstrated that Y₁R expression/distribution was identical between A- and C-types, whereas, expressed level of Y₂R was ∼15 and ∼7 folds higher in Ah- and C-types than A-types despite similar distribution. Activation of Y₁R in nodose elevated BP, while activation of Y₂R did the opposite. Activation of Y₁R did not alter action potential duration (APD) of A-types, but activation of Y₂R- and Y₁R/Y₂R in Ah- and C-types frequency-dependently prolonged APD. N-type I_Ca was reduced in A-, Ah- and C-types when either Y₁R, Y₂R, or both were activated. The sex-difference in Y₁R expression was also observed in NTS.

Conclusions

Sex- and afferent-specific expression of Neuropeptide-Y receptors in baroreflex afferent pathway may contribute to sexual-dimorphic neurocontrol of BP regulation.

The effect of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel inhibitors on the vagal control of guinea pig airway smooth muscle tone

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Subtypes of the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) family of cation channels are widely expressed on nerves and smooth muscle cells in many organ systems, where they serve to regulate membrane excitability. Here we have assessed whether HCN channel inhibitors alter the function of airway smooth muscle or the neurons that regulate airway smooth muscle tone.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

The effects of the HCN channel inhibitors ZD7288, zatebradine and Cs(+) were assessed on agonist and nerve stimulation-evoked changes in guinea pig airway smooth muscle tone using tracheal strips in vitro, an innervated tracheal tube preparation ex vivo or in anaesthetized mechanically ventilated guinea pigs in vivo. HCN channel expression in airway nerves was assessed using immunohistochemistry, PCR and in situ hybridization.

KEY RESULTS

HCN channel inhibition did not alter airway smooth muscle reactivity in vitro to exogenously administered smooth muscle spasmogens, but significantly potentiated smooth muscle contraction evoked by the sensory nerve stimulant capsaicin and electrical field stimulation of parasympathetic cholinergic postganglionic neurons. Sensory nerve hyperresponsiveness was also evident in in vivo following HCN channel blockade. Cs(+) , but not ZD7288, potentiated preganglionic nerve-dependent airway contractions and over time induced autorhythmic preganglionic nerve activity, which was not mimicked by inhibitors of potassium channels. HCN channel expression was most evident in vagal sensory ganglia and airway nerve fibres.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

HCN channel inhibitors had a previously unrecognized effect on the neural regulation of airway smooth muscle tone, which may have implications for some patients receiving HCN channel inhibitors for therapeutic purposes.

Remodeling of hyperpolarization-activated current, Ih, in Ah-type visceral ganglion neurons following ovariectomy in adult rats

Hyperpolarization-activated currents (I_h) mediated by hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels modulate excitability of myelinated A− and Ah-type visceral ganglion neurons (VGN). Whether alterations in I_h underlie the previously reported reduction of excitability of myelinated Ah-type VGNs following ovariectomy (OVX) has remained unclear. Here we used the intact nodose ganglion preparation in conjunction with electrophysiological approaches to examine the role of I_h remodeling in altering Ah-type neuron excitability following ovariectomy in adult rats. Ah-type neurons were identified based on their afferent conduction velocity. Ah-type neurons in nodose ganglia from non-OVX rats exhibited a voltage ‘sag’ as well as ‘rebound’ action potentials immediately following hyperpolarizing current injections, which both were suppressed by the I_h blocker ZD7288. Repetitive spike activity induced afterhyperpolarizations lasting several hundreds of milliseconds (termed post-excitatory membrane hyperpolarizations, PEMHs), which were significantly reduced by ZD7288, suggesting that they resulted from transient deactivation of I_h during the preceding spike trains. Ovariectomy reduced whole-cell I_h density, caused a hyperpolarizing shift of the voltage-dependence of I_h activation, and slowed I_h activation. OVX-induced I_h remodeling was accompanied by a flattening of the stimulus frequency/response curve and loss of PEMHs. Also, HCN1 mRNA levels were reduced by ∼30% in nodose ganglia from OVX rats compared with their non-OVX counterparts. Acute exposure of nodose ganglia to 17beta-estradiol partly restored I_h density and accelerated I_h activation in Ah-type cells. In conclusion, I_h plays a significant role in modulating the excitability of myelinated Ah-type VGNs in adult female rats.

Subtype identification in acutely dissociated rat nodose ganglion neurons based on morphologic parameters

Nodose ganglia are composed of A-, Ah- and C-type neurons. Despite their important roles in regulating visceral afferent function, including cardiovascular, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal homeostasis, information about subtype-specific expression, molecular identity, and function of individual ion transporting proteins is scarce. Although experiments utilizing the sliced ganglion preparation have provided valuable insights into the electrophysiological properties of nodose ganglion neuron subtypes, detailed characterization of their electrical phenotypes will require measurements in isolated cells. One major unresolved problem, however, is the difficulty to unambiguously identify the subtype of isolated nodose ganglion neurons without current-clamp recording, because the magnitude of conduction velocity in the corresponding afferent fiber, a reliable marker to discriminate subtypes in situ, can no longer be determined. Here, we present data supporting the notion that application of an algorithm regarding to microscopic structural characteristics, such as neuron shape evaluated by the ratio between shortest and longest axis, neuron surface characteristics, like membrane roughness, and axon attachment, enables specific and sensitive subtype identification of acutely dissociated rat nodose ganglion neurons, by which the accuracy of identification is further validated by electrophysiological markers and overall positive predictive rates is 89.26% (90.04%, 76.47%, and 98.21% for A-, Ah, and C-type, respectively). This approach should aid in gaining insight into the molecular correlates underlying phenotypic heterogeneity of nodose ganglia. Additionally, several critical points that help for neuron identification and afferent conduction calibration are also discussed.

Peptide and lipid modulation of glutamatergic afferent synaptic transmission in the solitary tract nucleus

The brainstem nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) holds the first central neurons in major homeostatic reflex pathways. These homeostatic reflexes regulate and coordinate multiple organ systems from gastrointestinal to cardiopulmonary functions. The core of many of these pathways arise from cranial visceral afferent neurons that enter the brain as the solitary tract (ST) with more than two-thirds arising from the gastrointestinal system. About one quarter of ST afferents have myelinated axons but the majority are classed as unmyelinated C-fibers. All ST afferents release the fast neurotransmitter glutamate with remarkably similar, high-probability release characteristics. Second order NTS neurons receive surprisingly limited primary afferent information with one or two individual inputs converging on single second order NTS neurons. A- and C-fiber afferents never mix at NTS second order neurons. Many transmitters modify the basic glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic current often by reducing glutamate release or interrupting terminal depolarization. Thus, a distinguishing feature of ST transmission is presynaptic expression of G-protein coupled receptors for peptides common to peripheral or forebrain (e.g., hypothalamus) neuron sources. Presynaptic receptors for angiotensin (AT1), vasopressin (V1a), oxytocin, opioid (MOR), ghrelin (GHSR1), and cholecystokinin differentially control glutamate release on particular subsets of neurons with most other ST afferents unaffected. Lastly, lipid-like signals are transduced by two key ST presynaptic receptors, the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 and the cannabinoid receptor that oppositely control glutamate release. Increasing evidence suggests that peripheral nervous signaling mechanisms are repurposed at central terminals to control excitation and are major sites of signal integration of peripheral and central inputs particularly from the hypothalamus.