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Li N, Tao W, Yang L, Spain WJ, Ransom CB. GABA-B receptors enhance GABA-A receptor currents by modulation of membrane trafficking in dentate gyrus granule cells. Neurosci Lett 2022; 773:136481. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Traumatic Brain Injury Broadly Affects GABAergic Signaling in Dentate Gyrus Granule Cells. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0055-20.2021. [PMID: 33514602 PMCID: PMC8116114 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0055-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes cellular and molecular alterations that contribute to neuropsychiatric disease and epilepsy. GABAergic dysfunction figures prominently in the pathophysiology of TBI, yet the effects of TBI on tonic inhibition in hippocampus remain uncertain. We used a mouse model of severe TBI [controlled cortical impact (CCI)] to investigate GABAergic signaling in dentate gyrus granule cells (DGGCs). Basal tonic GABA currents were not affected by CCI. However, tonic currents induced by the δ subunit-selective GABAA receptor agonist 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-ol (THIP; 10 μm) were reduced by 44% in DGGCs ipsilateral to CCI (CCI-ipsi), but not in contralateral DGGCs. Reduced THIP currents were apparent one week after injury and persisted up to 15 weeks. The frequency of spontaneous IPSCs (sIPSCs) was reduced in CCI-ipsi cells, but the amplitude and kinetics of sIPSCs were unaffected. Immunohistochemical analysis showed reduced expression of GABAA receptor δ subunits and GABAB receptor B2 subunits after CCI, by 43% and 40%, respectively. Activation of postsynaptic GABAB receptors caused a twofold increase in tonic currents, and this effect was markedly attenuated in CCI-ipsi cells (92% reduction). GABAB receptor-activated K+ currents in DGGCs were also significantly reduced in CCI-ipsi cells, confirming a functional deficit of GABAB receptors after CCI. Results indicate broad disruption of GABAergic signaling in DGGCs after CCI, with deficits in both phasic and tonic inhibition and GABAB receptor function. These changes are predicted to disrupt operation of hippocampal networks and contribute to sequelae of severe TBI, including epilepsy.
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Association of mGluR-Dependent LTD of Excitatory Synapses with Endocannabinoid-Dependent LTD of Inhibitory Synapses Leads to EPSP to Spike Potentiation in CA1 Pyramidal Neurons. J Neurosci 2018; 39:224-237. [PMID: 30459224 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2935-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The input-output relationships in neural circuits are determined not only by synaptic efficacy but also by neuronal excitability. Activity-dependent alterations of synaptic efficacy have been extensively investigated, but relatively less is known about how the neuronal output is modulated when synaptic efficacy changes are associated with neuronal excitability changes. In this study, we demonstrate that paired pulses of low-frequency stimulation (PP-LFS) induced metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-dependent LTD at Schaffer collateral (SC)-CA1 synapses in Sprague Dawley rats (both sexes), and this LTD was associated with EPSP to spike (E-S) potentiation, leading to the increase in action potential (AP) outputs. Threshold voltage (Vth) for APs evoked by synaptic stimulation and that by somatic current injection were hyperpolarized significantly after PP-LFS. Blockers of GABA receptors mimicked and occluded PP-LFS effects on E-S potentiation and Vth hyperpolarization, suggesting that suppression of GABAergic mechanisms is involved in E-S potentiation after PP-LFS. Indeed, IPSCs and tonic inhibitory currents were reduced after PP-LFS. The IPSC reduction was accompanied by increased paired-pulse ratio, and abolished by AM251, a blocker for Type 1 cannabinoid receptors, suggesting that PP-LFS suppresses presynaptic GABA release by mGluR-dependent endocannabinoids signaling. By contrast, a Group 1 mGluR agonist, 3, 5-dihydroxyphenylglycine, induced LTD at SC-CA1 synapses but failed to induce significant IPSC reduction and AP output increase. We propose that mGluR signaling that induces LTD coexpression at excitatory and inhibitory synapses regulates an excitation-inhibition balance to increase neuronal output in CA1 neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Long-lasting forms of synaptic plasticity are usually associated with excitability changes, the ability to fire action potentials. However, excitability changes have been regarded to play subsidiary roles to synaptic plasticity in modifying neuronal output. We demonstrate that, when metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent LTD is induced by paired pulses of low-frequency stimulation, the action potential output in response to a given input paradoxically increases, indicating that increased excitability is more powerful than synaptic depression. This increase is mediated by the suppression of a presynaptic GABA release via metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent endocannabinoid signaling. Our study shows that neuronal output changes do not always follow the direction of synaptic plasticity at excitatory synapses, highlighting the importance of regulating inhibitory tone via endocannabinoid signaling.
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Gamma oscillatory activity in vitro: a model system to assess pathophysiological mechanisms of comorbidity between autism and epilepsy. Transl Psychiatry 2018; 8:16. [PMID: 29317612 PMCID: PMC5802508 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-017-0065-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and temporal lobe epilepsy exhibit remarkable comorbidity, but for reasons not clearly understood. To reveal a common pathophysiological mechanism, we here describe and characterize an in vitro epileptiform activity in the rat hippocampus that exhibits common features with in vivo activity in rodent ASD models. We discovered the development of this activity in the CA1 region of horizontal slices after prolonged interictal-like epileptiform activity in the CA3 region that was provoked by incubation in high potassium artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The CA1 epileptiform bursts were insensitive to blockers of glutamatergic transmission, and were carried by synaptic as well as extrasynaptic, tonically activated gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptors. The bursts bear resemblance to in vivo gamma-oscillatory activity found in rat ASD models with respect to their gamma frequency spectrum, their origin (in the CA1), and their sensitivity to blockers of cation-chloride pumps (NKCC1 and KCC2), as well as to oxytocin. Considering this bursting activity as an in vitro model for studying comorbidity between epilepsy and ASD may help to disentangle the intricate interactions that underlie the comorbidity between both diseases and suggests that extrasynaptic tonic GABAergic transmission could represent a potential target for ASD.
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Du X, Hao H, Yang Y, Huang S, Wang C, Gigout S, Ramli R, Li X, Jaworska E, Edwards I, Deuchars J, Yanagawa Y, Qi J, Guan B, Jaffe DB, Zhang H, Gamper N. Local GABAergic signaling within sensory ganglia controls peripheral nociceptive transmission. J Clin Invest 2017; 127:1741-1756. [PMID: 28375159 PMCID: PMC5409786 DOI: 10.1172/jci86812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The integration of somatosensory information is generally assumed to be a function of the central nervous system (CNS). Here we describe fully functional GABAergic communication within rodent peripheral sensory ganglia and show that it can modulate transmission of pain-related signals from the peripheral sensory nerves to the CNS. We found that sensory neurons express major proteins necessary for GABA synthesis and release and that sensory neurons released GABA in response to depolarization. In vivo focal infusion of GABA or GABA reuptake inhibitor to sensory ganglia dramatically reduced acute peripherally induced nociception and alleviated neuropathic and inflammatory pain. In addition, focal application of GABA receptor antagonists to sensory ganglia triggered or exacerbated peripherally induced nociception. We also demonstrated that chemogenetic or optogenetic depolarization of GABAergic dorsal root ganglion neurons in vivo reduced acute and chronic peripherally induced nociception. Mechanistically, GABA depolarized the majority of sensory neuron somata, yet produced a net inhibitory effect on the nociceptive transmission due to the filtering effect at nociceptive fiber T-junctions. Our findings indicate that peripheral somatosensory ganglia represent a hitherto underappreciated site of somatosensory signal integration and offer a potential target for therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaona Du
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Han Hao
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Yuehui Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Sha Huang
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Caixue Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Sylvain Gigout
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Rosmaliza Ramli
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
- School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
| | - Xinmeng Li
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Ewa Jaworska
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Ian Edwards
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Jim Deuchars
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Yuchio Yanagawa
- Department of Genetic and Behavioral Neuroscience, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine and Japan Science and Technology Agency, CREST, Maebashi, Japan
| | - Jinlong Qi
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Bingcai Guan
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - David B. Jaffe
- Department of Biology, UTSA Neurosciences Institute, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Hailin Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
| | - Nikita Gamper
- Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, The Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, China; The Key Laboratory of New Drug Pharmacology and Toxicology, Hebei Province; Shijiazhuang, China
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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Ransom CB, Ye Z, Spain WJ, Richerson GB. Modulation of Tonic GABA Currents by Anion Channel and Connexin Hemichannel Antagonists. Neurochem Res 2017; 42:2551-2559. [PMID: 28401401 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-017-2246-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2016] [Revised: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Anion channels and connexin hemichannels are permeable to amino acid neurotransmitters. It is hypothesized that these conductive pathways release GABA, thereby influencing ambient GABA levels and tonic GABAergic inhibition. To investigate this, we measured the effects of anion channel/hemichannel antagonists on tonic GABA currents of rat hippocampal neurons. In contrast to predictions, blockade of anion channels and hemichannels with NPPB potentiated tonic GABA currents of neurons in culture and acute hippocampal slices. In contrast, the anion channel/hemichannel antagonist carbenoxolone (CBX) inhibited tonic currents. These findings could result from alterations of ambient GABA concentration or direct effects on GABAA receptors. To test for effects on GABAA receptors, we measured currents evoked by exogenous GABA. Coapplication of NPPB with GABA potentiated GABA-evoked currents. CBX dose-dependently inhibited GABA-evoked currents. These results are consistent with direct effects of NPPB and CBX on GABAA receptors. GABA release from hippocampal cell cultures was directly measured using HPLC. Inhibition of anion channels with NPPB or CBX did not affect GABA release from cultured hippocampal neurons. NPPB reduced GABA release from pure astrocytic cultures by 21%, but the total GABA release from astrocytes was small compared to that of mixed cultures. These data indicate that drugs commonly used to antagonize anion channels and connexin hemichannels may affect tonic currents via direct effects on GABAA receptors and have negligible effects on ambient GABA concentrations. Interpretation of experiments using NPPB or CBX should include consideration of their effects on tonic GABA currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B Ransom
- Epilepsy Center of Excellence, VA Puget Sound HealthCare System, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA. .,Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA. .,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Zucheng Ye
- Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
| | - William J Spain
- Epilepsy Center of Excellence, VA Puget Sound HealthCare System, Seattle, WA, 98108, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - George B Richerson
- Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.,Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
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Eskandari S, Willford SL, Anderson CM. Revised Ion/Substrate Coupling Stoichiometry of GABA Transporters. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2017; 16:85-116. [PMID: 28828607 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-55769-4_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to highlight recent evidence in support of a 3 Na+: 1 Cl-: 1 GABA coupling stoichiometry for plasma membrane GABA transporters (SLC6A1 , SLC6A11 , SLC6A12 , SLC6A13 ) and how the revised stoichiometry impacts our understanding of the contribution of GABA transporters to GABA homeostasis in synaptic and extrasynaptic regions in the brain under physiological and pathophysiological states. Recently, our laboratory probed the GABA transporter stoichiometry by analyzing the results of six independent measurements, which included the shifts in the thermodynamic transporter reversal potential caused by changes in the extracellular Na+, Cl-, and GABA concentrations, as well as the ratio of charge flux to substrate flux for Na+, Cl-, and GABA under voltage-clamp conditions. The shifts in the transporter reversal potential for a tenfold change in the external concentration of Na+, Cl-, and GABA were 84 ± 4, 30 ± 1, and 29 ± 1 mV, respectively. Charge flux to substrate flux ratios were 0.7 ± 0.1 charges/Na+, 2.0 ± 0.2 charges/Cl-, and 2.1 ± 0.1 charges/GABA. We then compared these experimental results with the predictions of 150 different transporter stoichiometry models, which included 1-5 Na+, 0-5 Cl-, and 1-5 GABA per transport cycle. Only the 3 Na+: 1 Cl-: 1 GABA stoichiometry model correctly predicts the results of all six experimental measurements. Using the revised 3 Na+: 1 Cl-: 1 GABA stoichiometry, we propose that the GABA transporters mediate GABA uptake under most physiological conditions. Transporter-mediated GABA release likely takes place under pathophysiological or extreme physiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sepehr Eskandari
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA.
| | - Samantha L Willford
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
| | - Cynthia M Anderson
- Biological Sciences Department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, 91768, USA
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Domínguez S, Fernández de Sevilla D, Buño W. Muscarinic Long-Term Enhancement of Tonic and Phasic GABA A Inhibition in Rat CA1 Pyramidal Neurons. Front Cell Neurosci 2016; 10:244. [PMID: 27833531 PMCID: PMC5080370 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Accepted: 10/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Acetylcholine (ACh) regulates network operation in the hippocampus by controlling excitation and inhibition in rat CA1 pyramidal neurons (PCs), the latter through gamma-aminobutyric acid type-A receptors (GABAARs). Although, the enhancing effects of ACh on GABAARs have been reported (Dominguez et al., 2014, 2015), its role in regulating tonic GABAA inhibition has not been explored in depth. Therefore, we aimed at determining the effects of the activation of ACh receptors on responses mediated by synaptic and extrasynaptic GABAARs. Here, we show that under blockade of ionotropic glutamate receptors ACh, acting through muscarinic type 1 receptors, paired with post-synaptic depolarization induced a long-term enhancement of tonic GABAA currents (tGABAA) and puff-evoked GABAA currents (pGABAA). ACh combined with depolarization also potentiated IPSCs (i.e., phasic inhibition) in the same PCs, without signs of interactions of synaptic responses with pGABAA and tGABAA, suggesting the contribution of two different GABAA receptor pools. The long-term enhancement of GABAA currents and IPSCs reduced the excitability of PCs, possibly regulating plasticity and learning in behaving animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soledad Domínguez
- Instituto Cajal - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientificasMadrid, Spain; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris Descartes University, UMR 8118, ParisFrance
| | - David Fernández de Sevilla
- Instituto Cajal - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientificasMadrid, Spain; Departamento de Anatomía, Histología y Neurociencia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de MadridMadrid, Spain
| | - Washington Buño
- Instituto Cajal - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas Madrid, Spain
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9
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Lou HC, Rosenstand A, Brooks DJ, Bender D, Jakobsen S, Blicher JU, Hansen KV, Møller A. Exogenous dopamine reduces GABA receptor availability in the human brain. Brain Behav 2016; 6:e00484. [PMID: 27247854 PMCID: PMC4864053 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2015] [Revised: 03/10/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While it has recently been shown that dopamine release stimulates conscious self-monitoring through the generation of gamma oscillations in medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate cortex, and that the GABAergic system is effective in producing such oscillations, interaction of the two transmitter systems has not been demonstrated in humans. We here hypothesize that dopamine challenge stimulates the GABA system directly in the medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate region in the human brain. METHODS Positron emission tomography (PET) with the GABA receptor α1/α5 subtype ligand [(11)C] Ro15-4513 was used to detect changes in GABA receptor availability after clinical oral doses of levodopa in a double blind controlled study. RESULTS We here provide the first direct evidence for such coupling in the cerebral cortex, in particular in the medial prefrontal anterior cingulate region, by showing that exogenous dopamine decreases [(11)C] Ro15-4513 binding widely in the human brain compatible with a fall in α1 subtype availability in GABA complexes due to increased GABA activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans C Lou
- CFIN and Pet Center Aarhus University Norregade 44 8000 Aarhus Denmark
| | - Astrid Rosenstand
- Dept. Ophtalmology Rigshospitalet Glostrup Copenhagen University Denmark
| | - David J Brooks
- CFIN and Pet Center Aarhus University Norregade 44 8000 Aarhus Denmark
| | - Dirk Bender
- CFIN and Pet Center Aarhus University Norregade 44 8000 Aarhus Denmark
| | - Steen Jakobsen
- CFIN and Pet Center Aarhus University Norregade 44 8000 Aarhus Denmark
| | - Jakob U Blicher
- CFIN and Pet Center Aarhus University Norregade 44 8000 Aarhus Denmark
| | - Kim V Hansen
- CFIN and Pet Center Aarhus University Norregade 44 8000 Aarhus Denmark
| | - Arne Møller
- CFIN and Pet Center Aarhus University Norregade 44 8000 Aarhus Denmark
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10
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Raiteri L, Raiteri M. Multiple functions of neuronal plasma membrane neurotransmitter transporters. Prog Neurobiol 2015; 134:1-16. [PMID: 26300320 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Revised: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Removal from receptors of neurotransmitters just released into synapses is one of the major steps in neurotransmission. Transporters situated on the plasma membrane of nerve endings and glial cells perform the process of neurotransmitter (re)uptake. Because the density of transporters in the membranes can fluctuate, transporters can determine the transmitter concentrations at receptors, thus modulating indirectly the excitability of neighboring neurons. Evidence is accumulating that neurotransmitter transporters can exhibit multiple functions. Being bidirectional, neurotransmitter transporters can mediate transmitter release by working in reverse, most often under pathological conditions that cause ionic gradient dysregulations. Some transporters reverse to release transmitters, like dopamine or serotonin, when activated by 'indirectly acting' substrates, like the amphetamines. Some transporters exhibit as one major function the ability to capture transmitters into nerve terminals that perform insufficient synthesis. Transporter activation can generate conductances that regulate directly neuronal excitability. Synaptic and non-synaptic transporters play different roles. Cytosolic Na(+) elevations accompanying transport can interact with plasmalemmal or/and mitochondrial Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchangers thus generating calcium signals. Finally, neurotransmitter transporters can behave as receptors mediating releasing stimuli able to cause transmitter efflux through multiple mechanisms. Neurotransmitter transporters are therefore likely to play hitherto unknown roles in multiple therapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Raiteri
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Section, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; National Institute of Neuroscience, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maurizio Raiteri
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmacology and Toxicology Section, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; National Institute of Neuroscience, Genoa, Italy.
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11
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Martín V, Vale C, Hirama M, Yamashita S, Rubiolo JA, Vieytes MR, Botana LM. Synthetic ciguatoxin CTX 3C induces a rapid imbalance in neuronal excitability. Chem Res Toxicol 2015; 28:1095-108. [PMID: 25945403 DOI: 10.1021/tx500503d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Ciguatera is a human global disease caused by the consumption of contaminated fish that have accumulated ciguatoxins (CTXs), sodium channel activator toxins. Symptoms of ciguatera include neurological alterations such as paraesthesiae, dysaesthesiae, depression, and heightened nociperception, among others. An important issue to understand these long-term neurological alterations is to establish the role that changes in activity produced by CTX 3C represent to neurons. Here, the effects of synthetic ciguatoxin CTX 3C on membrane potential, spontaneous spiking, and properties of synaptic transmission in cultured cortical neurons of 11-18 days in vitro (DIV) were evaluated using electrophysiological approaches. CTX 3C induced a large depolarization that decreased neuronal firing and caused a rapid inward tonic current that was primarily GABAergic. Moreover, the toxin enhanced the amplitude of miniature postsynaptic inhibitory currents (mIPSCs), whereas it decreased the amplitude of miniature postsynaptic excitatory currents (mEPSCs). The frequency of mIPSCs increased, whereas the frequency of mEPSCs remained unaltered. We describe, for the first time, that a rapid membrane depolarization caused by CTX 3C in cortical neurons activates mechanisms that tend to suppress electrical activity by shifting the balance between excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission toward inhibition. Indeed, these results suggest that the acute effects of CTX on synaptic transmission could underlie some of the neurological symptoms caused by ciguatera in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Martín
- †Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
| | - Carmen Vale
- †Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
| | - Masahiro Hirama
- ‡Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Shuji Yamashita
- ‡Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Japan
| | - Juan Andrés Rubiolo
- †Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
| | - Mercedes R Vieytes
- §Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
| | - Luis M Botana
- †Departamento de Farmacología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
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Evidence for a Revised Ion/Substrate Coupling Stoichiometry of GABA Transporters. J Membr Biol 2015; 248:795-810. [DOI: 10.1007/s00232-015-9797-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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13
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Romei C, Sabolla C, Raiteri L. High-affinity GABA uptake by neuronal GAT1 transporters provokes release of [3H]GABA by homoexchange and through GAT1-independent Ca2+-mediated mechanisms. Neuropharmacology 2015; 88:164-70. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2014.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2014] [Revised: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 08/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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14
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Wójtowicz AM, Dvorzhak A, Semtner M, Grantyn R. Reduced tonic inhibition in striatal output neurons from Huntington mice due to loss of astrocytic GABA release through GAT-3. Front Neural Circuits 2013; 7:188. [PMID: 24324407 PMCID: PMC3840359 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Accepted: 11/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The extracellular concentration of the two main neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA is low but not negligible which enables a number of tonic actions. The effects of ambient GABA vary in a region-, cell-type, and age-dependent manner and can serve as indicators of disease-related alterations. Here we explored the tonic inhibitory actions of GABA in Huntington's disease (HD). HD is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene. Whole cell patch clamp recordings from striatal output neurons (SONs) in slices from adult wild type mice and two mouse models of HD (Z_Q175_KI homozygotes or R6/2 heterozygotes) revealed an HD-related reduction of the GABA(A) receptor-mediated tonic chloride current (ITonic(GABA)) along with signs of reduced GABA(B) receptor-mediated presynaptic depression of synaptic GABA release. About half of ITonic(GABA) depended on tetrodotoxin-sensitive synaptic GABA release, but the remaining current was still lower in HD. Both in WT and HD, ITonic(GABA) was more prominent during the first 4 h after preparing the slices, when astrocytes but not neurons exhibited a transient depolarization. All further tests were performed within 1–4 h in vitro. Experiments with SNAP5114, a blocker of the astrocytic GABA transporter GAT-3, suggest that in WT but not HD GAT-3 operated in the releasing mode. Application of a transportable substrate for glutamate transporters (D-aspartate 0.1–1 mM) restored the non-synaptic GABA release in slices from HD mice. ITonic(GABA) was also rescued by applying the hyperagonist gaboxadol (0.33 μM). The results lead to the hypothesis that lesion-induced astrocyte depolarization facilitates non-synaptic release of GABA through GAT-3. However, the capacity of depolarized astrocytes to provide GABA for tonic inhibition is strongly reduced in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Wójtowicz
- Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure, University Medicine Charité Berlin, Germany ; Department of Experimental Neurology, University Medicine Charité Berlin, Germany
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Razik DS, Hawellek DJ, Antkowiak B, Hentschke H. Impairment of GABA transporter GAT-1 terminates cortical recurrent network activity via enhanced phasic inhibition. Front Neural Circuits 2013; 7:141. [PMID: 24062646 PMCID: PMC3769619 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the central nervous system, GABA transporters (GATs) very efficiently clear synaptically released GABA from the extracellular space, and thus exert a tight control on GABAergic inhibition. In neocortex, GABAergic inhibition is heavily recruited during recurrent phases of spontaneous action potential activity which alternate with neuronally quiet periods. Therefore, such activity should be quite sensitive to minute alterations of GAT function. Here, we explored the effects of a gradual impairment of GAT-1 and GAT-2/3 on spontaneous recurrent network activity – termed network bursts and silent periods – in organotypic slice cultures of rat neocortex. The GAT-1 specific antagonist NO-711 depressed activity already at nanomolar concentrations (IC50 for depression of spontaneous multiunit firing rate of 42 nM), reaching a level of 80% at 500–1000 nM. By contrast, the GAT-2/3 preferring antagonist SNAP-5114 had weaker and less consistent effects. Several lines of evidence pointed toward an enhancement of phasic GABAergic inhibition as the dominant activity-depressing mechanism: network bursts were drastically shortened, phasic GABAergic currents decayed slower, and neuronal excitability during ongoing activity was diminished. In silent periods, NO-711 had little effect on neuronal excitability or membrane resistance, quite in contrast to the effects of muscimol, a GABA mimetic which activates GABAA receptors tonically. Our results suggest that an enhancement of phasic GABAergic inhibition efficiently curtails cortical recurrent activity and may mediate antiepileptic effects of therapeutically relevant concentrations of GAT-1 antagonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel S Razik
- Experimental Anesthesiology Section, Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of Tübingen Tübingen, Germany
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Li J, Blankenship ML, Baccei ML. Deficits in glycinergic inhibition within adult spinal nociceptive circuits after neonatal tissue damage. Pain 2013; 154:1129-39. [PMID: 23639821 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2013.03.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2012] [Revised: 03/10/2013] [Accepted: 03/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Tissue injury during a critical period of early postnatal development can alter pain sensitivity throughout life. However, the degree to which neonatal tissue damage exerts prolonged effects on synaptic signaling within adult spinal nociceptive circuits remains unknown. Here we provide evidence that a transient surgical injury of the hind paw during the neonatal period compromises inhibitory transmission within the adult mouse superficial dorsal horn (SDH), while the same incision occurring during the third week of life failed to evoke these long-term modifications of the SDH synaptic network. The decrease in phasic inhibitory signaling after early tissue damage reflected a selective reduction in glycine receptor (GlyR)-mediated input onto both GABAergic and presumed glutamatergic neurons within lamina II of the adult SDH. Meanwhile, neonatal incision significantly decreased the density of tonic GlyR-mediated current only in the presumed glutamatergic population during adulthood. These persistent changes in synaptic function following early injury occurred in the absence of significant alterations in the transcription of genes known to be important for glycinergic transmission. These findings suggest that aberrant sensory input during early life has permanent consequences for the functional organization of nociceptive synaptic circuits within the adult spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Li
- Pain Research Center, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA
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