2
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Winter CC, Jacobi A, Su J, Chung L, van Velthoven CTJ, Yao Z, Lee C, Zhang Z, Yu S, Gao K, Duque Salazar G, Kegeles E, Zhang Y, Tomihiro MC, Zhang Y, Yang Z, Zhu J, Tang J, Song X, Donahue RJ, Wang Q, McMillen D, Kunst M, Wang N, Smith KA, Romero GE, Frank MM, Krol A, Kawaguchi R, Geschwind DH, Feng G, Goodrich LV, Liu Y, Tasic B, Zeng H, He Z. A transcriptomic taxonomy of mouse brain-wide spinal projecting neurons. Nature 2023; 624:403-414. [PMID: 38092914 PMCID: PMC10719099 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06817-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The brain controls nearly all bodily functions via spinal projecting neurons (SPNs) that carry command signals from the brain to the spinal cord. However, a comprehensive molecular characterization of brain-wide SPNs is still lacking. Here we transcriptionally profiled a total of 65,002 SPNs, identified 76 region-specific SPN types, and mapped these types into a companion atlas of the whole mouse brain1. This taxonomy reveals a three-component organization of SPNs: (1) molecularly homogeneous excitatory SPNs from the cortex, red nucleus and cerebellum with somatotopic spinal terminations suitable for point-to-point communication; (2) heterogeneous populations in the reticular formation with broad spinal termination patterns, suitable for relaying commands related to the activities of the entire spinal cord; and (3) modulatory neurons expressing slow-acting neurotransmitters and/or neuropeptides in the hypothalamus, midbrain and reticular formation for 'gain setting' of brain-spinal signals. In addition, this atlas revealed a LIM homeobox transcription factor code that parcellates the reticulospinal neurons into five molecularly distinct and spatially segregated populations. Finally, we found transcriptional signatures of a subset of SPNs with large soma size and correlated these with fast-firing electrophysiological properties. Together, this study establishes a comprehensive taxonomy of brain-wide SPNs and provides insight into the functional organization of SPNs in mediating brain control of bodily functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla C Winter
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard-MIT MD-PhD Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anne Jacobi
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- F. Hoffman-La Roche, pRED, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Junfeng Su
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Leeyup Chung
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Zizhen Yao
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Changkyu Lee
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zicong Zhang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shuguang Yu
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kun Gao
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Geraldine Duque Salazar
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Evgenii Kegeles
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- PhD Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yu Zhang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Makenzie C Tomihiro
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yiming Zhang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zhiyun Yang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Junjie Zhu
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jing Tang
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xuan Song
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ryan J Donahue
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qing Wang
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Ning Wang
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Gabriel E Romero
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michelle M Frank
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexandra Krol
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Riki Kawaguchi
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Program in Neurogenetics, Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Guoping Feng
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Lisa V Goodrich
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- Somatosensation and Pain Unit, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Hongkui Zeng
- Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Zhigang He
- F. M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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3
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Carbo-Tano M, Lapoix M, Jia X, Thouvenin O, Pascucci M, Auclair F, Quan FB, Albadri S, Aguda V, Farouj Y, Hillman EMC, Portugues R, Del Bene F, Thiele TR, Dubuc R, Wyart C. The mesencephalic locomotor region recruits V2a reticulospinal neurons to drive forward locomotion in larval zebrafish. Nat Neurosci 2023; 26:1775-1790. [PMID: 37667039 PMCID: PMC10545542 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01418-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
The mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR) is a brain stem area whose stimulation triggers graded forward locomotion. How MLR neurons recruit downstream vsx2+ (V2a) reticulospinal neurons (RSNs) is poorly understood. Here, to overcome this challenge, we uncovered the locus of MLR in transparent larval zebrafish and show that the MLR locus is distinct from the nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus. MLR stimulations reliably elicit forward locomotion of controlled duration and frequency. MLR neurons recruit V2a RSNs via projections onto somata in pontine and retropontine areas, and onto dendrites in the medulla. High-speed volumetric imaging of neuronal activity reveals that strongly MLR-coupled RSNs are active for steering or forward swimming, whereas weakly MLR-coupled medullary RSNs encode the duration and frequency of the forward component. Our study demonstrates how MLR neurons recruit specific V2a RSNs to control the kinematics of forward locomotion and suggests conservation of the motor functions of V2a RSNs across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Carbo-Tano
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Lapoix
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Xinyu Jia
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Thouvenin
- Institut Langevin, École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris, Paris Sciences et Lettres, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Marco Pascucci
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, NeuroSpin, Baobab, Centre d'études de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- The American University of Paris, Paris, France
| | - François Auclair
- Département de Neurosciences, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Feng B Quan
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - Shahad Albadri
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Vernie Aguda
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Younes Farouj
- Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Elizabeth M C Hillman
- Laboratory for Functional Optical Imaging, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Ruben Portugues
- Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich, Germany
| | - Filippo Del Bene
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Tod R Thiele
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Réjean Dubuc
- Département de Neurosciences, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
- Groupe de Recherche en Activité Physique Adaptée, Department of Exercise Science, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
| | - Claire Wyart
- Sorbonne Université, Paris Brain Institute (Institut du Cerveau, ICM), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U1127, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 7225, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Campus Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
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5
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Qiao QC, Wen SY, Jiang YB, Feng H, Xu R, Huang YJ, Chen BY, Chen WH, Niu JH, Hu R, Yang N, Zhang J. Orexin recruits non-selective cationic conductance and endocannabinoid to dynamically modulate firing of caudal pontine reticular nuclear neurones. J Physiol 2023; 601:3585-3604. [PMID: 37421377 DOI: 10.1113/jp284602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The neuropeptide orexin is involved in motor circuit function. However, its modulation on neuronal activities of motor structures, integrating orexin's diverse downstream molecular cascades, remains elusive. By combining whole-cell patch-clamp recordings and neuropharmacological methods, we revealed that both non-selective cationic conductance (NSCC) and endocannabinoids (eCBs) are recruited by orexin signalling on reticulospinal neurones in the caudal pontine reticular nucleus (PnC). The orexin-NSCC cascade provides a depolarizing force that proportionally enhances the firing-responsive gain of these neurones. Meanwhile, the orexin-eCB cascade selectively attenuates excitatory synaptic strength in these neurones by activating presynaptic cannabinoid receptor type 1. This cascade restrains the firing response of the PnC reticulospinal neurones to excitatory inputs. Intriguingly, non-linear or linear interactions between orexin postsynaptic excitation and presynaptic inhibition can influence the firing responses of PnC reticulospinal neurones in different directions. When presynaptic inhibition is in the lead, non-linear interactions can prominently downregulate or even gate the firing response. Conversely, linear interactions occur to promote the firing response, and these linear interactions can be considered a proportional reduction in the contribution of depolarization to firing by presynaptic inhibition. Through the dynamic employment of these interactions, adaptive modulation may be achieved by orexin to restrain or even gate the firing output of the PnC to weak/irrelevant input signals and facilitate those to salient signals. KEY POINTS: This study investigated the effects of orexin on the firing activity of PnC reticulospinal neurones, a key element of central motor control. We found that orexin recruited both the non-selective cationic conductances (NSCCs) and endocannabinoid (eCB)-cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R) system to pontine reticular nucleus (PnC) reticulospinal neurones. The orexin-NSCC cascade exerts a postsynaptic excitation that enhances the firing response, whereas the orexin-eCB-CB1R cascade selectively attenuates excitatory synaptic strength that restrains the firing response. The postsynaptic and presynaptic actions of orexins occur in an overlapping time window and interact to dynamically modulate firings in PnC reticulospinal neurones. Non-linear interactions occur when presynaptic inhibition of orexin is in the lead, and these interactions can prominently downregulate or even gate firing responses in PnC reticulospinal neurones. Linear interactions occur when postsynaptic excitation of orexin is in the lead, and these interactions can promote the firing response. These linear interactions can be considered a proportional reduction of the contribution of depolarization to firing by presynaptic inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi-Cheng Qiao
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Si-Yi Wen
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yi-Bin Jiang
- Department of Neurosurgery and Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Hui Feng
- Department of Neurosurgery and Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Rui Xu
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yan-Jia Huang
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bang-Yun Chen
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wen-Hao Chen
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jia-Hui Niu
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Rong Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery and Key Laboratory of Neurotrauma, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Nian Yang
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
- Department of Neurobiology, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
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7
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Li WY, Deng LX, Zhai FG, Wang XY, Li ZG, Wang Y. Chx10+V2a interneurons in spinal motor regulation and spinal cord injury. Neural Regen Res 2022; 18:933-939. [PMID: 36254971 PMCID: PMC9827767 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.355746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Chx10-expressing V2a (Chx10+V2a) spinal interneurons play a large role in the excitatory drive of motoneurons. Chemogenetic ablation studies have demonstrated the essential nature of Chx10+V2a interneurons in the regulation of locomotor initiation, maintenance, alternation, speed, and rhythmicity. The role of Chx10+V2a interneurons in locomotion and autonomic nervous system regulation is thought to be robust, but their precise role in spinal motor regulation and spinal cord injury have not been fully explored. The present paper reviews the origin, characteristics, and functional roles of Chx10+V2a interneurons with an emphasis on their involvement in the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury. The diverse functional properties of these cells have only been substantiated by and are due in large part to their integration in a variety of diverse spinal circuits. Chx10+V2a interneurons play an integral role in conferring locomotion, which integrates various corticospinal, mechanosensory, and interneuron pathways. Moreover, accumulating evidence suggests that Chx10+V2a interneurons also play an important role in rhythmic patterning maintenance, left-right alternation of central pattern generation, and locomotor pattern generation in higher order mammals, likely conferring complex locomotion. Consequently, the latest research has focused on postinjury transplantation and noninvasive stimulation of Chx10+V2a interneurons as a therapeutic strategy, particularly in spinal cord injury. Finally, we review the latest preclinical study advances in laboratory derivation and stimulation/transplantation of these cells as a strategy for the treatment of spinal cord injury. The evidence supports that the Chx10+V2a interneurons act as a new therapeutic target for spinal cord injury. Future optimization strategies should focus on the viability, maturity, and functional integration of Chx10+V2a interneurons transplanted in spinal cord injury foci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Yuan Li
- Institute of Neural Tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Ling-Xiao Deng
- Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Group, Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Feng-Guo Zhai
- Department of Pharmacy, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Wang
- Institute of Neural Tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China
| | - Zhi-Gang Li
- Department of General Surgery, Hongqi Hospital, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China,Correspondence to: Ying Wang, ; Zhi-Gang Li, .
| | - Ying Wang
- Institute of Neural Tissue Engineering, Mudanjiang College of Medicine, Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang Province, China,Correspondence to: Ying Wang, ; Zhi-Gang Li, .
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