Role of ganglionic cotransmission in sympathetic control of the isolated bullfrog aorta

Isolation and Electrophysiology of Murine Sympathetic Postganglionic Neurons in the Thoracic Paravertebral Ganglia

The thoracic paravertebral sympathetic chain postganglionic neurons (tSPNs) represent the predominant sympathetic control of vascular function in the trunk and upper extremities. tSPNs cluster to form ganglia linked by an interganglionic nerve and receive multisegmental convergent and divergent synaptic input from cholinergic sympathetic preganglionic neurons of the spinal cord (Blackman and Purves, 1969; Lichtman et al., 1980 ). Studies in the past have focused on cervical and lumbar chain ganglia in multiple species, but few have examined the thoracic chain ganglia, whose location and diminutive size make them less conducive to experimentation. Seminal studies on the integrative properties of preganglionic axonal projections onto tSPNs were performed in guinea pig (Blackman and Purves, 1969; Lichtman et al., 1980 ), but as mice have become the accepted mammalian genetic model organism, there is need to reproduce and expand on these studies in this smaller model. We describe an ex vivo approach that enables electrophysiological, calcium imaging, and optogenetic assessment of convergence, divergence, and studies on pre- to postganglionic synaptic transmission, as well as whole-cell recordings from individual tSPNs. Preganglionic axonal connections from intact ventral roots and interganglionic nerves across multiple segments can be stimulated to evoke compound action potential responses in individual thoracic ganglia as recorded with suction electrodes. Chemical block of synaptic transmission differentiates spiking of preganglionic axons from synaptically-recruited tSPNs. Further dissection, including removal of the sympathetic chain, enables whole-cell patch clamp recordings from individual tSPNs for characterization of cellular and synaptic properties.

Fifty years of microneurography: learning the language of the peripheral sympathetic nervous system in humans

As a primary component of homeostasis, the sympathetic nervous system enables rapid adjustments to stress through its ability to communicate messages among organs and cause targeted and graded end organ responses. Key in this communication model is the pattern of neural signals emanating from the central to peripheral components of the sympathetic nervous system. But what is the communication strategy employed in peripheral sympathetic nerve activity (SNA)? Can we develop and interpret the system of coding in SNA that improves our understanding of the neural control of the circulation? In 1968, Hagbarth and Vallbo (Hagbarth KE, Vallbo AB. Acta Physiol Scand 74: 96-108, 1968) reported the first use of microneurographic methods to record sympathetic discharges in peripheral nerves of conscious humans, allowing quantification of SNA at rest and sympathetic responsiveness to physiological stressors in health and disease. This technique also has enabled a growing investigation into the coding patterns within, and cardiovascular outcomes associated with, postganglionic SNA. This review outlines how results obtained by microneurographic means have improved our understanding of SNA outflow patterns at the action potential level, focusing on SNA directed toward skeletal muscle in conscious humans.

Confocal imaging of autonomic preganglionic neurons in the spinal cord of the caecilian Typhlonectes natans (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)

Little is known about the spinal sympathetic organization in the caecilian amphibians. We examined for the first time the location of sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs) in the spinal cord using a panel of specific markers expressed in SPNs. The SPNs of anuran amphibians form two cell columns segregated mainly in the lateral and medial marginal areas of the central gray matter. In the caecilian Typhlonectes natans immunoreactivity for galanin and ChAT is found in most laterally arranged neurons lying in spinal segments 2-7. They are encircled by TH- and nNOS-immunoreactive nerve fibers. These neurons might project specifically to a population of adrenergic sympathetic postganglionic neurons in paravertebral ganglia and/or non-adrenergic sympathetic postganglionic neurons in the celiac ganglia. However the segmental restriction and target specificity of the neurons of the species studied are not known. As mucous and granular glands in the dermis may represent one of the peripheral targets of the adrenergic ganglion cells and reflect the prominent preganglionic cell columns, an immunohistochemical study was done also on these glands. Retrograde-tracing studies are, however, needed to study the segmental localization of the preganglionic neurons and their projections to the postganglionic neurons in sympathetic ganglia.

The heart: a novel gonadotrophin-releasing hormone target

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a hypothalamic hormone transported by the hypophyseal portal bloodstream to the pituitary gland, where it binds to GnRH receptors. However, GnRH receptors are expressed in multiple extrapituitary tissues, although their physiological relevance is not fully understood. GnRH agonists are employed extensively in steroid deprivation therapy, especially to suppress testosterone in prostate cancer. Because GnRH agonist treatment is associated with increased coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, we investigated the impact of GnRH on cardiomyocyte contractile function. Cardiomyocytes were isolated from mouse hearts and mechanical and intracellular Ca(2+) properties were evaluated, including peak shortening amplitude (PS), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-90% relengthening (TR(90) ), maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (± dLdt), electrically-stimulated rise in Fura-2 fluorescence intensity (ΔFFI) and Ca(2+) decay. GnRH (1 ng/ml) increased PS, ± dL/dt, resting FFI and ΔFFI, and prolonged TPS, TR(90) and Ca(2+) decay time, whereas 1 pg/ml GnRH affected all these cardiomyocyte variables, except TPS, resting FFI and ΔFFI. A concentration of 1 fg/ml GnRH and the GnRH cleavage product, GnRH-[1-5] (300 pg/ml), had no effect on any cardiomyocyte parameter. The 1 pg/ml GnRH-elicited responses were attenuated by the GnRH receptor antagonist cetrorelix (10 μm), the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor H89 (1 μm) but not the protein kinase C inhibitor chelerythrine chloride (1 μm). These data revealed that GnRH is capable of regulating cardiac contractile function via a GnRH receptor/PKA-dependent mechanism. If present in the human heart, dysfunction of such a system may play an important role in cardiac pathology observed in men treated with GnRH agonists for prostate cancer.

Dynamic Clamp Analysis of Synaptic Integration in Sympathetic Ganglia

Advances in modern neuroscience require the identification of principles that connect different levels of experimental analysis, from molecular mechanisms to explanations of cellular functions, then to circuits, and, ultimately, to systems and behavior. Here, we examine how synaptic organization of the sympathetic ganglia may enable them to function as use-dependent amplifiers of preganglionic activity and how the gain of this amplification may be modulated by metabotropic signaling mechanisms. The approach combines a general computational model of ganglionic integration together with experimental tests of the model using the dynamic clamp method. In these experiments, we recorded intracellularly from dissociated bullfrog sympathetic neurons and then mimicked physiological synapses with virtual computer-generated synapses. It thus became possible to analyze the synaptic gain by recording cellular responses to complex patterns of synaptic activity that normally arise in vivo from convergent nicotinic and muscarinic synapses. The results of these studies are significant because they illustrate how gain generated through ganglionic integration may contribute to the feedback control of important autonomic behaviors, in particular to the control of the blood pressure. We dedicate this paper to the memory of Professor Vladimir Skok, whose rich legacy in synaptic physiology helped establish the modern paradigm for connecting multiple levels of analysis in studies of the nervous system.

Characteristics of the myogenic behaviour of arteries of the common European frog (Rana temporaria)

Mammalian small arteries exhibit pressure-dependent myogenic behaviour characterised by an active constriction in response to an increased transmural pressure or an active dilatation in response to a decreased transmural pressure. This study aimed to determine whether pressure-dependent myogenic responses are a functional feature of amphibian arteries. Mesenteric and skeletal muscle arteries from the common European frog (Rana temporaria) were cannulated at either end with two fine glass micropipettes in the chamber of an arteriograph. Arterial pressure-diameter relationships (5-40 mmHg) were determined in the presence and absence of Ca2+. All arteries dilated passively with increasing pressure in the absence of Ca2+. In the presence of Ca2+ proximal mesenteric branches and tibial artery branches dilated with increasing transmural pressure but tone (p < 0.05) was evident in both arteries. A clear myogenic response to a step increase or decrease in pressure was observed in small distal arteries (6 of 13 mesenteric and 7 of 10 sciatic branches) resulting in significantly (p < 0.05) narrower diameters in Ca2+ in the range 10-40 mmHg in mesenteric and 20-40 mmHg in sciatic arteries, respectively. The results demonstrate that arteries of an amphibian can generate spontaneous pressure-dependent tone. This is the first study to demonstrate myogenic contractile behaviour in arteries of nonmammalian origin.

Excitatory muscarinic modulation strengthens virtual nicotinic synapses on sympathetic neurons and thereby enhances synaptic gain

Acetylcholine excites many neuronal types by binding to postsynaptic m1-muscarinic receptors that signal to ion channels through the G(q/11) protein. To investigate the functional significance of this metabotropic pathway in sympathetic ganglia, we studied how muscarinic excitation modulated the integration of virtual nicotinic excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) created in dissociated bullfrog B-type sympathetic neurons with the dynamic-clamp technique. Muscarine (1 muM) strengthened the impact of virtual synapses by reducing the artificial nicotinic conductance required to reach the postsynaptic firing threshold from 20.9 +/- 5.4 to 13.1 +/- 3.1 nS. Consequently, postganglionic action potential output increased by 4-215% when driven by different patterns of virtual presynaptic activity that were chosen to reflect the range of physiological firing rates and convergence levels seen in amphibian and mammalian sympathetic ganglia. In addition to inhibiting the M-type K(+) conductance, muscarine activated a leak conductance in three of 37 cells. When this leak conductance was reproduced with the dynamic clamp, it also acted to strengthen virtual nicotinic synapses and enhance postganglionic spike output. Combining pharmacological M-conductance suppression with virtual leak activation, at resting potentials between -50 and -55 mV, produced synergistic strengthening of nicotinic synapses and an increase in the integrated postganglionic spike output. Together, these results reveal how muscarinic activation of a branched metabotropic pathway can enhance integration of fast EPSPs by modulating their effective strength. The results also support the hypothesis that muscarinic synapses permit faster and more accurate feedback control of autonomic behaviors by generating gain through synaptic amplification in sympathetic ganglia.

Physiological classification of sympathetic neurons in the rat superior cervical ganglion

A new scheme is presented for identifying three sympathetic phenotypes in the rat superior cervical ganglion using electrophysiology and neuropeptide Y expression. Postganglionic compound action potentials recorded from the external and internal carotid nerves each contained two peaks, 1 and 2, with distinct preganglionic stimulus thresholds. Peak 2 in the external carotid response contained subpeaks 2a and 2b having a similar stimulus threshold. Neurons corresponding to peaks 1, 2a, and 2b were identified intracellularly by antidromic stimulation, graded preganglionic stimulation, injection with neurobiotin and immunostaining. Seventeen of 53 neurons studied this way had a low threshold for preganglionic stimulation of firing that corresponded to activation of extracellular peak 1. All low-threshold neurons were neuropeptide Y (NPY)-negative. The other 36 neurons had a high presynaptic stimulus threshold that corresponded to activation of extracellular peak 2, and 12 of these cells contained NPY. Together with other known features of ganglionic organization, the results indicate that low-threshold NPY-negative neurons are secretomotor cells projecting to salivary glands, that high-threshold NPY-negative neurons are pilomotor cells responsible for extracellular peak 2a, and that high-threshold, NPY-positive neurons are vasoconstrictor cells responsible for peak 2b. Secreto-, pilo-, and vasomotor neurons identified in this way had distinct axonal conduction velocities (0.52, 0.20, and 0.10 m/s) and diameters (33, 29, and 25 microm) but were indistinguishable in terms of preganglionic conduction velocities (0.30-0.34 m/s) and number of primary dendrites (8.4-8.6). The cell classification scheme presented here will allow future comparison of ganglionic integration in different sympathetic modalities.

Rostro-caudal variations in neuronal size reflect the topography of cellular phenotypes in the rat superior cervical sympathetic ganglion

The mammalian superior cervical ganglion (SCG) contains a complex mixture of neuronal phenotypes that selectively innervate different peripheral targets. The present study examined the rostro-caudal topography of sympathetic phenotypes in the rat SCG by analyzing the relation between cell position, size, and the expression of immunoreactivity for neuropeptide Y (NPY), calretinin, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). We observed that 64% of SCG neurons expressed NPY and had an average diameter of approximately 24 microm throughout the ganglion. Previous studies indicate that most of these cells are vasoconstrictor in function. By contrast, the size of NPY-negative neurons varied from approximately 25 microm in the rostral ganglion near the internal carotid nerve to approximately 30 microm in the caudal ganglion between the external carotid nerve and cervical sympathetic trunk. Many of the large NPY-negative neurons in the caudal ganglion were surrounded by dense axonal baskets that were immunoreactive for calretinin and therefore are likely to be secretomotor neurons projecting to salivary glands. Consistent with earlier reports, the rostral ganglion contained low numbers of presumptive pupillomotor neurons, based on their expression of NPY and contact with fibers containing CGRP. The present results indicate that neuronal size may provide a useful aid to cellular identification, especially in the caudal ganglion, and they provide further evidence of a topographic organization within the mammalian SCG.

Post-stimulus potentiation of transmission in pelvic ganglia enhances sympathetic dilatation of guinea-pig uterine artery in vitro

Vasodilatation produced by stimulation of preganglionic neurones in lumbar and sacral pathways to pelvic ganglia was studied using an in vitro preparation of guinea-pig uterine artery and associated nerves in a partitioned bath allowing selective drug application to the ganglia or artery. Arterial diameter was monitored using real time video imaging. Vasodilatations produced by hypogastric nerve stimulation (HN; 300 pulses, 10 Hz) were significantly larger and longer in duration than with pelvic nerve stimulation (N = 18). Stimulation of ipsilateral lumbar splanchnic nerves or ipsilateral third lumbar ventral roots also produced prolonged vasodilatations. Blockade of ganglionic nicotinic receptors (0.1-1 mM hexamethonium) delayed the onset and sometimes reduced the peak amplitude of dilatations, but slow dilatations persisted in 16 of 18 preparations. These dilatations were not reduced further by 3 microM capsaicin applied to the artery and ganglia, or ganglionic application of 1 microM hyoscine, 30-100 microM suramin or 10 microM CNQX. Dilatations were reduced slightly by ganglionic application of NK1 and NK3 receptor antagonists (SR140333, SR142801; 1 microM), but were reduced significantly by bathing the ganglia in 0.5 mM Ca2+ and 10 mM Mg2+. Intracellular recordings of paracervical ganglion neurones revealed fast excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in all neurones on HN stimulation (300 pulses, 10 Hz), and slow EPSPs (3-12 mV amplitude) in 25 of 37 neurones. Post-stimulus action potential discharge associated with slow EPSPs occurred in 16 of 37 neurones (firing rate 9.4 +/- 1.5 Hz). Hexamethonium (0.1-1 mM) abolished fast EPSPs. Hexamethonium and hyoscine (1 microM) did not reduce slow EPSPs and associated post-stimulus firing in identified vasodilator neurones (with VIP immunoreactivity) or non-vasodilator paracervical neurones. These results demonstrate a predominantly sympathetic origin of autonomic pathways producing pelvic vasodilatation in females. Non-cholinergic mediators of slow transmission in pelvic ganglia produce prolonged firing of postganglionic neurones and long-lasting dilatations of the uterine artery. This mechanism would facilitate maintenance of pelvic vasodilatation on stimulation of preganglionic neurones during sexual activity.

Colocalized neuropeptides activate a central pattern generator by acting on different circuit targets

In the presence of descending modulatory inputs, the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) of the lobster Homarus americanus generates a triphasic motor pattern, the pyloric rhythm. Red pigment-concentrating hormone (RPCH) and Cancer borealis tachykinin-related peptide (CabTRP) are colocalized in a pair of fibers that project into the neuropil of the STG. When the STG was isolated from anterior ganglia modulatory inputs, the lateral pyloric (LP) and pyloric (PY) neurons became silent, whereas the anterior burster (AB) and pyloric dilator (PD) neurons were rhythmically active at a low frequency. Exogenous application of 10(-6) m RPCH activated the LP neuron but not the PY neurons; 10(-6) m CabTRP activated the PY neurons but not the LP neuron. The actions of RPCH on the LP neuron and CabTRP on the PY neurons persisted when the rhythmic drive from the PD and AB neurons was removed, suggesting that the LP and PY neurons are direct targets for RPCH and CabTRP respectively. Coapplication of 10(-6) m RPCH and 10(-6) m CabTRP elicited triphasic motor patterns with phase relationships resembling those in a preparation with modulatory inputs intact. In summary, cotransmitters acting on different network targets act cooperatively to activate a complete central pattern-generating circuit.

Colocalized neuropeptides activate a central pattern generator by acting on different circuit targets

In the presence of descending modulatory inputs, the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) of the lobster Homarus americanus generates a triphasic motor pattern, the pyloric rhythm. Red pigment-concentrating hormone (RPCH) and Cancer borealis tachykinin-related peptide (CabTRP) are colocalized in a pair of fibers that project into the neuropil of the STG. When the STG was isolated from anterior ganglia modulatory inputs, the lateral pyloric (LP) and pyloric (PY) neurons became silent, whereas the anterior burster (AB) and pyloric dilator (PD) neurons were rhythmically active at a low frequency. Exogenous application of 10(-6) m RPCH activated the LP neuron but not the PY neurons; 10(-6) m CabTRP activated the PY neurons but not the LP neuron. The actions of RPCH on the LP neuron and CabTRP on the PY neurons persisted when the rhythmic drive from the PD and AB neurons was removed, suggesting that the LP and PY neurons are direct targets for RPCH and CabTRP respectively. Coapplication of 10(-6) m RPCH and 10(-6) m CabTRP elicited triphasic motor patterns with phase relationships resembling those in a preparation with modulatory inputs intact. In summary, cotransmitters acting on different network targets act cooperatively to activate a complete central pattern-generating circuit.

Interaction of vasomotor and exocrine neurons in bullfrog paravertebral sympathetic ganglia

A 2 min sample of an intracellular recording of in vivo synaptic activity from a vasomotor C-neuron in a bullfrog sympathetic ganglion was converted to a series of stimulus pulses. This physiologically derived activity was used to stimulate preganglionic C-fibres of similar ganglia studied in vitro. Intracellular recordings were made from exocrine B-cells within the ganglia. Although they do not receive fast, nicotinic synaptic input from preganglionic C-fibres, B-cell excitability was profoundly increased by stimulation of C-fibres with physiologically derived activity. Also, subthreshold depolarizing current pulses that failed to generate action potentials in B-cells under control conditions almost always generated action potentials whilst C-fibres were activated. These effects were attenuated or prevented by the luteinizing hormone releasing hormone antagonist, [D-pyro-Glu1,D-Phe2,D-Trp3,6]-LHRH (70 µM). The physiological release of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone from C-fibres therefore causes an interaction between vasomotor and exocrine outflow within a paravertebral sympathetic ganglion.Key words: ganglionic transmission, hypertension, autonomic nerve, m-current, neuropeptide.

A model for pleiotropic muscarinic potentiation of fast synaptic transmission

The predominant form of muscarinic excitation in the forebrain and in sympathetic ganglia arises from m1 receptors coupled to the G(q/11) signal transduction pathway. Functional components of this system have been most completely mapped in frog sympathetic B neurons. Presynaptic stimulation of the B neuron produces a dual-component muscarinic excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) mediated by suppression of voltage-dependent M-type K(+) channels and activation of a voltage-insensitive cation current. Evidence from mammalian systems suggests that the cation current is mediated by cyclic GMP-gated channels. This paper describes the use of a computational model to analyze the consequences of pleiotropic muscarinic signaling for synaptic integration. The results show that the resting potential of B neurons is a logarithmic function of the leak conductance over a broad range of experimentally observable conditions. Small increases (<4 nS) in the muscarinically regulated cation conductance produce potent excitatory effects. Damage introduced by intracellular recording can mask the excitatory effect of the muscarinic leak current. Synaptic activation of the leak conductance combines synergistically with suppression of the M-conductance (40 --> 20 nS) to strengthen fast nicotinic transmission. Overall, this effect can more than double synaptic strength, as measured by the ability of a fast nicotinic EPSP to trigger an action potential. Pleiotropic muscarinic excitation can also double the temporal window of summation between subthreshold nicotinic EPSPs and thereby promote firing. Activation of a chloride leak or suppression of a K(+) leak can substitute for the cation conductance in producing excitatory muscarinic actions. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for synaptic integration in sympathetic ganglia and other circuits.

Secondary nicotinic synapses on sympathetic B neurons and their putative role in ganglionic amplification of activity

The strength and number of nicotinic synapses that converge on secretomotor B neurons were assessed in the bullfrog by recording intracellularly from isolated preparations of paravertebral sympathetic ganglia 9 and 10. One input to every B neuron invariably produced a suprathreshold EPSP and was defined as the primary nicotinic synapse. In addition, 93% of the cells received one to four subthreshold inputs that were defined as secondary nicotinic synapses. This contradicts the prevailing view, which has long held that amphibian B neurons are singly innervated. More important, the results revealed that B cells provide the simplest possible experimental system for examining the role of secondary nicotinic synapses on sympathetic neurons. Combining the convergence data with previous estimates of divergence indicates that the average preganglionic B neuron forms connections with 50 ganglionic B neurons and that the majority of these nicotinic synapses are secondary in strength. Secondary EPSPs evoked by low-frequency stimulation ranged from 0.5 to 10 mV in amplitude and had an average quantal content of 1. Nonetheless, secondary synapses could trigger action potentials via four mechanisms: spontaneous fluctuations of EPSP amplitude, two-pulse facilitation, coactivation with other secondary synapses, and coactivation with a slow peptidergic EPSP. The data were used to formulate a stochastic theory of integration, which predicts that ganglia function as amplifiers of the sympathetic outflow. In this two-component scheme, primary nicotinic synapses mediate invariant synaptic gain, and secondary nicotinic synapses mediate activity-dependent synaptic gain. The model also provides a common framework for considering how facilitation, metabotropic mechanisms, and preganglionic oscillators regulate synaptic amplification in sympathetic ganglia.

Secondary nicotinic synapses on sympathetic B neurons and their putative role in ganglionic amplification of activity

The strength and number of nicotinic synapses that converge on secretomotor B neurons were assessed in the bullfrog by recording intracellularly from isolated preparations of paravertebral sympathetic ganglia 9 and 10. One input to every B neuron invariably produced a suprathreshold EPSP and was defined as the primary nicotinic synapse. In addition, 93% of the cells received one to four subthreshold inputs that were defined as secondary nicotinic synapses. This contradicts the prevailing view, which has long held that amphibian B neurons are singly innervated. More important, the results revealed that B cells provide the simplest possible experimental system for examining the role of secondary nicotinic synapses on sympathetic neurons. Combining the convergence data with previous estimates of divergence indicates that the average preganglionic B neuron forms connections with 50 ganglionic B neurons and that the majority of these nicotinic synapses are secondary in strength. Secondary EPSPs evoked by low-frequency stimulation ranged from 0.5 to 10 mV in amplitude and had an average quantal content of 1. Nonetheless, secondary synapses could trigger action potentials via four mechanisms: spontaneous fluctuations of EPSP amplitude, two-pulse facilitation, coactivation with other secondary synapses, and coactivation with a slow peptidergic EPSP. The data were used to formulate a stochastic theory of integration, which predicts that ganglia function as amplifiers of the sympathetic outflow. In this two-component scheme, primary nicotinic synapses mediate invariant synaptic gain, and secondary nicotinic synapses mediate activity-dependent synaptic gain. The model also provides a common framework for considering how facilitation, metabotropic mechanisms, and preganglionic oscillators regulate synaptic amplification in sympathetic ganglia.

Activation of nicotinic receptor-induced postsynaptic responses to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in bullfrog sympathetic ganglia via a Na+-dependent mechanism

Nicotine at very low doses (5-30 nM) induced large amounts of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) release, which was monitored as slow membrane depolarizations in the ganglionic neurons of bullfrog sympathetic ganglia. A nicotinic antagonist, d-tubocurarine chloride, completely and reversibly blocked the nicotine-induced LHRH release, but it did not block the nerve-firing-evoked LHRH release. Thus, nicotine activated nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and produced LHRH release via a mechanism that is different from the mechanism for evoked release. Moreover, this release was not caused by Ca2+ influx through either the nicotinic receptors or the voltage-gated Ca2+ channels because the release was increased moderately when the extracellular solution was changed into a Ca2+-free solution that also contained Mg2+ (4 mM) and Cd2+ (200 microM). The release did not depend on Ca2+ release from the intraterminal Ca2+ stores either because fura-2 fluorimetry showed extremely low Ca2+ elevation (approximately 30 nM) in response to nicotine (30 nM). Moreover, nicotine evoked LHRH release when [Ca2+] elevation in the terminals was prevented by loading the terminals with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid and fura-2. Instead, the nicotine-induced release required extracellular Na+ because substitution of extracellular NaCl with N-methyl-D-glucamine chloride completely blocked the release. The Na+-dependent mechanism was not via Na+ influx through the voltage-gated Na+ channels because the release was not affected by tetrodotoxin (1-50 microM) plus Cd2+ (200 microM). Thus, nicotine at very low concentrations induced LHRH release via a Na+-dependent, Ca2+-independent mechanism.

Mecamylamine selectively blocks nicotinic receptors on vasomotor sympathetic C neurons

Mecamylamine differentially blocked fast nicotinic transmission in two functional subsets of sympathetic neurons within lumbar paravertebral ganglia of the bullfrog. EC50s for inhibition of postsynaptic compound action potentials were 27.3+/-2.5 microM in the secretomotor B system and 5.7+/-0.7 microM in the vasomotor C system. This 5.2:1 selectivity is 2.6 times greater than observed previously with d-tubocurarine, a nonselective blocker of nicotinic receptors, and it indicates that mecamylamine preferentially interacts with nicotinic receptors on sympathetic C neurons. We tested this by analyzing the effect of mecamylamine upon synaptic currents. In both cell types, the drug produced a qualitatively similar picture of open-channel blockade. It reduced EPSC amplitude, speeded EPSC decay, and became more effective with membrane hyperpolarization and repetitive activity. Despite these similarities, 8 microM mecamylamine reduced EPSC amplitude to a greater extent in C neurons, and the rate constant for drug binding to open channels was 4.4 times greater in B cells, irrespective of membrane potential. This implies that the unblocking rate for mecamylamine is much slower in C cells than B cells, and it shows that the drug recognizes a structural difference between nicotinic receptors on these two populations of sympathetic neurons.

Nitric oxide synthase- and neuropeptide Y-containing subpopulations of sympathetic neurons in the coeliac ganglion of the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, revealed by immunohistochemistry and retrograde tracing from the stomach

In this study retrograde tracing was used to locate sympathetic ganglion cells innervating the stomach of a teleost fish, Gadus morhua. A subpopulation of small neurons in the coeliac ganglion was retrogradely labelled after Fast Blue injection in the stomach wall. Neurons projecting to the myenteric plexus and muscle layers contained tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity, and neurons projecting to submucosal layers and blood vessels contained neuropeptide Y immunoreactivity in addition to being tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive. A population of nitric oxide synthase containing tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive neurons was also found in the coeliac ganglion. These neurons were not frequently labelled after injection in any layer of the stomach. The presence of entero-enteric pathways was also surveyed, but too few enteric neurons were labelled with Fast Blue after injection in the coeliac ganglion to indicate a presence of an entero-enteric reflex. We conclude that in teleost fish, as previously reported in a variety of mammals, a pattern of target specific chemical coding of sympathetic neurons exists, but that all reflex systems of mammalian vertebrates are perhaps not present in fish.