The effect of local application of vinblastine or cholchinine on acetylcholine accumulation in rat sciatic nerve

Nerve-dependent factors regulating transcript levels of glycogen phosphorylase in skeletal muscle

1. Muscle glycogen phosphorylase (MGP), the rate-limiting enzyme for glycogen metabolism in skeletal muscle, is neurally regulated. Steady-state transcript levels of the skeletal muscle isozyme of MGP decrease significantly following muscle denervation and after prolonged muscle inactivity with an intact motor nerve. These data suggest that muscle activity has an important influence on MGP gene expression. The evidence to this point, however, does not preclude the possibility that MGP is also regulated by motor neuron-derived trophic factors. This study attempts to distinguish between regulation provided by nerve-evoked muscle contractile activity and that provided by the delivery of neurotrophic factors. 2. Steady-state MGP transcript levels were determined in rat tibialis anterior (TA) muscles following controlled interventions aimed at separating the contributions of contractile activity from axonally transported trophic factors. The innervated TA was rendered inactive by daily epineural injections of tetrodotoxin (TTX) into the sciatic nerve. Sustained inhibition of axonal transport was accomplished by applying one of three different concentrations of the antimicrotubule agent, vinblastine (VIN), to the proximal sciatic nerve for 1 hr. The axonal transport of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was assessed 7, 14, and 28 days after the single application of VIN. 3. MGP transcript levels normalized to total RNA were reduced by 67% in rat TA, 7 days after nerve section. Daily injection of 2 microg TTX into the sciatic nerve for 7 days eliminated muscle contractile activity and reduced MGP transcript levels by 60%. 4. A single, 1-hr application of 0.10% (w/v) VIN to the sciatic nerve reduced axonal transport but did not alter MGP transcript levels in the associated TA, 7 days after treatment. Application of 0.10% VIN to the sciatic nerve also did not affect IA sensory or motor nerve conduction velocities or TA contractile function. 5. Treatment of the sciatic nerve with 0.40% (w/v) VIN for 1 hr reduced axonal transport and decreased MGP transcript levels by 50% within 7 days, but also reduced sensory and motor nerve conduction velocities and depressed TA contractile function. 6. Myogenin, a member of a family of regulatory factors shown to influence the transcription of many muscle genes, including MGP, was used as a molecular marker for muscle inactivity. Myogenin transcript levels were increased following denervation and after treatment with TTX or 0.40% VIN but not after treatment with 0.10% VIN. 7. The results suggest that MGP transcript levels in TA are regulated predominantly by muscle activity, rather than by the delivery of neurotrophic factors. Intrinsic myogenic factors, however, also play a role in MGP expression, since denervation did not reduce MGP transcript levels below 30% of control TA. The dominant influence of activity in the regulation of MGP contrasts with the proposed regulation of oxidative enzyme expression, which appears to depend on both activity and trophic factor influences.

Rapid axonal transport as a chromatographic process: the use of immunocytochemistry of ligated nerves to investigate the biochemistry of anterogradely versus retrogradely transported organelles

The distribution and axonal transport of cholinergic organelles has been studied in the rat motor system, using immunofluorescence methods and a cytofluorimetric technique for quantification of immunoreactive material. Crush-operated spinal roots and sympathectomized sciatic nerves were sectioned longitudinally and incubated with antisera against p38, SV2, CGRP, chromogranin A (Chr A), synapsin I (SYN I), and with RASVA (rabbit anti-synaptic vesicle antiserum). Motor endplates were also studied. It was observed that proximally accumulating organelles--i.e., organelles which were in transport distally in the axons--contained RASVA-like immunoreactivity (LI) p38, SV2, CGRP-LI, Chr A-LI, and SYN I-LI. Retrogradely transported organelles, however, contained only p38 and SV2 in addition to RASVA-LI, but virtually no CGRP-LI, ChrA-LI, or SYN I-LI. It is suggested that the rapid axonal transport mechanism operates in the nerves like a chromatographic process, which allows the concentration in the axons, proximal or distal to the crush, of organelles in anterograde or retrograde transport, respectively. The technique of nerve crushes in combination with immunocytochemistry can therefore be used to investigate the biochemical composition of organelles in transit along the axon, and give information on neurobiological events occurring in these long processes leading to the nerve endings. In this study, biochemical differences between anterogradely and retrogradely transported cholinergic organelles in the motor neuron of the rat have been observed, and were related to suggested events in the endplate.

Localization and axonal transport of immunoreactive cholinergic organelles in rat motor neurons--an immunofluorescent study

Antisera produced in rabbits against pure fractions of cholinergic vesicles from Narcine brasiliensis were used to study cholinergic organelles in rat motor neurons. The indirect immunofluorescence method was used on perfusion-fixed material. The rats were surgically sympathectomized to remove sympathetic adrenergic and cholinergic nerves from the sciatic nerve. In the intact animal immunoreactive material, likely to represent cholinergic vesicles, was observed in motor endplates, identified by labelling with rhodamine-conjugated alpha-bungarotoxin or with subsequent acetylcholinesterase staining. The motor perikarya contained very little immunoreactive material. Non-terminal axons were virtually devoid of immunofluorescence in the intact animal. After crushing the sciatic nerve, immunoreactive material (likely to represent axonal cholinergic organelles) accumulated rapidly on both sides of the crush, indicating a rapid bidirectional transport. The transport was sensitive to local application of mitotic inhibitors. The axons which accumulated immunoreactive organelles were motor axons, as demonstrated by various procedures: Cutting of ventral roots prevented accumulation of immunoreactive material in the nerve. Deafferentation did not notably influence accumulations of immunoreactive material. Ligated axons with immunoreactive material were acetylcholinesterase positive when identification was made on the same section; the intra-axonal distribution of immunoreactive material and acetylcholinesterase was not identical, however, and the Narcine antisera did not cross-react with bovine acetylcholinesterase in a solid phase immunoassay. Most axons in ventral roots, but not in dorsal roots, accumulated strongly fluorescent immunoreactive material, while axons in dorsal roots contained weakly fluorescent material. On the other hand, substance P-like immune reactivity was present in many dorsal root axons, but only very rarely in ventral roots. It is suggested that the antisera against Narcine cholinergic vesicles can be used as a marker for cholinergic organelles in the motor neuron, and may be an important tool for studying the axonal cholinergic vesicles. It cannot, however, be used to identify cholinergic structures in unknown locations because it recognizes common antigenic determinants in transmitter organelles of other nerves, e.g. adrenergic nerves. The axonal cholinergic organelles may carry important molecules, other than acetylcholine to the nerve endings.

Effects of vinblastine in the frog neuromuscular junction during repetitive stimulation

Vinblastine (10(-5) to 10(-4) M) applied in a Mg-blocked sciatic nerve-sartorius muscle preparation of the frog at the beginning of 20 min of repetitive stimulation of the nerve at 10 Hz, markedly inhibited the facilitation period. There was a smaller increase of end-plate potential amplitude, of quantal content, and of miniature end-plate potential (MEPP) frequency in comparison with that found in experiments without the drug. This depressant effect was more evident when the preparation was preincubated in vinblastine: synaptic responses often disappeared after a few minutes, whereas MEPP frequency attained a maximum at the 5th min. The results suggest a multiple site of action for vinblastine. First, an alteration of both vesicle and plasmalemma membrane, as revealed by the increase of MEPP frequency and by the change of the binomial release features. Second, the drug could damage the intracellular transport system, interfering with the mobilization of the vesicles toward the nerve endings, as shown by the very low or absent facilitation.

Structural and functional consequences of increased tubulin glycosylation in diabetes mellitus

The extent of in vitro nonenzymatic glycosylation of purified rat brain tubulin was dependent on time and glucose concentration. Tubulin glycosylation profoundly inhibited GTP-dependent tubulin polymerization. Electron microscopy and NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that glycosylated tubulin forms high molecular weight amorphous aggregates that are not disrupted by detergents or reducing agents. The amount of covalently bound NaB3H4-reducible sugars in tubulin recovered from brain of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats was dramatically increased as compared with tubulin recovered from normal rat brain. Moreover, tubulin recovered from diabetic rat brain exhibited less GTP-induced polymerization than tubulin from nondiabetic controls. The possible implications of these data for diabetic neuropathy are discussed.

Further evidence for the involvement of microtubules in the proximo-distal intra-axonal transport of acetylcholine and related enzymes in rat sciatic nerve

The two mitotic inhibitors colchicine (COL) and podofyllotoxin (POD) and their respective isomers, lumiCOL and picropodofyllin (picPOD) were tested for their effect on the intraaxonal transport (AXT) of acetylcholine (ACh) and the cholinergic enzymes in rat sciatic nerve. The mitotic inhibitors and their isomers were dissolved in saline+10% ethanol (COL and lumiCOL) or dimethylformamid (DMFA) (POD and picPOD) and injected (3-5microliter) subepineurally into the sciatic nerve. As controls the vehicle (saline +10% ethanol or DMFA) alone were injected into some rats. 2 h later a crush operation was performed 15 mm distal to the site of injection. The accumulation of ACh or the two enzymes, ACh-esterase (AChE) and cholineacetyltransferase (CAT), in the nerve segment proximal to the crush (12 h before death) was used as a measure of the AXT. COL and POD were very effective in inhibiting AXT of all 3 substances, while their isomers, lumiCOL and picPOD, were essentially without effect on AXT in equimolar concentrations (0.1 M). The effects on AXT of the 4 test substances thus appear related to their affinity to bind to tubulin, which is several orders of magnitude higher for COL and POD than for their isomers. The results further support the view that intact microtubules are essential for AXT of both membrane-bound (ACh E) and soluble (CAT) enzymes, as well as of ACh in rat motor nerves.