1
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Rodan AR. Circadian Rhythm Regulation by Pacemaker Neuron Chloride Oscillation in Flies. Physiology (Bethesda) 2024; 39:0. [PMID: 38411570 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00006.2024] [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: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior sync organisms to external environmental cycles. Here, circadian oscillation in intracellular chloride in central pacemaker neurons of the fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is reviewed. Intracellular chloride links SLC12 cation-coupled chloride transporter function with kinase signaling and the regulation of inwardly rectifying potassium channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aylin R Rodan
- Molecular Medicine Program, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
- Medical Service, Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
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2
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Yang ND, Mellor RL, Hermanstyne TO, Nerbonne JM. Effects of NALCN-Encoded Na + Leak Currents on the Repetitive Firing Properties of SCN Neurons Depend on K +-Driven Rhythmic Changes in Input Resistance. J Neurosci 2023; 43:5132-5141. [PMID: 37339878 PMCID: PMC10342223 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0182-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) generate circadian changes in the rates of spontaneous action potential firing that regulate and synchronize daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. Considerable evidence suggests that daily rhythms in the repetitive firing rates (higher during the day than at night) of SCN neurons are mediated by changes in subthreshold potassium (K+) conductance(s). An alternative "bicycle" model for circadian regulation of membrane excitability in clock neurons, however, suggests that an increase in NALCN-encoded sodium (Na+) leak conductance underlies daytime increases in firing rates. The experiments reported here explored the role of Na+ leak currents in regulating daytime and nighttime repetitive firing rates in identified adult male and female mouse SCN neurons: vasoactive intestinal peptide-expressing (VIP+), neuromedin S-expressing (NMS+) and gastrin-releasing peptide-expressing (GRP+) cells. Whole-cell recordings from VIP+, NMS+, and GRP+ neurons in acute SCN slices revealed that Na+ leak current amplitudes/densities are similar during the day and at night, but have a larger impact on membrane potentials in daytime neurons. Additional experiments, using an in vivo conditional knockout approach, demonstrated that NALCN-encoded Na+ currents selectively regulate daytime repetitive firing rates of adult SCN neurons. Dynamic clamp-mediated manipulation revealed that the effects of NALCN-encoded Na+ currents on the repetitive firing rates of SCN neurons depend on K+ current-driven changes in input resistances. Together, these findings demonstrate that NALCN-encoded Na+ leak channels contribute to regulating daily rhythms in the excitability of SCN neurons by a mechanism that depends on K+ current-mediated rhythmic changes in intrinsic membrane properties.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Elucidating the ionic mechanisms responsible for generating daily rhythms in the rates of spontaneous action potential firing of neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master circadian pacemaker in mammals, is an important step toward understanding how the molecular clock controls circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior. While numerous studies have focused on identifying subthreshold K+ channel(s) that mediate day-night changes in the firing rates of SCN neurons, a role for Na+ leak currents has also been suggested. The results of the experiments presented here demonstrate that NALCN-encoded Na+ leak currents differentially modulate daily rhythms in the daytime/nighttime repetitive firing rates of SCN neurons as a consequence of rhythmic changes in subthreshold K+ currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nien-Du Yang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | | | - Tracey O Hermanstyne
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
| | - Jeanne M Nerbonne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110
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3
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Stangherlin A. Ion dynamics and the regulation of circadian cellular physiology. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023; 324:C632-C643. [PMID: 36689675 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00378.2022] [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: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior allow organisms to anticipate the daily environmental changes imposed by the rotation of our planet around its axis. Although these rhythms eventually manifest at the organismal level, a cellular basis for circadian rhythms has been demonstrated. Significant contributors to these cell-autonomous rhythms are daily cycles in gene expression and protein translation. However, recent data revealed cellular rhythms in other biological processes, including ionic currents, ion transport, and cytosolic ion abundance. Circadian rhythms in ion currents sustain circadian variation in action potential firing rate, which coordinates neuronal behavior and activity. Circadian regulation of metal ions abundance and dynamics is implicated in distinct cellular processes, from protein translation to membrane activity and osmotic homeostasis. In turn, studies showed that manipulating ion abundance affects the expression of core clock genes and proteins, suggestive of a close interplay. However, the relationship between gene expression cycles, ion dynamics, and cellular function is still poorly characterized. In this review, I will discuss the mechanisms that generate ion rhythms, the cellular functions they govern, and how they feed back to regulate the core clock machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Stangherlin
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cluster of Excellence Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-associated Diseases (CECAD), Institute for Mitochondrial Diseases and Ageing, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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4
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Gonzalez JC, Lee H, Vincent AM, Hill AL, Goode LK, King GD, Gamble KL, Wadiche JI, Overstreet-Wadiche L. Circadian regulation of dentate gyrus excitability mediated by G-protein signaling. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112039. [PMID: 36749664 PMCID: PMC10404305 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The central circadian regulator within the suprachiasmatic nucleus transmits time of day information by a diurnal spiking rhythm driven by molecular clock genes controlling membrane excitability. Most brain regions, including the hippocampus, harbor similar intrinsic circadian transcriptional machinery, but whether these molecular programs generate oscillations of membrane properties is unclear. Here, we show that intrinsic excitability of mouse dentate granule neurons exhibits a 24-h oscillation that controls spiking probability. Diurnal changes in excitability are mediated by antiphase G-protein regulation of potassium and sodium currents that reduce excitability during the Light phase. Disruption of the circadian transcriptional machinery by conditional deletion of Bmal1 enhances excitability selectively during the Light phase by removing G-protein regulation. These results reveal that circadian transcriptional machinery regulates intrinsic excitability by coordinated regulation of ion channels by G-protein signaling, highlighting a potential novel mechanism of cell-autonomous oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose Carlos Gonzalez
- Department of Neurobiology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Haeun Lee
- Department of Neurobiology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Angela M Vincent
- Department of Neurobiology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Angela L Hill
- Department of Neurobiology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Lacy K Goode
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Gwendalyn D King
- Department of Biology, Creighton University, Omaha, NE 68178, USA
| | - Karen L Gamble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Jacques I Wadiche
- Department of Neurobiology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| | - Linda Overstreet-Wadiche
- Department of Neurobiology and McKnight Brain Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
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5
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Zheng Y, Pan L, Wang F, Yan J, Wang T, Xia Y, Yao L, Deng K, Zheng Y, Xia X, Su Z, Chen H, Lin J, Ding Z, Zhang K, Zhang M, Chen Y. Neural function of Bmal1: an overview. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:1. [PMID: 36593479 PMCID: PMC9806909 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-022-00947-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Bmal1 (Brain and muscle arnt-like, or Arntl) is a bHLH/PAS domain transcription factor central to the transcription/translation feedback loop of the biologic clock. Although Bmal1 is well-established as a major regulator of circadian rhythm, a growing number of studies in recent years have shown that dysfunction of Bmal1 underlies a variety of psychiatric, neurodegenerative-like, and endocrine metabolism-related disorders, as well as potential oncogenic roles. In this review, we systematically summarized Bmal1 expression in different brain regions, its neurological functions related or not to circadian rhythm and biological clock, and pathological phenotypes arising from Bmal1 knockout. This review also discusses oscillation and rhythmicity, especially in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, and provides perspective on future progress in Bmal1 research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanjia Zheng
- grid.464402.00000 0000 9459 9325Research Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China ,grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lingyun Pan
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feixue Wang
- grid.464402.00000 0000 9459 9325Research Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Jinglan Yan
- grid.464402.00000 0000 9459 9325Research Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Taiyi Wang
- grid.464402.00000 0000 9459 9325Research Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Yucen Xia
- grid.464402.00000 0000 9459 9325Research Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Lin Yao
- grid.464402.00000 0000 9459 9325Research Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Kelin Deng
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuqi Zheng
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoye Xia
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhikai Su
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685The Second Clinical College, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong China
| | - Hongjie Chen
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jie Lin
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhenwei Ding
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kaitong Zhang
- grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
| | - Meng Zhang
- grid.464402.00000 0000 9459 9325Research Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
| | - Yongjun Chen
- grid.464402.00000 0000 9459 9325Research Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China ,grid.411866.c0000 0000 8848 7685South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China ,Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou, China
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6
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Yu Y, Li W, Xu L, Wang Y. Circadian rhythm of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 and cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1124353. [PMID: 37020596 PMCID: PMC10067678 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1124353] [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: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular complications are a common death cause in type 2 diabetes patients, as they are often combined. Plasminogen-activator Inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) participates in the development and progression of cardiovascular complications in diabetes. Insulin resistance increases PAI-1 production, and high PAI-1 levels lead to an environment conducive to thrombosis and earlier and more severe vascular disease. Current evidence also suggests that PAI-1 has a rhythmic profile of circadian fluctuations and acrophase in the morning within a single day, which might explain the high morning incidence of cardiovascular events. Thus, PAI-1 is a possible drug target. Although several PAI-1 inhibitors have been developed, none have yet been allowed for clinical use. Research on rhythm has also led to the concept of "chronotherapy", a rhythm-based drug regimen expected to improve the treatment of cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients. Herein, we searched several databases and reviewed relevant articles to describe the circadian rhythm characteristics and endogenous molecular mechanisms of PAI-1, its relationship with insulin resistance, the causes of cardiovascular complications caused by PAI-1, and the current development of PAI-1 inhibitors. We also summarized the possibility of using the circadian rhythm of PAI-1 to treat cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients.
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7
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Tang M, Cao LH, Yang T, Ma SX, Jing BY, Xiao N, Xu S, Leng KR, Yang D, Li MT, Luo DG. An extra-clock ultradian brain oscillator sustains circadian timekeeping. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo5506. [PMID: 36054358 PMCID: PMC10848952 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo5506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The master circadian clock generates 24-hour rhythms to orchestrate daily behavior, even running freely under constant conditions. Traditionally, the master clock is considered self-sufficient in sustaining free-running timekeeping via its cell-autonomous molecular clocks and interneuronal communications within the circadian neural network. Here, we find a set of bona fide ultradian oscillators in the Drosophila brain that support free-running timekeeping, despite being located outside the master clock circuit and lacking clock gene expression. These extra-clock electrical oscillators (xCEOs) generate cell-autonomous ultradian bursts, pacing widespread burst firing and promoting rhythmic resting membrane potentials in clock neurons via parallel monosynaptic connections. Silencing xCEOs disrupts daily electrical rhythms in clock neurons and impairs cycling of neuropeptide pigment dispersing factor, leading to the loss of free-running locomotor rhythms. Together, we conclude that the master clock is not self-sufficient to sustain free-running behavior rhythms but requires additional endogenous inputs to the clock from the extra-clock ultradian brain oscillators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- PTN Graduate Program, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Li-Hui Cao
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Tian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Si-Xing Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Bi-Yang Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Na Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shuang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Kang-Rui Leng
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Dong Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Meng-Tong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Dong-Gen Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, 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
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Center for Quantitative Biology, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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8
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Circadian regulation of memory under stress: Endocannabinoids matter. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 138:104712. [PMID: 35643119 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104712] [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: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Organisms ranging from plants to higher mammals have developed 24-hour oscillation rhythms to optimize physiology to environmental changes and regulate a plethora of neuroendocrine and behavioral processes, including neurotransmitter and hormone regulation, stress response and learning and memory function. Compelling evidence indicates that a wide array of memory processes is strongly influenced by stress- and emotional arousal-activated neurobiological systems, including the endocannabinoid system which has been extensively shown to play an integral role in mediating stress effects on memory. Here, we review findings showing how circadian rhythms and time-of-day influence stress systems and memory performance. We report evidence of circadian regulation of memory under stress, focusing on the role of the endocannabinoid system and highlighting its circadian rhythmicity. Our discussion illustrates how the endocannabinoid system mediates stress effects on memory in a circadian-dependent fashion. We suggest that endocannabinoids might regulate molecular mechanisms that control memory function under circadian and stress influence, with potential important clinical implications for both neurodevelopmental disorders and psychiatric conditions involving memory impairments.
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9
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Martin C, Johnston JD, Henslee EA, van der Veen DR, Labeed FH. In vitro
characterisation of murine pre‐adipose nucleated cells reveals electrophysiological cycles associated with biological clocks. Electrophoresis 2022; 43:1337-1346. [PMID: 35543378 PMCID: PMC9323421 DOI: 10.1002/elps.202100308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Capucine Martin
- Chronobiology Section School of Biosciences and Medicine Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford UK
| | - Jonathan D. Johnston
- Chronobiology Section School of Biosciences and Medicine Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford UK
| | - Erin A. Henslee
- Centre for Biomedical Engineering School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford UK
- Department of Engineering Wake Forest University Winston‐Salem North Carolina USA
| | - Daan R. van der Veen
- Chronobiology Section School of Biosciences and Medicine Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford UK
| | - Fatima H. Labeed
- Centre for Biomedical Engineering School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences University of Surrey Guildford UK
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10
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Bano-Otalora B, Moye MJ, Brown T, Lucas RJ, Diekman CO, Belle MD. Daily electrical activity in the master circadian clock of a diurnal mammal. eLife 2021; 10:68179. [PMID: 34845984 PMCID: PMC8631794 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Circadian rhythms in mammals are orchestrated by a central clock within the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). Our understanding of the electrophysiological basis of SCN activity comes overwhelmingly from a small number of nocturnal rodent species, and the extent to which these are retained in day-active animals remains unclear. Here, we recorded the spontaneous and evoked electrical activity of single SCN neurons in the diurnal rodent Rhabdomys pumilio, and developed cutting-edge data assimilation and mathematical modeling approaches to uncover the underlying ionic mechanisms. As in nocturnal rodents, R. pumilio SCN neurons were more excited during daytime hours. By contrast, the evoked activity of R. pumilio neurons included a prominent suppressive response that is not present in the SCN of nocturnal rodents. Our modeling revealed and subsequent experiments confirmed transient subthreshold A-type potassium channels as the primary determinant of this response, and suggest a key role for this ionic mechanism in optimizing SCN function to accommodate R. pumilio's diurnal niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Bano-Otalora
- Centre for Biological Timing, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew J Moye
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, United States.,Department of Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics (QP2), Kenilworth, United States
| | - Timothy Brown
- Centre for Biological Timing, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Gastroenterology, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Robert J Lucas
- Centre for Biological Timing, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom.,Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Casey O Diekman
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, United States.,EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare, Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Mino Dc Belle
- Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
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11
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Moldavan M, Cravetchi O, Allen CN. Diurnal properties of tonic and synaptic GABA A receptor-mediated currents in suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:637-652. [PMID: 34259044 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00556.2020] [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] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic and extrasynaptic GABAA receptor (GABAAR)-mediated neurotransmission is a critical component of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) neuronal network. However, the properties of the GABAA tonic current (Itonic) and its origin remain unexplored. Spontaneous GABAA postsynaptic currents (sGPSCs) and Itonic were recorded from SCN neurons with the whole cell voltage-clamp technique at different times of the day. GABAAR antagonists (bicuculline, gabazine, and picrotoxin) inhibited sGPSC and induced an outward shift of the holding current, which defined the Itonic amplitude. The sGPSC frequency, synaptic charge transfer, and Itonic amplitude all demonstrated significant diurnal rhythms, with peaks in the middle of the day [zeitgeber time (ZT)7-8] and nadirs at night (ZT19-20). The Itonic amplitude increased proportionally with the sGPSC frequency and synaptic charge transfer during the day and required action potential-mediated GABA release, which was confirmed by TTX application. The activation of presynaptic GABAB receptors by baclofen did not significantly alter the Itonic of neurons with low-frequency sGPSC. The equilibrium potential (Eq) for Itonic was similar to the Eq for chloride and GABAA receptor-activated currents. Itonic showed outward rectification at membrane potentials over the range of -70 to -10 mV and then was linear at voltages greater than -10 mV. GABAAR containing α4-, α5-, and δ-subunits were expressed in SCN, and their contribution to Itonic was confirmed by application of the GABAAR agonist 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-ol (THIP) and the GABAAR inverse agonist 11,12,13,13a-tetrahydro-7-methoxy-9-oxo-9H-imidazo[1,5-a]pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepine-1-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (L655,708). Thus, the Itonic was mediated by extrasynaptic GABAARs activated predominantly by GABA diffusing out of GABAergic synapses.NEW & NOTEWORTHY A tonic current (Itonic) mediated by GABAA receptors (GABAARs) containing α4-, α5- and δ-subunits was observed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. The Itonic amplitude strongly depended on the action potential-mediated synaptic release of GABA. The equilibrium potential for Itonic corresponds to that for GABAA currents. The frequency of GABAA postsynaptic currents and Itonic amplitude increased during the day, with peak in the middle of the day, and then gradually declined with a nadir at night, thus showing a diurnal rhythm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Moldavan
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Olga Cravetchi
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Charles N Allen
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon.,Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon
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12
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Plante AE, Whitt JP, Meredith AL. BK channel activation by L-type Ca 2+ channels Ca V1.2 and Ca V1.3 during the subthreshold phase of an action potential. J Neurophysiol 2021; 126:427-439. [PMID: 34191630 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00089.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammalian circadian (24 h) rhythms are timed by the pattern of spontaneous action potential firing in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). This oscillation in firing is produced through circadian regulation of several membrane currents, including large-conductance Ca2+- and voltage-activated K+ (BK) and L-type Ca2+ channel (LTCC) currents. During the day steady-state BK currents depend mostly on LTCCs for activation, whereas at night they depend predominantly on ryanodine receptors (RyRs). However, the contribution of these Ca2+ channels to BK channel activation during action potential firing has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we used a pharmacological approach to determine that both LTCCs and RyRs contribute to the baseline membrane potential of SCN action potential waveforms, as well as action potential-evoked BK current, during the day and night, respectively. Since the baseline membrane potential is a major determinant of circadian firing rate, we focused on the LTCCs contributing to low voltage activation of BK channels during the subthreshold phase. For these experiments, two LTCC subtypes found in SCN (CaV1.2 and CaV1.3) were coexpressed with BK channels in heterologous cells, where their differential contributions could be separately measured. CaV1.3 channels produced currents that were shifted to more hyperpolarized potentials compared with CaV1.2, resulting in increased subthreshold Ca2+ and BK currents during an action potential command. These results show that although multiple Ca2+ sources in SCN can contribute to the activation of BK current during an action potential, specific BK-CaV1.3 partnerships may optimize the subthreshold BK current activation that is critical for firing rate regulation.NEW & NOTEWORTHY BK K+ channels are important regulators of firing. Although Ca2+ channels are required for their activation in excitable cells, it is not well understood how BK channels activate using these Ca2+ sources during an action potential. This study demonstrates the differences in BK current activated by CaV1.2 and CaV1.3 channels in clock neurons and heterologous cells. The results define how specific ion channel partnerships can be engaged during distinct phases of the action potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber E Plante
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Joshua P Whitt
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Andrea L Meredith
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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13
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Hansen FM, Tanzer MC, Brüning F, Bludau I, Stafford C, Schulman BA, Robles MS, Karayel O, Mann M. Data-independent acquisition method for ubiquitinome analysis reveals regulation of circadian biology. Nat Commun 2021; 12:254. [PMID: 33431886 PMCID: PMC7801436 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20509-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein ubiquitination is involved in virtually all cellular processes. Enrichment strategies employing antibodies targeting ubiquitin-derived diGly remnants combined with mass spectrometry (MS) have enabled investigations of ubiquitin signaling at a large scale. However, so far the power of data independent acquisition (DIA) with regards to sensitivity in single run analysis and data completeness have not yet been explored. Here, we develop a sensitive workflow combining diGly antibody-based enrichment and optimized Orbitrap-based DIA with comprehensive spectral libraries together containing more than 90,000 diGly peptides. This approach identifies 35,000 diGly peptides in single measurements of proteasome inhibitor-treated cells – double the number and quantitative accuracy of data dependent acquisition. Applied to TNF signaling, the workflow comprehensively captures known sites while adding many novel ones. An in-depth, systems-wide investigation of ubiquitination across the circadian cycle uncovers hundreds of cycling ubiquitination sites and dozens of cycling ubiquitin clusters within individual membrane protein receptors and transporters, highlighting new connections between metabolism and circadian regulation. Protein ubiquitylation is often studied by proteomics but how data independent acquisition (DIA) may advance these studies remains to be explored. Here, the authors show that DIA improves ubiquitylation site identification and quantification, enabling them to characterize the circadian ubiquitinome in human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fynn M Hansen
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Maria C Tanzer
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Franziska Brüning
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany.,Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Isabell Bludau
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Che Stafford
- Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Brenda A Schulman
- Department of Molecular Machines and Signaling, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Maria S Robles
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, LMU, Munich, Germany.
| | - Ozge Karayel
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Matthias Mann
- Department of Proteomics and Signal Transduction, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany.
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14
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The mRNA-Binding Protein RBM3 Regulates Activity Patterns and Local Synaptic Translation in Cultured Hippocampal Neurons. J Neurosci 2020; 41:1157-1173. [PMID: 33310754 PMCID: PMC7888222 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0921-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The activity and the metabolism of the brain change rhythmically during the day/night cycle. Such rhythmicity is also observed in cultured neurons from the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is a critical center in rhythm maintenance. However, this issue has not been extensively studied in cultures from areas less involved in timekeeping, as the hippocampus. Using neurons cultured from the hippocampi of newborn rats (both male and female), we observed significant time-dependent changes in global activity, in synaptic vesicle dynamics, in synapse size, and in synaptic mRNA amounts. A transcriptome analysis of the neurons, performed at different times over 24 h, revealed significant changes only for RNA-binding motif 3 (Rbm3). RBM3 amounts changed, especially in synapses. RBM3 knockdown altered synaptic vesicle dynamics and changed the neuronal activity patterns. This procedure also altered local translation in synapses, albeit it left the global cellular translation unaffected. We conclude that hippocampal cultured neurons can exhibit strong changes in their activity levels over 24 h, in an RBM3-dependent fashion. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This work is important in several ways. First, the discovery of relatively regular activity patterns in hippocampal cultures implies that future studies using this common model will need to take the time parameter into account, to avoid misinterpretation. Second, our work links these changes in activity strongly to RBM3, in a fashion that is independent of the canonical clock mechanisms, which is a very surprising observation. Third, we describe here probably the first molecule (RBM3) whose manipulation affects translation specifically in synapses, and not at the whole-cell level. This is a key finding for the rapidly growing field of local synaptic translation.
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15
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Lalic T, Steponenaite A, Wei L, Vasudevan SR, Mathie A, Peirson SN, Lall GS, Cader MZ. TRESK is a key regulator of nocturnal suprachiasmatic nucleus dynamics and light adaptive responses. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4614. [PMID: 32929069 PMCID: PMC7490422 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17978-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a complex structure dependent upon multiple mechanisms to ensure rhythmic electrical activity that varies between day and night, to determine circadian adaptation and behaviours. SCN neurons are exposed to glutamate from multiple sources including from the retino-hypothalamic tract and from astrocytes. However, the mechanism preventing inappropriate post-synaptic glutamatergic effects is unexplored and unknown. Unexpectedly we discovered that TRESK, a calcium regulated two-pore potassium channel, plays a crucial role in this system. We propose that glutamate activates TRESK through NMDA and AMPA mediated calcium influx and calcineurin activation to then oppose further membrane depolarisation and rising intracellular calcium. Hence, in the absence of TRESK, glutamatergic activity is unregulated leading to membrane depolarisation, increased nocturnal SCN firing, inverted basal calcium levels and impaired sensitivity in light induced phase delays. Our data reveals TRESK plays an essential part in SCN regulatory mechanisms and light induced adaptive behaviours. The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) ensures rhythmic electrical activity that varies between day and night to determine circadian behaviours. The authors show that TRESK channels provide a feedback mechanism to maintain the SCN in the appropriate state for nocturnal light-induced behavioural changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Lalic
- Translational Molecular Neuroscience Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Aiste Steponenaite
- Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Anson Building, Central Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Liting Wei
- Translational Molecular Neuroscience Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Alistair Mathie
- Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Anson Building, Central Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK
| | - Stuart N Peirson
- Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (SCNi), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Gurprit S Lall
- Medway School of Pharmacy, University of Kent and University of Greenwich, Anson Building, Central Avenue, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4TB, UK.
| | - M Zameel Cader
- Translational Molecular Neuroscience Group, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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16
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Xu C, Yu J, Ruan Y, Wang Y, Chen Z. Decoding Circadian Rhythm and Epileptic Activities: Clues From Animal Studies. Front Neurol 2020; 11:751. [PMID: 32793110 PMCID: PMC7393483 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between circadian rhythm and epilepsy has been recognized for decades. Yet many questions underlying the complex mechanisms of their interaction remain elusive. A better understanding on this topic allows the development of accurate seizure-detection algorithm and alternative precise therapeutic strategies. Preclinical laboratory studies based on epileptic animal models, with controllable epileptogenic pathology and an array of intervention strategies, shed light on the bidirectional effects between circadian rhythm and epileptic seizures as well as their underlying mechanisms. Here, we reviewed findings on the interaction between circadian rhythm and epileptic seizures in the preclinical setting. We present the possible mechanisms at molecular, cellular and circuitry levels. We propose that future experimental designs should take into account the relationship between circadian rhythm and epilepsy as well as the underlying mechanisms in different types of animal models, which may have a translational significance as stepping stones for clinical benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cenglin Xu
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jie Yu
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yeping Ruan
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yi Wang
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhong Chen
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.,NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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17
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Hartsock MJ, Spencer RL. Memory and the circadian system: Identifying candidate mechanisms by which local clocks in the brain may regulate synaptic plasticity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:134-162. [PMID: 32712278 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The circadian system is an endogenous biological network responsible for coordinating near-24-h cycles in behavior and physiology with daily timing cues from the external environment. In this review, we explore how the circadian system regulates memory formation, retention, and recall. Circadian rhythms in these memory processes may arise through several endogenous pathways, and recent work highlights the importance of genetic timekeepers found locally within tissues, called local clocks. We evaluate the circadian memory literature for evidence of local clock involvement in memory, identifying potential nodes for direct interactions between local clock components and mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. Our discussion illustrates how local clocks may pervasively modulate neuronal plastic capacity, a phenomenon that we designate here as circadian metaplasticity. We suggest that this function of local clocks supports the temporal optimization of memory processes, illuminating the potential for circadian therapeutic strategies in the prevention and treatment of memory impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Hartsock
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
| | - Robert L Spencer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado 80309, United States.
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18
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Harvey JRM, Plante AE, Meredith AL. Ion Channels Controlling Circadian Rhythms in Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Excitability. Physiol Rev 2020; 100:1415-1454. [PMID: 32163720 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00027.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals synchronize to the environmental day-night cycle by means of an internal circadian clock in the brain. In mammals, this timekeeping mechanism is housed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus and is entrained by light input from the retina. One output of the SCN is a neural code for circadian time, which arises from the collective activity of neurons within the SCN circuit and comprises two fundamental components: 1) periodic alterations in the spontaneous excitability of individual neurons that result in higher firing rates during the day and lower firing rates at night, and 2) synchronization of these cellular oscillations throughout the SCN. In this review, we summarize current evidence for the identity of ion channels in SCN neurons and the mechanisms by which they set the rhythmic parameters of the time code. During the day, voltage-dependent and independent Na+ and Ca2+ currents, as well as several K+ currents, contribute to increased membrane excitability and therefore higher firing frequency. At night, an increase in different K+ currents, including Ca2+-activated BK currents, contribute to membrane hyperpolarization and decreased firing. Layered on top of these intrinsically regulated changes in membrane excitability, more than a dozen neuromodulators influence action potential activity and rhythmicity in SCN neurons, facilitating both synchronization and plasticity of the neural code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna R M Harvey
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Amber E Plante
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Andrea L Meredith
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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19
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Matsunaga N, Yoshida Y, Kitajou N, Shiraishi A, Kusunose N, Koyanagi S, Ohdo S. Microcurrent stimulation activates the circadian machinery in mice. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 513:293-299. [PMID: 30944082 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The circadian rhythm, which regulates various body functions, is transcriptionally controlled by a series of clock gene clusters. The clock genes are related to the pathology of various kinds of diseases, which in turn, is related to aging. Aging in humans is a worldwide problem; it induces sleep disorders and disruption of the circadian rhythm. It also decreases ocular vision and appetite and weakens the synchronization of clock genes by light and food. Therefore, a simple method for the synchronization of clock genes in the body is required. In this study, the influence of microcurrent stimulation (MCS) on the circadian machinery in wild-type (WT) and Clock mutant (Clk/Clk) mice was investigated. MCS induced Per1 mRNA expression in cultured mouse astrocytes; cAMP response element (CRE) in the Per1 mouse promoter was found to be important for the induction of Per1 mRNA. In addition, MCS increased the Per1 mRNA levels in mouse livers and caused the phase advance of the Per1 expression rhythm. The protein expression rhythm of phosphor-cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB) was altered and the phase of expression of pCREB protein advanced. Finally, the influence of MCS on the locomotor activity rhythm in WT and Clk/Clk mice was investigated. MCS caused the phase advance of the locomotor activity rhythm in WT and Clk/Clk mice. The results of this study indicate that MCS activated the clock machinery in mice; MCS may thus improve the quality of new treatment modalities in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Matsunaga
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8512, Japan; Department of Global Healthcare Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Yuya Yoshida
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8512, Japan
| | - Naoki Kitajou
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8512, Japan
| | - Akira Shiraishi
- ITO Co., Ltd., 1-23-15, Hakusan, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0001, Japan
| | - Naoki Kusunose
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8512, Japan
| | - Satoru Koyanagi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8512, Japan; Department of Global Healthcare Science, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Shigehiro Ohdo
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8512, Japan.
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20
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Michel S, Meijer JH. From clock to functional pacemaker. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 51:482-493. [PMID: 30793396 PMCID: PMC7027845 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Revised: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, the central pacemaker that coordinates 24‐hr rhythms is located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Individual neurons of the SCN have a molecular basis for rhythm generation and hence, they function as cell autonomous oscillators. Communication and synchronization among these neurons are crucial for obtaining a coherent rhythm at the population level, that can serve as a pace making signal for brain and body. Hence, the ability of single SCN neurons to produce circadian rhythms is equally important as the ability of these neurons to synchronize one another, to obtain a bona fide pacemaker at the SCN tissue level. In this chapter we will discuss the mechanisms underlying synchronization, and plasticity herein, which allows adaptation to changes in day length. Furthermore, we will discuss deterioration in synchronization among SCN neurons in aging, and gain in synchronization by voluntary physical activity or exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Michel
- Group Neurophysiology, Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Johanna H Meijer
- Group Neurophysiology, Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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21
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Paul JR, Davis JA, Goode LK, Becker BK, Fusilier A, Meador-Woodruff A, Gamble KL. Circadian regulation of membrane physiology in neural oscillators throughout the brain. Eur J Neurosci 2019; 51:109-138. [PMID: 30633846 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Twenty-four-hour rhythmicity in physiology and behavior are driven by changes in neurophysiological activity that vary across the light-dark and rest-activity cycle. Although this neural code is most prominent in neurons of the primary circadian pacemaker in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, there are many other regions in the brain where region-specific function and behavioral rhythmicity may be encoded by changes in electrical properties of those neurons. In this review, we explore the existing evidence for molecular clocks and/or neurophysiological rhythms (i.e., 24 hr) in brain regions outside the SCN. In addition, we highlight the brain regions that are ripe for future investigation into the critical role of circadian rhythmicity for local oscillators. For example, the cerebellum expresses rhythmicity in over 2,000 gene transcripts, and yet we know very little about how circadian regulation drives 24-hr changes in the neural coding responsible for motor coordination. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of how our understanding of circadian regulation of electrical properties may yield insight into disease mechanisms which may lead to novel chronotherapeutic strategies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi R Paul
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Jennifer A Davis
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Lacy K Goode
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Bryan K Becker
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Allison Fusilier
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Aidan Meador-Woodruff
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Karen L Gamble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
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22
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Kuljis D, Kudo T, Tahara Y, Ghiani CA, Colwell CS. Pathophysiology in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in mouse models of Huntington's disease. J Neurosci Res 2018; 96:1862-1875. [PMID: 30168855 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2018] [Revised: 08/04/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Disturbances in sleep/wake cycle are a common complaint of individuals with Huntington's disease (HD) and are displayed by HD mouse models. The underlying mechanisms, including the possible role of the circadian timing system, are not well established. The BACHD mouse model of HD exhibits disrupted behavioral and physiological rhythms, including decreased electrical activity in the central circadian clock (suprachiasmatic nucleus, SCN). In this study, electrophysiological techniques were used to explore the ionic underpinning of the reduced spontaneous neural activity in male mice. We found that SCN neural activity rhythms were lost early in the disease progression and was accompanied by loss of the normal daily variation in resting membrane potential in the mutant SCN neurons. The low neural activity could be transiently reversed by direct current injection or application of exogenous N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) thus demonstrating that the neurons have the capacity to discharge at WT levels. Exploring the potassium currents known to regulate the electrical activity of SCN neurons, our most striking finding was that these cells in the mutants exhibited an enhancement in the large-conductance calcium activated K+ (BK) currents. The expression of the pore forming subunit (Kcnma1) of the BK channel was higher in the mutant SCN. We found a similar decrease in daytime electrical activity and enhancement in the magnitude of the BK currents early in disease in another HD mouse model (Q175). These findings suggest that SCN neurons of both HD models exhibit early pathophysiology and that dysregulation of BK current may be responsible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dika Kuljis
- Department of Neurobiology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Biological Sciences, Mellon Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Takashi Kudo
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Japan
| | - Yu Tahara
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Cristina A Ghiani
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Christopher S Colwell
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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23
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Wallace E, Wright S, Schoenike B, Roopra A, Rho JM, Maganti RK. Altered circadian rhythms and oscillation of clock genes and sirtuin 1 in a model of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. Epilepsia 2018; 59:1527-1539. [DOI: 10.1111/epi.14513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eli Wallace
- Cellular and Molecular Pathology Graduate Program; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Madison WI USA
- Department of Neuroscience; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Madison WI USA
- Department of Neurology; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Madison WI USA
| | - Samantha Wright
- Department of Neurology; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Madison WI USA
| | - Barry Schoenike
- Department of Neuroscience; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Madison WI USA
| | - Avtar Roopra
- Department of Neuroscience; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Madison WI USA
| | - Jong M. Rho
- Departments of Pediatrics, Clinical Neurosciences, and Physiology & Pharmacology; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute; Cumming School of Medicine; University of Calgary; Calgary Alberta Canada
| | - Rama K. Maganti
- Department of Neurology; University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Madison WI USA
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24
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Bothwell MY, Gillette MU. Circadian redox rhythms in the regulation of neuronal excitability. Free Radic Biol Med 2018; 119:45-55. [PMID: 29398284 PMCID: PMC5910288 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2018.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Revised: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Oxidation-reduction reactions are essential to life as the core mechanisms of energy transfer. A large body of evidence in recent years presents an extensive and complex network of interactions between the circadian and cellular redox systems. Recent advances show that cellular redox state undergoes a ~24-h (circadian) oscillation in most tissues and is conserved across the domains of life. In nucleated cells, the metabolic oscillation is dependent upon the circadian transcription-translation machinery and, vice versa, redox-active proteins and cofactors feed back into the molecular oscillator. In the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), a hypothalamic region of the brain specialized for circadian timekeeping, redox oscillation was found to modulate neuronal membrane excitability. The SCN redox environment is relatively reduced in daytime when neuronal activity is highest and relatively oxidized in nighttime when activity is at its lowest. There is evidence that the redox environment directly modulates SCN K+ channels, tightly coupling metabolic rhythms to neuronal activity. Application of reducing or oxidizing agents produces rapid changes in membrane excitability in a time-of-day-dependent manner. We propose that this reciprocal interaction may not be unique to the SCN. In this review, we consider the evidence for circadian redox oscillation and its interdependencies with established circadian timekeeping mechanisms. Furthermore, we will investigate the effects of redox on ion-channel gating dynamics and membrane excitability. The susceptibility of many different ion channels to modulation by changes in the redox environment suggests that circadian redox rhythms may play a role in the regulation of all excitable cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia Y Bothwell
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Martha U Gillette
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
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25
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Belle MDC, Diekman CO. Neuronal oscillations on an ultra-slow timescale: daily rhythms in electrical activity and gene expression in the mammalian master circadian clockwork. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 48:2696-2717. [PMID: 29396876 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal oscillations of the brain, such as those observed in the cortices and hippocampi of behaving animals and humans, span across wide frequency bands, from slow delta waves (0.1 Hz) to ultra-fast ripples (600 Hz). Here, we focus on ultra-slow neuronal oscillators in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the master daily clock that operates on interlocking transcription-translation feedback loops to produce circadian rhythms in clock gene expression with a period of near 24 h (< 0.001 Hz). This intracellular molecular clock interacts with the cell's membrane through poorly understood mechanisms to drive the daily pattern in the electrical excitability of SCN neurons, exhibiting an up-state during the day and a down-state at night. In turn, the membrane activity feeds back to regulate the oscillatory activity of clock gene programs. In this review, we emphasise the circadian processes that drive daily electrical oscillations in SCN neurons, and highlight how mathematical modelling contributes to our increasing understanding of circadian rhythm generation, synchronisation and communication within this hypothalamic region and across other brain circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mino D C Belle
- Institute of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
| | - Casey O Diekman
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA.,Institute for Brain and Neuroscience Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, USA
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26
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Li Q, Li Y, Wang X, Qi J, Jin X, Tong H, Zhou Z, Zhang ZC, Han J. Fbxl4 Serves as a Clock Output Molecule that Regulates Sleep through Promotion of Rhythmic Degradation of the GABA A Receptor. Curr Biol 2017; 27:3616-3625.e5. [PMID: 29174887 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.10.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Revised: 09/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The timing of sleep is tightly governed by the circadian clock, which contains a negative transcriptional feedback loop and synchronizes the physiology and behavior of most animals to daily environmental oscillations. However, how the circadian clock determines the timing of sleep is largely unclear. In vertebrates and invertebrates, the status of sleep and wakefulness is modulated by the electrical activity of pacemaker neurons that are circadian regulated and suppressed by inhibitory GABAergic inputs. Here, we showed that Drosophila GABAA receptors undergo rhythmic degradation in arousal-promoting large ventral lateral neurons (lLNvs) and their expression level in lLNvs displays a daily oscillation. We also demonstrated that the E3 ligase Fbxl4 promotes GABAA receptor ubiquitination and degradation and revealed that the transcription of fbxl4 in lLNvs is CLOCK dependent. Finally, we demonstrated that Fbxl4 regulates the timing of sleep through rhythmically reducing GABA sensitivity to modulate the excitability of lLNvs. Our study uncovered a critical molecular linkage between the circadian clock and the electrical activity of pacemaker neurons and demonstrated that CLOCK-dependent Fbxl4 expression rhythmically downregulates GABAA receptor level to increase the activity of pacemaker neurons and promote wakefulness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Li
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Yi Li
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Xiao Wang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Junxia Qi
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Xi Jin
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Huawei Tong
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Zikai Zhou
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Zi Chao Zhang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
| | - Junhai Han
- Institute of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China; Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, China.
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27
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Klett NJ, Allen CN. Intracellular Chloride Regulation in AVP+ and VIP+ Neurons of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10226. [PMID: 28860458 PMCID: PMC5579040 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-09778-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Several reports have described excitatory GABA transmission in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master pacemaker of circadian physiology. However, there is disagreement regarding the prevalence, timing, and neuronal location of excitatory GABA transmission in the SCN. Whether GABA is inhibitory or excitatory depends, in part, on the intracellular concentration of chloride ([Cl-]i). Here, using ratiometric Cl- imaging, we have investigated intracellular chloride regulation in AVP and VIP-expressing SCN neurons and found evidence suggesting that [Cl-]i is higher during the day than during the night in both AVP+ and VIP+ neurons. We then investigated the contribution of the cation chloride cotransporters to setting [Cl-]i in these SCN neurons and found that the chloride uptake transporter NKCC1 contributes to [Cl-]i regulation in SCN neurons, but that the KCCs are the primary regulators of [Cl-]i in SCN neurons. Interestingly, we observed that [Cl-]i is differentially regulated between AVP+ and VIP+ neurons-a low concentration of the loop diuretic bumetanide had differential effects on AVP+ and VIP+ neurons, while blocking the KCCs with VU0240551 had a larger effect on VIP+ neurons compared to AVP+ neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan J Klett
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
- Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Charles N Allen
- Oregon Institute for Occupational Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
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28
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Differential Phase Arrangement of Cellular Clocks along the Tonotopic Axis of the Mouse Cochlea Ex Vivo. Curr Biol 2017; 27:2623-2629.e2. [PMID: 28823676 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.07.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Revised: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Topological distributions of individual cellular clocks have not been demonstrated in peripheral organs. The cochlea displays circadian patterns of core clock gene expression [1, 2]. PER2 protein is expressed in the hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons of the cochlea in the spiral ganglion neurons [1]. To investigate the topological organization of cellular oscillators in the cochlea, we recorded circadian rhythms from mouse cochlear explants using highly sensitive real-time tracking of PER2::LUC bioluminescence. Here, we show cell-autonomous and self-sustained oscillations originating from hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons. Multi-phased cellular clocks were arranged along the length of the cochlea with oscillations initiating at the apex (low-frequency region) and traveling toward the base (high-frequency region). Phase differences of 3 hr were found between cellular oscillators in the apical and middle regions and from isolated individual cochlear regions, indicating that cellular networks organize the rhythms along the tonotopic axis. This is the first demonstration of a spatiotemporal arrangement of circadian clocks at the cellular level in a peripheral organ. Cochlear rhythms were disrupted in the presence of either voltage-gated potassium channel blocker (TEA) or extracellular calcium chelator (BAPTA), demonstrating that multiple types of ion channels contribute to the maintenance of coherent rhythms. In contrast, preventing action potentials with tetrodotoxin (TTX) or interfering with cell-to-cell communication the broad-spectrum gap junction blocker (CBX [carbenoxolone]) had no influence on cochlear rhythms. These findings highlight a dynamic regulation and longitudinal distribution of cellular clocks in the cochlea.
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29
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Acute Knockdown of Kv4.1 Regulates Repetitive Firing Rates and Clock Gene Expression in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus and Daily Rhythms in Locomotor Behavior. eNeuro 2017; 4:eN-NWR-0377-16. [PMID: 28560311 PMCID: PMC5440767 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0377-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2016] [Revised: 04/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapidly activating and inactivating A-type K+ currents (IA) encoded by Kv4.2 and Kv4.3 pore-forming (α) subunits of the Kv4 subfamily are key regulators of neuronal excitability. Previous studies have suggested a role for Kv4.1 α-subunits in regulating the firing properties of mouse suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) neurons. To test this, we utilized an RNA-interference strategy to knockdown Kv4.1, acutely and selectively, in the SCN. Current-clamp recordings revealed that the in vivo knockdown of Kv4.1 significantly (p < 0.0001) increased mean ± SEM repetitive firing rates in SCN neurons during the day (6.4 ± 0.5 Hz) and at night (4.3 ± 0.6 Hz), compared with nontargeted shRNA-expressing SCN neurons (day: 3.1 ± 0.5 Hz; night: 1.6 ± 0.3 Hz). IA was also significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in Kv4.1-targeted shRNA-expressing SCN neurons (day: 80.3 ± 11.8 pA/pF; night: 55.3 ± 7.7 pA/pF), compared with nontargeted shRNA-expressing (day: 121.7 ± 10.2 pA/pF; night: 120.6 ± 16.5 pA/pF) SCN neurons. The magnitude of the effect of Kv4.1-targeted shRNA expression on firing rates and IA was larger at night. In addition, Kv4.1-targeted shRNA expression significantly (p < 0.001) increased mean ± SEM nighttime input resistance (Rin; 2256 ± 166 MΩ), compared to nontargeted shRNA-expressing SCN neurons (1143 ± 93 MΩ). Additional experiments revealed that acute knockdown of Kv4.1 significantly (p < 0.01) shortened, by ∼0.5 h, the circadian period of spontaneous electrical activity, clock gene expression and locomotor activity demonstrating a physiological role for Kv4.1-encoded IA channels in regulating circadian rhythms in neuronal excitability and behavior.
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30
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Allen CN, Nitabach MN, Colwell CS. Membrane Currents, Gene Expression, and Circadian Clocks. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2017; 9:cshperspect.a027714. [PMID: 28246182 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a027714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal circadian oscillators in the mammalian and Drosophila brain express a circadian clock comprised of interlocking gene transcription feedback loops. The genetic clock regulates the membrane electrical activity by poorly understood signaling pathways to generate a circadian pattern of action potential firing. During the day, Na+ channels contribute an excitatory drive for the spontaneous activity of circadian clock neurons. Multiple types of K+ channels regulate the action potential firing pattern and the nightly reduction in neuronal activity. The membrane electrical activity possibly signaling by changes in intracellular Ca2+ and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) regulates the activity of the gene clock. A decline in the signaling pathways that link the gene clock and neural activity during aging and disease may weaken the circadian output and generate significant impacts on human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles N Allen
- Oregon Institute of Occupational Health Sciences and Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon 97239
| | - Michael N Nitabach
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology and Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06520
| | - Christopher S Colwell
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024
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31
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Herzog ED, Hermanstyne T, Smyllie NJ, Hastings MH. Regulating the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) Circadian Clockwork: Interplay between Cell-Autonomous and Circuit-Level Mechanisms. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2017; 9:9/1/a027706. [PMID: 28049647 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a027706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 149] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is the principal circadian clock of the brain, directing daily cycles of behavior and physiology. SCN neurons contain a cell-autonomous transcription-based clockwork but, in turn, circuit-level interactions synchronize the 20,000 or so SCN neurons into a robust and coherent daily timer. Synchronization requires neuropeptide signaling, regulated by a reciprocal interdependence between the molecular clockwork and rhythmic electrical activity, which in turn depends on a daytime Na+ drive and nighttime K+ drag. Recent studies exploiting intersectional genetics have started to identify the pacemaking roles of particular neuronal groups in the SCN. They support the idea that timekeeping involves nonlinear and hierarchical computations that create and incorporate timing information through the interactions between key groups of neurons within the SCN circuit. The field is now poised to elucidate these computations, their underlying cellular mechanisms, and how the SCN clock interacts with subordinate circadian clocks across the brain to determine the timing and efficiency of the sleep-wake cycle, and how perturbations of this coherence contribute to neurological and psychiatric illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik D Herzog
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899
| | - Tracey Hermanstyne
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130-4899
| | - Nicola J Smyllie
- Division of Neurobiology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
| | - Michael H Hastings
- Division of Neurobiology, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge CB2 0QH, United Kingdom
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32
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Regulation of persistent sodium currents by glycogen synthase kinase 3 encodes daily rhythms of neuronal excitability. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13470. [PMID: 27841351 PMCID: PMC5114562 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
How neurons encode intracellular biochemical signalling cascades into electrical signals is not fully understood. Neurons in the central circadian clock in mammals provide a model system to investigate electrical encoding of biochemical timing signals. Here, using experimental and modelling approaches, we show how the activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) contributes to neuronal excitability through regulation of the persistent sodium current (INaP). INaP exhibits a day/night difference in peak magnitude and is regulated by GSK3. Using mathematical modelling, we predict and confirm that GSK3 activation of INaP affects the action potential afterhyperpolarization, which increases the spontaneous firing rate without affecting the resting membrane potential. Together, these results demonstrate a crucial link between the molecular circadian clock and electrical activity, providing examples of kinase regulation of electrical activity and the propagation of intracellular signals in neuronal networks. It is not clear how circadian biochemical cascades are encoded into neural electrical signals. Here, using a combination of electrophysiology and modelling approaches in mice, the authors show activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 modulates neural activity in the suprachiasmatic nuclei via regulation of the persistent sodium current, INaP.
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33
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Farajnia S, Meijer JH, Michel S. Photoperiod Modulates Fast Delayed Rectifier Potassium Currents in the Mammalian Circadian Clock. ASN Neuro 2016; 8:8/5/1759091416670778. [PMID: 27697884 PMCID: PMC5051630 DOI: 10.1177/1759091416670778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
One feature of the mammalian circadian clock, situated in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is its ability to measure day length and thereby contribute to the seasonal adaptation of physiology and behavior. The timing signal from the SCN, namely the 24 hr pattern of electrical activity, is adjusted according to the photoperiod being broader in long days and narrower in short days. Vasoactive intestinal peptide and gamma-aminobutyric acid play a crucial role in intercellular communication within the SCN and contribute to the seasonal changes in phase distribution. However, little is known about the underlying ionic mechanisms of synchronization. The present study was aimed to identify cellular mechanisms involved in seasonal encoding by the SCN. Mice were adapted to long-day (light–dark 16:8) and short-day (light–dark 8:16) photoperiods and membrane properties as well as K+ currents activity of SCN neurons were measured using patch-clamp recordings in acute slices. Remarkably, we found evidence for a photoperiodic effect on the fast delayed rectifier K+ current, that is, the circadian modulation of this ion channel’s activation reversed in long days resulting in 50% higher peak values during the night compared with the unaltered day values. Consistent with fast delayed rectifier enhancement, duration of action potentials during the night was shortened and afterhyperpolarization potentials increased in amplitude and duration. The slow delayed rectifier, transient K+ currents, and membrane excitability were not affected by photoperiod. We conclude that photoperiod can change intrinsic ion channel properties of the SCN neurons, which may influence cellular communication and contribute to photoperiodic phase adjustment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahar Farajnia
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Stephan Michel
- Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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34
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Jones JR, McMahon DG. The core clock gene Per1 phases molecular and electrical circadian rhythms in SCN neurons. PeerJ 2016; 4:e2297. [PMID: 27602274 PMCID: PMC4991845 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2016] [Accepted: 07/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain’s biological clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), exhibits endogenous 24-hour rhythms in gene expression and spontaneous firing rate; however, the functional relationship between these neuronal rhythms is not fully understood. Here, we used a Per1::GFP transgenic mouse line that allows for the simultaneous quantification of molecular clock state and firing rate in SCN neurons to examine the relationship between these key components of the circadian clock. We find that there is a stable, phased relationship between E-box-driven clock gene expression and spontaneous firing rate in SCN neurons and that these relationships are independent of light input onto the system or of GABAA receptor-mediated synaptic activity. Importantly, the concordant phasing of gene and neural rhythms is disrupted in the absence of the homologous clock gene Per1, but persists in the absence of the core clock gene Per2. These results suggest that Per1 plays a unique, non-redundant role in phasing gene expression and firing rate rhythms in SCN neurons to increase the robustness of cellular timekeeping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff R Jones
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; Current affiliation: Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Douglas G McMahon
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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35
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Abstract
The SCN of the mammalian hypothalamus comprises a self-sustained, biological clock that generates endogenous ca. 24-h (circadian) rhythms. Circadian rhythmicity in the SCN originates from the interaction of a defined set of “clock genes” that participate in transcription/translation feedback loops. In order for the SCN to serve as an internal clock that times an internal day corresponding to the external solar day, the intracellular molecular oscillations must be output as physiological signals and be reset by appropriate environmental inputs. Here, the authors consider the mechanisms by which the SCN circadian pacemaker encodes rhythmic output and light input. In particular, they focus on the ionic mechanisms by which SCN neurons encode clock gene output as circa-dian rhythms in spike frequency, as well as cellular and molecular mechanisms by which SCN neurons encode circadian light input through phase heterogeneity in the SCN network. The authors propose that there are 2 distinct classes of ionic mechanisms supporting spike frequency rhythms output—modulation of basal membrane potential and conductance versus modulation of spike production—whereas light input is transformed by cellular communication within the SCN network and encoded by the relative phase relationships among SCN neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra J Kuhlman
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
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36
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Abstract
Large conductance Ca(2+)- and voltage-activated K(+) (BK) channels are widely distributed in the postnatal central nervous system (CNS). BK channels play a pleiotropic role in regulating the activity of brain and spinal cord neural circuits by providing a negative feedback mechanism for local increases in intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations. In neurons, they regulate the timing and duration of K(+) influx such that they can either increase or decrease firing depending on the cellular context, and they can suppress neurotransmitter release from presynaptic terminals. In addition, BK channels located in astrocytes and arterial myocytes modulate cerebral blood flow. Not surprisingly, both loss and gain of BK channel function have been associated with CNS disorders such as epilepsy, ataxia, mental retardation, and chronic pain. On the other hand, the neuroprotective role played by BK channels in a number of pathological situations could potentially be leveraged to correct neurological dysfunction.
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37
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Flourakis M, Kula-Eversole E, Hutchison AL, Han TH, Aranda K, Moose DL, White KP, Dinner AR, Lear BC, Ren D, Diekman CO, Raman IM, Allada R. A Conserved Bicycle Model for Circadian Clock Control of Membrane Excitability. Cell 2016; 162:836-48. [PMID: 26276633 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2014] [Revised: 05/17/2015] [Accepted: 07/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Circadian clocks regulate membrane excitability in master pacemaker neurons to control daily rhythms of sleep and wake. Here, we find that two distinctly timed electrical drives collaborate to impose rhythmicity on Drosophila clock neurons. In the morning, a voltage-independent sodium conductance via the NA/NALCN ion channel depolarizes these neurons. This current is driven by the rhythmic expression of NCA localization factor-1, linking the molecular clock to ion channel function. In the evening, basal potassium currents peak to silence clock neurons. Remarkably, daily antiphase cycles of sodium and potassium currents also drive mouse clock neuron rhythms. Thus, we reveal an evolutionarily ancient strategy for the neural mechanisms that govern daily sleep and wake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthieu Flourakis
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | | | - Alan L Hutchison
- Medical Scientist Training Program, James Franck Institute, Department of Chemistry, Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Tae Hee Han
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Kimberly Aranda
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Devon L Moose
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Kevin P White
- Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Aaron R Dinner
- Medical Scientist Training Program, James Franck Institute, Department of Chemistry, Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Bridget C Lear
- Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Dejian Ren
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Casey O Diekman
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Indira M Raman
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Ravi Allada
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
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38
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BK channel inactivation gates daytime excitability in the circadian clock. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10837. [PMID: 26940770 PMCID: PMC4785228 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Inactivation is an intrinsic property of several voltage-dependent ion channels, closing the conduction pathway during membrane depolarization and dynamically regulating neuronal activity. BK K+ channels undergo N-type inactivation via their β2 subunit, but the physiological significance is not clear. Here, we report that inactivating BK currents predominate during the day in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain's intrinsic clock circuit, reducing steady-state current levels. At night inactivation is diminished, resulting in larger BK currents. Loss of β2 eliminates inactivation, abolishing the diurnal variation in both BK current magnitude and SCN firing, and disrupting behavioural rhythmicity. Selective restoration of inactivation via the β2 N-terminal ‘ball-and-chain' domain rescues BK current levels and firing rate, unexpectedly contributing to the subthreshold membrane properties that shift SCN neurons into the daytime ‘upstate'. Our study reveals the clock employs inactivation gating as a biophysical switch to set the diurnal variation in suprachiasmatic nucleus excitability that underlies circadian rhythm. BK potassium channels have been previously shown to mediate SCN circadian firing, although the precise mechanisms are unclear. Here, using knockout and rescue approaches, the authors find that the ß2 ‘ball-and-chain' confers BK channel inactivation during the day, promoting SCN electrical upstate.
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Abstract
UNLABELLED Melatonin supplementation has been used as a therapeutic agent for several diseases, yet little is known about the underlying mechanisms by which melatonin synchronizes circadian rhythms. G-protein signaling plays a large role in melatonin-induced phase shifts of locomotor behavior and melatonin receptors activate G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels in Xenopus oocytes. The present study tested the hypothesis that melatonin influences circadian phase and electrical activity within the central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) through GIRK channel activation. Unlike wild-type littermates, GIRK2 knock-out (KO) mice failed to phase advance wheel-running behavior in response to 3 d subcutaneous injections of melatonin in the late day. Moreover, in vitro phase resetting of the SCN circadian clock by melatonin was blocked by coadministration of a GIRK channel antagonist tertiapin-q (TPQ). Loose-patch electrophysiological recordings of SCN neurons revealed a significant reduction in the average action potential rate in response to melatonin. This effect was lost in SCN slices treated with TPQ and SCN slices from GIRK2 KO mice. The melatonin-induced suppression of firing rate corresponded with an increased inward current that was blocked by TPQ. Finally, application of ramelteon, a potent melatonin receptor agonist, significantly decreased firing rate and increased inward current within SCN neurons in a GIRK-dependent manner. These results are the first to show that GIRK channels are necessary for the effects of melatonin and ramelteon within the SCN. This study suggests that GIRK channels may be an alternative therapeutic target for diseases with evidence of circadian disruption, including aberrant melatonin signaling. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite the widespread use of melatonin supplementation for the treatment of sleep disruption and other neurological diseases such as epilepsy and depression, no studies have elucidated the molecular mechanisms linking melatonin-induced changes in neuronal activity to its therapeutic effects. Here, we used behavioral and electrophysiological techniques to address this scientific gap. Our results show that melatonin and ramelteon, a potent and clinically relevant melatonin receptor agonist, significantly affect the neurophysiological function of suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons through activation of G-protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels. Given the importance of GIRK channels for neuronal excitability (with >600 publications on these channels to date), our study should generate broad interest from neuroscientists in fields such as epilepsy, addiction, and cognition.
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Parekh PK, McClung CA. Circadian Mechanisms Underlying Reward-Related Neurophysiology and Synaptic Plasticity. Front Psychiatry 2016; 6:187. [PMID: 26793129 PMCID: PMC4709415 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence from clinical and preclinical research provides an undeniable link between disruptions in the circadian clock and the development of psychiatric diseases, including mood and substance abuse disorders. The molecular clock, which controls daily patterns of physiological and behavioral activity in living organisms, when desynchronized, may exacerbate or precipitate symptoms of psychiatric illness. One of the outstanding questions remaining in this field is that of cause and effect in the relationship between circadian rhythm disruption and psychiatric disease. Focus has recently turned to uncovering the role of circadian proteins beyond the maintenance of homeostatic systems and outside of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master pacemaker region of the brain. In this regard, several groups, including our own, have sought to understand how circadian proteins regulate mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and neurotransmitter signaling in mesocorticolimbic brain regions, which are known to be critically involved in reward processing and mood. This regulation can come in the form of direct transcriptional control of genes central to mood and reward, including those associated with dopaminergic activity in the midbrain. It can also be seen at the circuit level through indirect connections of mesocorticolimbic regions with the SCN. Circadian misalignment paradigms as well as genetic models of circadian disruption have helped to elucidate some of the complex interactions between these systems and neural activity influencing behavior. In this review, we explore findings that link circadian protein function with synaptic adaptations underlying plasticity as it may contribute to the development of mood disorders and addiction. In light of recent advances in technology and sophisticated methods for molecular and circuit-level interrogation, we propose future directions aimed at teasing apart mechanisms through which the circadian system modulates mood and reward-related behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Puja K. Parekh
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Colleen A. McClung
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Hermanstyne TO, Simms CL, Carrasquillo Y, Herzog ED, Nerbonne JM. Distinct Firing Properties of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide-Expressing Neurons in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus. J Biol Rhythms 2015; 31:57-67. [PMID: 26712166 DOI: 10.1177/0748730415619745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) regulates daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. Previous studies suggest a critical role for neurons expressing vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in coordinating rhythmicity and synchronization in the SCN. Here we examined the firing properties of VIP-expressing SCN neurons in acute brain slices. Active and passive membrane properties were measured in VIP and in non-VIP neurons during the day and at night. Current-clamp recordings revealed that both VIP and non-VIP neurons were spontaneously active, with higher firing rates during the day than at night. Average firing frequencies, however, were higher in VIP neurons (3.1 ± 0.2 Hz, day and 2.4 ± 0.2 Hz, night) than in non-VIP neurons (1.8 ± 0.2 Hz, day and 0.9 ± 0.2 Hz, night), both day and night. The waveforms of individual action potentials in VIP and non-VIP neurons were also distinct. Action potential durations (APD50) were shorter in VIP neurons (3.6 ± 0.1 ms, day and 2.9 ± 0.1 ms, night) than in non-VIP neurons (4.4 ± 0.3 ms, day and 3.5 ± 0.2 ms, night) throughout the light-dark cycle. In addition, afterhyperpolarization (AHP) amplitudes were larger in VIP neurons (21 ± 0.8 mV, day and 24.9 ± 0.9 mV, night) than in non-VIP neurons (17.2 ± 1.1 mV, day and 20.5 ± 1.2 mV, night) during the day and at night. Furthermore, significant day/night differences were observed in APD50 and AHP amplitudes in both VIP and non-VIP SCN neurons, consistent with rhythmic changes in ionic conductances that contribute to shaping the firing properties of both cell types. The higher day and night firing rates of VIP neurons likely contribute to synchronizing electrical activity in the SCN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracey O Hermanstyne
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
| | - Carrie L Simms
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Yarimar Carrasquillo
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NIH 35 Convent Drive Building 35A, Room 1E-410, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Erik D Herzog
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Jeanne M Nerbonne
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO
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Granados-Fuentes D, Hermanstyne TO, Carrasquillo Y, Nerbonne JM, Herzog ED. IA Channels Encoded by Kv1.4 and Kv4.2 Regulate Circadian Period of PER2 Expression in the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus. J Biol Rhythms 2015; 30:396-407. [PMID: 26152125 DOI: 10.1177/0748730415593377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the master circadian pacemaker in mammals, display daily rhythms in electrical activity with more depolarized resting potentials and higher firing rates during the day than at night. Although these daily variations in the electrical properties of SCN neurons are required for circadian rhythms in physiology and behavior, the mechanisms linking changes in neuronal excitability to the molecular clock are not known. Recently, we reported that mice deficient for either Kcna4 (Kv1.4(-/-)) or Kcnd2 (Kv4.2(-/-); but not Kcnd3, Kv4.3(-/-)), voltage-gated K(+) (Kv) channel pore-forming subunits that encode subthreshold, rapidly activating, and inactivating K(+) currents (IA), have shortened (0.5 h) circadian periods in SCN firing and in locomotor activity compared with wild-type (WT) mice. In the experiments here, we used a mouse (Per2(Luc)) line engineered with a bioluminescent reporter construct, PERIOD2::LUCIFERASE (PER2::LUC), replacing the endogenous Per2 locus, to test the hypothesis that the loss of Kv1.4- or Kv4.2-encoded IA channels also modifies circadian rhythms in the expression of the clock protein PERIOD2 (PER2). We found that SCN explants from Kv1.4(-/-)Per2(Luc) and Kv4.2(-/-) Per2(Luc), but not Kv4.3(-/-)Per2(Luc), mice have significantly shorter (by approximately 0.5 h) circadian periods in PER2 rhythms, compared with explants from Per2(Luc) mice, revealing that the membrane properties of SCN neurons feedback to regulate clock (PER2) expression. The combined loss of both Kv1.4- and Kv4.2-encoded IA channels in Kv1.4(-/-)/Kv4.2(-/-)Per2(Luc) SCN explants did not result in any further alterations in PER2 rhythms. Interestingly, however, mice lacking both Kv1.4 and Kv4.2 show a striking (approximately 1.8 h) advance in their daily activity onset in a light cycle compared with WT mice, suggesting additional roles for Kv1.4- and Kv4.2-encoded IA channels in controlling the light-dependent responses of neurons within and/or outside of the SCN to regulate circadian phase of daily activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tracey O Hermanstyne
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA Departments of Medicine and Developmental Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Yarimar Carrasquillo
- Departments of Medicine and Developmental Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jeanne M Nerbonne
- Departments of Medicine and Developmental Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Erik D Herzog
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Belle MDC. Circadian Tick-Talking Across the Neuroendocrine System and Suprachiasmatic Nuclei Circuits: The Enigmatic Communication Between the Molecular and Electrical Membrane Clocks. J Neuroendocrinol 2015; 27:567-76. [PMID: 25845396 PMCID: PMC4973835 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2014] [Revised: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
As with many processes in nature, appropriate timing in biological systems is of paramount importance. In the neuroendocrine system, the efficacy of hormonal influence on major bodily functions, such as reproduction, metabolism and growth, relies on timely communication within and across many of the brain's homeostatic systems. The activity of these circuits is tightly orchestrated with the animal's internal physiological demands and external solar cycle by a master circadian clock. In mammals, this master clock is located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), where the ensemble activity of thousands of clock neurones generates and communicates circadian time cues to the rest of the brain and body. Many regions of the brain, including areas with neuroendocrine function, also contain local daily clocks that can provide feedback signals to the SCN. Although much is known about the molecular processes underpinning endogenous circadian rhythm generation in SCN neurones and, to a lesser extent, extra-SCN cells, the electrical membrane clock that acts in partnership with the molecular clockwork to communicate circadian timing across the brain is poorly understood. The present review focuses on some circadian aspects of reproductive neuroendocrinology and processes involved in circadian rhythm communication in the SCN, aiming to identify key gaps in our knowledge of cross-talk between our daily master clock and neuroendocrine function. The intention is to highlight our surprisingly limited understanding of their interaction in the hope that this will stimulate future work in these areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. D. C. Belle
- Faculty of Life SciencesUniversity of ManchesterManchesterUK
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Age-related changes in large-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels in mammalian circadian clock neurons. Neurobiol Aging 2015; 36:2176-83. [PMID: 25735218 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.12.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2014] [Revised: 12/09/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Aging impairs the function of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN, the central mammalian clock), leading to a decline in the circadian rhythm of many physiological processes, including sleep-wake rhythms. Recent studies have found evidence of age-related changes in the circadian regulation of potassium currents; these changes presumably lead to a decrease in the SCN's electrical rhythm amplitude. Current through large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK) channels promote rhythmicity in both SCN neuronal activity and behavior. In many neuron types, changes in BK activity are correlated with changes in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]i). We performed patch-clamp recordings of SCN neurons in aged mice and observed that the circadian modulation of BK channel activity was lost because of a reduction in BK currents during the night. This reduced current diminished the afterhyperpolarization, depolarized the resting membrane potential, widened the action potential, and increased [Ca(2+)]i. These data suggest that reduced BK current increases [Ca(2+)]i by altering the action potential waveform, possibly contributing to the observed age-related phenotype.
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Meijer JH, Michel S. Neurophysiological Analysis of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus. Methods Enzymol 2015; 552:75-102. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2014.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Hablitz LM, Molzof HE, Paul JR, Johnson RL, Gamble KL. Suprachiasmatic nucleus function and circadian entrainment are modulated by G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying (GIRK) channels. J Physiol 2014; 592:5079-92. [PMID: 25217379 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.282079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
G protein signalling within the central circadian oscillator, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is essential for conveying time-of-day information. We sought to determine whether G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium channels (GIRKs) modulate SCN physiology and circadian behaviour. We show that GIRK current and GIRK2 protein expression are greater during the day. Pharmacological inhibition of GIRKs and genetic loss of GIRK2 depolarized the day-time resting membrane potential of SCN neurons compared to controls. Behaviourally, GIRK2 knockout (KO) mice failed to shorten free running period in response to wheel access in constant darkness and entrained more rapidly to a 6 h advance of a 12 h:12 h light-dark (LD) cycle than wild-type (WT) littermate controls. We next examined whether these effects were due to disrupted signalling of neuropeptide Y (NPY), which is known to mediate non-photic phase shifts, attenuate photic phase shifts and activate GIRKs. Indeed, GIRK2 KO SCN slices had significantly fewer silent cells in response to NPY, likely contributing to the absence of NPY-induced phase advances of PER2::LUC rhythms in organotypic SCN cultures from GIRK2 KO mice. Finally, GIRK channel activation is sufficient to cause a non-photic-like phase advance of PER2::LUC rhythms on a Per2(Luc+/-) background. These results suggest that rhythmic regulation of GIRK2 protein and channel function in the SCN contributes to day-time resting membrane potential, providing a mechanism for the fine tuning responses to non-photic and photic stimuli. Further investigation could provide insight into disorders with circadian disruption comorbidities such as epilepsy and addiction, in which GIRK channels have been implicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Hablitz
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - H E Molzof
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - J R Paul
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - R L Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
| | - K L Gamble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA
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Sakhi K, Wegner S, Belle MDC, Howarth M, Delagrange P, Brown TM, Piggins HD. Intrinsic and extrinsic cues regulate the daily profile of mouse lateral habenula neuronal activity. J Physiol 2014; 592:5025-45. [PMID: 25194046 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.280065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The epithalamic lateral habenula (LHb) is implicated as part of the mammalian brain's circadian system. Anatomical evidence suggests that the LHb receives extrinsic circadian timing cues from retinal ganglion cells and the master clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN). Intriguingly, some LHb neurones contain the molecular circadian clock, but it is unclear if and how intrinsic and extrinsic circadian processes influence neuronal activity in the mouse LHb. Here, using an in vitro brain slice preparation isolating the LHb from the SCN, we show through whole-cell patch-clamp recordings that LHb neurones exhibit heterogeneity in their resting state, but the majority spontaneously fire action potentials (APs). Discharge rate of APs varied from low firing in the early day to higher firing later in the day and was absent in LHb brain slices prepared from Cry1(-/-)Cry2(-/-) mice that lack a functional molecular clock. Low amplitude circadian oscillations in the molecular circadian clock were also monitored in LHb brain slices, but were absent in Cry1(-/-)Cry2(-/-) LHb brain tissue. A putative neurochemical output signal of the SCN, prokineticin 2 (PK2), inhibited some LHb neurones by elevating the frequency of GABA release in the LHb. Using multi-electrode recordings in vivo, we found that LHb neurones sluggishly respond to retinal illumination, suggesting that they receive such information through polysynaptic processes. In summary, our results show for the first time that intrinsic circadian signals are important for regulating LHb neuronal state, while the SCN-derived signal PK2 is less influential. Moreover, we demonstrate that mouse LHb neurones have access to and can respond to visual input, but such signals are unlikely to be directly communicated to the LHb. Broadly, these findings raise the possibility that intrinsic circadian signals are likely to be influential in shaping LHb contributions to cognition and emotionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanwal Sakhi
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Sven Wegner
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Mino D C Belle
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Michael Howarth
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Philippe Delagrange
- Unité de Recherches et Découvertes en Neurosciences, Institut de Recherches Servier, 78290, Croissy-sur-Seine, France
| | - Timothy M Brown
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Hugh D Piggins
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Sakhi K, Belle MDC, Gossan N, Delagrange P, Piggins HD. Daily variation in the electrophysiological activity of mouse medial habenula neurones. J Physiol 2013; 592:587-603. [PMID: 24247982 PMCID: PMC3934703 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.263319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractIntrinsic daily or circadian rhythms arise through the outputs of the master circadian clock in the brain's suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) as well as circadian oscillators in other brain sites and peripheral tissues. SCN neurones contain an intracellular molecular clock that drives these neurones to exhibit pronounced day–night differences in their electrical properties. The epithalamic medial habenula (MHb) expresses clock genes, but little is known about the bioelectric properties of mouse MHb neurones and their potential circadian characteristics. Therefore, in this study we used a brain slice preparation containing the MHb to determine the basic electrical properties of mouse MHb neurones with whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology, and investigated whether these vary across the day–night cycle. MHb neurones (n = 230) showed heterogeneity in electrophysiological state, ranging from highly depolarised cells (∼ −25 to −30 mV) that are silent with no membrane activity or display depolarised low-amplitude membrane oscillations, to neurones that were moderately hyperpolarised (∼40 mV) and spontaneously discharging action potentials. These electrical states were largely intrinsically regulated and were influenced by the activation of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels. When considered as one population, MHb neurones showed significant circadian variation in their spontaneous firing rate and resting membrane potential. However, in recordings of MHb neurones from mice lacking the core molecular circadian clock, these temporal differences in MHb activity were absent, indicating that circadian clock signals actively regulate the timing of MHb neuronal states. These observations add to the extracellularly recorded rhythms seen in other brain areas and establish that circadian mechanisms can influence the membrane properties of neurones in extra-SCN sites. Collectively, the results of this study indicate that the MHb may function as an intrinsic secondary circadian oscillator in the brain, which can shape daily information flow in key brain processes, such as reward and addiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanwal Sakhi
- AV Hill 2.016, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
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Diekman CO, Belle MDC, Irwin RP, Allen CN, Piggins HD, Forger DB. Causes and consequences of hyperexcitation in central clock neurons. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1003196. [PMID: 23990770 PMCID: PMC3749949 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2012] [Accepted: 06/06/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyperexcited states, including depolarization block and depolarized low amplitude membrane oscillations (DLAMOs), have been observed in neurons of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), the site of the central mammalian circadian (~24-hour) clock. The causes and consequences of this hyperexcitation have not yet been determined. Here, we explore how individual ionic currents contribute to these hyperexcited states, and how hyperexcitation can then influence molecular circadian timekeeping within SCN neurons. We developed a mathematical model of the electrical activity of SCN neurons, and experimentally verified its prediction that DLAMOs depend on post-synaptic L-type calcium current. The model predicts that hyperexcited states cause high intracellular calcium concentrations, which could trigger transcription of clock genes. The model also predicts that circadian control of certain ionic currents can induce hyperexcited states. Putting it all together into an integrative model, we show how membrane potential and calcium concentration provide a fast feedback that can enhance rhythmicity of the intracellular circadian clock. This work puts forward a novel role for electrical activity in circadian timekeeping, and suggests that hyperexcited states provide a general mechanism for linking membrane electrical dynamics to transcription activation in the nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey O. Diekman
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Mino D. C. Belle
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Robert P. Irwin
- Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Charles N. Allen
- Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Hugh D. Piggins
- Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel B. Forger
- Department of Mathematics and Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Montgomery JR, Whitt JP, Wright BN, Lai MH, Meredith AL. Mis-expression of the BK K(+) channel disrupts suprachiasmatic nucleus circuit rhythmicity and alters clock-controlled behavior. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2012; 304:C299-311. [PMID: 23174562 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00302.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In mammals, almost all aspects of circadian rhythmicity are attributed to activity in a discrete neural circuit of the hypothalamus, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). A 24-h rhythm in spontaneous firing is the fundamental neural intermediary to circadian behavior, but the ionic mechanisms that pattern circuit rhythmicity, and the integrated impact on behavior, are not well studied. Here, we demonstrate that daily modulation of a major component of the nighttime-phased suppressive K(+) current, encoded by the BK Ca(2+)-activated K(+) current channel (K(Ca)1.1 or Kcnma1), is a critical arbiter of circadian rhythmicity in the SCN circuit. Aberrant induction of BK current during the day in transgenic mice using a Per1 promoter (Tg-BK(R207Q)) reduced SCN firing or silenced neurons, decreasing the circadian amplitude of the ensemble circuit rhythm. Changes in cellular and circuit excitability in Tg-BK(R207Q) SCNs were correlated with elongated behavioral active periods and enhanced responses to phase-shifting stimuli. Unexpectedly, despite the severe reduction in circuit amplitude, circadian behavioral amplitudes in Tg-BK(R207Q) mice were relatively normal. These data demonstrate that downregulation of the BK current during the day is essential for the high amplitude neural activity pattern in the SCN that restricts locomotor activity to the appropriate phase and maintains the clock's robustness against perturbation. However, a residually rhythmic subset prevails over the ensemble circuit to drive the fundamental circadian behavioral rhythm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna R Montgomery
- Department of Physiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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