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Resulaj A, Wu J, Hartmann MJZ, Feinstein P, Zeigler HP. Impaired trigeminal control of ingestive behavior in the Prrxl1-/- mouse is associated with a lemniscal-biased orosensory deafferentation. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0258837. [PMID: 35389991 PMCID: PMC8989224 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Although peripheral deafferentation studies have demonstrated a critical role for trigeminal afference in modulating the orosensorimotor control of eating and drinking, the central trigeminal pathways mediating that control, as well as the timescale of control, remain to be elucidated. In rodents, three ascending somatosensory pathways process and relay orofacial mechanosensory input: the lemniscal, paralemniscal, and extralemniscal. Two of these pathways (the lemniscal and extralemniscal) exhibit highly structured topographic representations of the orofacial sensory surface, as exemplified by the one-to-one somatotopic mapping between vibrissae on the animals’ face and barrelettes in brainstem, barreloids in thalamus, and barrels in cortex. Here we use the Prrxl1 knockout mouse model (also known as the DRG11 knockout) to investigate ingestive behavior deficits that may be associated with disruption of the lemniscal pathway. The Prrxl1 deletion disrupts somatotopic patterning and axonal projections throughout the lemniscal pathway but spares patterning in the extralemniscal nucleus. Our data reveal an imprecise and inefficient ingestive phenotype. Drinking behavior exhibits deficits on the timescales of milliseconds to seconds. Eating behavior shows deficits over an even broader range of timescales. An analysis of food acquisition and consummatory rate showed deficits on the timescale of seconds, and analysis of body weight suggested deficits on the scale of long term appetitive control. We suggest that ordered assembly of trigeminal sensory information along the lemniscal pathway is critical for the rapid and precise modulation of motor circuits driving eating and drinking action sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Admir Resulaj
- Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (NUIN), Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jeannette Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Mitra J. Z. Hartmann
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Paul Feinstein
- Department of Biological Sciences, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States of America
- The Graduate Center Programs in Biochemistry, Biology and CUNY Neuroscience Collaborative, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - H. Phillip Zeigler
- The Graduate Center Programs in Biochemistry, Biology and CUNY Neuroscience Collaborative, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, CUNY, New York, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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2
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Monteiro C, Cardoso-Cruz H, Matos M, Dourado M, Lima D, Galhardo V. Increased fronto-hippocampal connectivity in the Prrxl1 knockout mouse model of congenital hypoalgesia. Pain 2017; 157:2045-2056. [PMID: 27168359 DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Despite the large number of studies addressing how prolonged painful stimulation affects brain functioning, there are only a handful of studies aimed at uncovering if persistent conditions of reduced pain perception would also result in brain plasticity. Permanent hypoalgesia induced by neonatal injection of capsaicin or carrageenan has already been shown to affect learning and memory and to induce alterations in brain gene expression. In this study, we used the Prrxl1 model of congenital mild hypoalgesia to conduct a detailed study of the neurophysiological and behavioral consequences of reduced pain experience. Prrxl1 knockout animals are characterized by selective depletion of small diameter primary afferents and abnormal development of the superficial dorsal laminae of the spinal cord, resulting in diminished pain perception but normal tactile and motor behaviour. Behavioral testing of Prrxl1 mice revealed that these animals have reduced anxiety levels, enhanced memory performance, and improved fear extinction. Neurophysiological recordings from awake behaving Prrxl1 mice show enhanced altered fronto-hippocampal connectivity in the theta- and gamma-bands. Importantly, although inflammatory pain by Complete Freund Adjuvant injection caused a decrease in fronto-hippocampal connectivity in the wild-type animals, Prrxl1 mice maintained the baseline levels. The onset of inflammatory pain also reverted the differences in forebrain expression of stress- and monoamine-related genes in Prrxl1 mice. Altogether our results suggest that congenital hypoalgesia may have an effect on brain plasticity that is the inverse of what is usually observed in animal models of chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Monteiro
- Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde-i3S, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Helder Cardoso-Cruz
- Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde-i3S, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mariana Matos
- Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde-i3S, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Margarida Dourado
- Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde-i3S, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Deolinda Lima
- Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde-i3S, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Vasco Galhardo
- Departamento de Biologia Experimental, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular-IBMC, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde-i3S, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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3
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Mermet-Joret N, Chatila N, Pereira B, Monconduit L, Dallel R, Antri M. Lamina specific postnatal development of PKCγ interneurons within the rat medullary dorsal horn. Dev Neurobiol 2016; 77:102-119. [PMID: 27346325 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Protein kinase C gamma (PKCγ) interneurons, located in the superficial spinal (SDH) and medullary dorsal horns (MDH), have been shown to play a critical role in cutaneous mechanical hypersensitivity. However, a thorough characterization of their development in the MDH is lacking. Here, it is shown that the number of PKCγ-ir interneurons changes from postnatal day 3 (P3) to P60 (adult) and such developmental changes differ according to laminae. PKCγ-ir interneurons are already present at P3-5 in laminae I, IIo, and III. In lamina III, they then decrease from P11-P15 to P60. Interestingly, PKCγ-ir interneurons appear only at P6 in lamina IIi, and they conversely increase to reach adult levels at P11-15. Analysis of neurogenesis using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) does not detect any PKCγ-BrdU double-labeling in lamina IIi. Quantification of the neuronal marker, NeuN, reveals a sharp neuronal decline (∼50%) within all superficial MDH laminae during early development (P3-15), suggesting that developmental changes in PKCγ-ir interneurons are independent from those of other neurons. Finally, neonatal capsaicin treatment, which produces a permanent loss of most unmyelinated afferent fibers, has no effect on the development of PKCγ-ir interneurons. Together, the results show that: (i) the expression of PKCγ-ir interneurons in MDH is developmentally regulated with a critical period at P11-P15, (ii) PKCγ-ir interneurons are developmentally heterogeneous, (iii) lamina IIi PKCγ-ir interneurons appear less vulnerable to cell death, and (iv) postnatal maturation of PKCγ-ir interneurons is due to neither neurogenesis, nor neuronal migration, and is independent of C-fiber development. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 77: 102-119, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemie Mermet-Joret
- Neuro-Dol, Clermont Université, Université D'Auvergne, BP 10448, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand & Inserm U1107, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France
| | - Nadwa Chatila
- Neuro-Dol, Clermont Université, Université D'Auvergne, BP 10448, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand & Inserm U1107, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France
| | - Bruno Pereira
- Biostatistics Unit (DRCI), CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France
| | - Lénaic Monconduit
- Neuro-Dol, Clermont Université, Université D'Auvergne, BP 10448, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand & Inserm U1107, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France
| | - Radhouane Dallel
- Neuro-Dol, Clermont Université, Université D'Auvergne, BP 10448, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand & Inserm U1107, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France.,Service D'Odontologie, CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63000, France
| | - Myriam Antri
- Neuro-Dol, Clermont Université, Université D'Auvergne, BP 10448, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand & Inserm U1107, Clermont-Ferrand, F-63100, France
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4
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Patthey C, Clifford H, Haerty W, Ponting CP, Shimeld SM, Begbie J. Identification of molecular signatures specific for distinct cranial sensory ganglia in the developing chick. Neural Dev 2016; 11:3. [PMID: 26819088 PMCID: PMC4730756 DOI: 10.1186/s13064-016-0057-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The cranial sensory ganglia represent populations of neurons with distinct functions, or sensory modalities. The production of individual ganglia from distinct neurogenic placodes with different developmental pathways provides a powerful model to investigate the acquisition of specific sensory modalities. To date there is a limited range of gene markers available to examine the molecular pathways underlying this process. Results Transcriptional profiles were generated for populations of differentiated neurons purified from distinct cranial sensory ganglia using microdissection in embryonic chicken followed by FAC-sorting and RNAseq. Whole transcriptome analysis confirmed the division into somato- versus viscerosensory neurons, with additional evidence for subdivision of the somatic class into general and special somatosensory neurons. Cross-comparison of distinct ganglia transcriptomes identified a total of 134 markers, 113 of which are novel, which can be used to distinguish trigeminal, vestibulo-acoustic and epibranchial neuronal populations. In situ hybridisation analysis provided validation for 20/26 tested markers, and showed related expression in the target region of the hindbrain in many cases. Conclusions One hundred thirty-four high-confidence markers have been identified for placode-derived cranial sensory ganglia which can now be used to address the acquisition of specific cranial sensory modalities. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13064-016-0057-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Patthey
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,Umeå Center for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Harry Clifford
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,MRC Functional Genomics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Wilfried Haerty
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,MRC Functional Genomics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Chris P Ponting
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. .,MRC Functional Genomics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | | | - Jo Begbie
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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5
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Bakalar D, Tamaiev J, Zeigler HP, Feinstein P. Abolition of lemniscal barrellette patterning in Prrxl1 knockout mice: Effects upon ingestive behavior. Somatosens Mot Res 2015; 32:236-48. [PMID: 26402339 DOI: 10.3109/08990220.2015.1086327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Ingestive behaviors in mice are dependent on orosensory cues transmitted via the trigeminal nerve, as confirmed by transection studies. However, these studies cannot differentiate between deficits caused by the loss of the lemniscal pathway vs. the parallel paralemniscal pathway. The paired-like homeodomain protein Prrxl1 is expressed widely in the brain and spinal cord, including the trigeminal system. A knockout of Prrxl1 abolishes somatotopic barrellette patterning in the lemniscal brainstem nucleus, but not in the parallel paralemniscal nucleus. Null animals are significantly smaller than littermates by postnatal day 5, but reach developmental landmarks at appropriate times, and survive to adulthood on liquid diet. A careful analysis of infant and adult ingestive behavior reveals subtle impairments in suckling, increases in time spent feeding and the duration of feeding bouts, feeding during inappropriate times of the day, and difficulties in the mechanics of feeding. During liquid diet feeding, null mice display abnormal behaviors including extensive use of the paws to move food into the mouth, submerging the snout in the diet, changes in licking, and also have difficulty consuming solid chow pellets. We suggest that our Prrxl1(-/-) animal is a valuable model system for examining the genetic assembly and functional role of trigeminal lemniscal circuits in the normal control of eating in mammals and for understanding feeding abnormalities in humans resulting from the abnormal development of these circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Bakalar
- a Department of Psychology , Hunter College, City University of New York , New York , USA and
| | - Jonathan Tamaiev
- a Department of Psychology , Hunter College, City University of New York , New York , USA and
| | - H Philip Zeigler
- a Department of Psychology , Hunter College, City University of New York , New York , USA and
| | - Paul Feinstein
- b Department of Biological Sciences and The Graduate Center Biochemistry , Biology and Biopsychology and Behavioral Neuroscience Programs, Hunter College, City University of New York , New York , USA
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6
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Jacquin MF, Arends JJA, Renehan WE, Waite PME, Shortland PJ. Whisker-related circuitry in the trigeminal nucleus principalis: Topographic precision. Somatosens Mot Res 2014; 32:8-20. [PMID: 25019347 DOI: 10.3109/08990220.2014.937414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Single whiskers are topographically represented in the trigeminal (V) nucleus principalis (PrV) by a set of cylindrical aggregates of primary afferent terminals and somata (barrelettes). This isomorphic pattern is transmitted to the thalamus and barrel cortex. However, it is not known if terminals in PrV from neighboring whiskers interdigitate so as to violate rules of spatial parcellation predicted by barrelette borders; nor is it known the extent to which higher order inputs are topographic. The existence of inter-whisker arbor overlap or diffuse higher order inputs would demand additional theoretical principles to account for single whisker dominance in PrV cell responses. In adult rats, first, primary afferent pairs responding to the same or neighboring whiskers and injected with Neurobiotin or horseradish peroxidase were rendered brown or black to color-code their terminal boutons. When collaterals from both fibers appeared in the same topographic plane through PrV, the percentage of the summed area of the two arbor envelopes that overlapped was computed. For same-whisker pairs, overlap was 5 ± 6% (mean ± SD). For within-row neighbors, overlap was 2 ± 5%. For between-row neighbors, overlap was 1 ± 4%. Second, the areas of whisker primary afferent arbors and their corresponding barrelettes in the PrV were compared. In the transverse plane, arbor envelopes significantly exceeded the areas of cytochrome oxidase-stained barrelettes; arbors often extended into neighboring barrelettes. Third, bulk tracing of the projections from the spinal V subnucleus interpolaris (SpVi) to the PrV revealed strict topography such that they connect same-whisker barrelettes in the SpVi and PrV. Thus, whisker primary afferents do not exclusively project to their corresponding PrV barrelette, whereas higher order SpVi inputs to the PrV are precisely topographic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark F Jacquin
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA
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7
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Xiang C, Arends JJA, Jacquin MF. Whisker-related circuitry in the trigeminal nucleus principalis: ultrastructure. Somatosens Mot Res 2014; 31:141-51. [PMID: 24738912 DOI: 10.3109/08990220.2014.905469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Trigeminal (V) nucleus principalis (PrV) is the requisite brainstem nucleus in the whisker-to-barrel cortex model system that is widely used to reveal mechanisms of map formation and information processing. Yet, little is known of the actual PrV circuitry. In the ventral "barrelette" portion of the adult mouse PrV, relationships between V primary afferent terminals, thalamic-projecting PrV neurons, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic terminals were analyzed in the electron microscope. Primary afferents, thalamic-projecting cells, and GABAergic terminals were labeled, respectively, by Neurobiotin injections in the V ganglion, horseradish peroxidase injections in the thalamus, and postembedding immunogold histochemistry. Primary afferent terminals (Neurobiotin- and glutamate-immunoreactive) display asymmetric and multiple synapses predominantly upon the distal dendrites and spines of PrV cells that project to the thalamus. Primary afferents also synapse upon GABAergic terminals. GABAergic terminals display symmetric synapses onto primary afferent terminals, the somata and dendrites (distal, mostly) of thalamic-projecting neurons, and GABAergic dendrites. Thus, primary afferent inputs through the PrV are subject to pre- and postsynaptic GABAergic influences. As such, circuitry exists in PrV "barrelettes" for primary afferents to directly activate thalamic-projecting and inhibitory local circuit cells. The latter are synaptically associated with themselves, the primary afferents, and with the thalamic-projecting neurons. Thus, whisker-related primary afferent inputs through PrV projection neurons are pre- and postsynaptically modulated by local circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanxi Xiang
- Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine , St Louis, MO , USA
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8
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Kivrak BG, Erzurumlu RS. Development of the principal nucleus trigeminal lemniscal projections in the mouse. J Comp Neurol 2013; 521:299-311. [PMID: 22791623 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2012] [Revised: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/06/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The principal sensory (PrV) nucleus-based trigeminal lemniscus conveys whisker-specific neural patterns to the ventroposteromedial (VPM) nucleus of the thalamus and subsequently to the primary somatosensory cortex. Here we examined the perinatal development of this pathway with carbocyanine dye labeling in embryonic and early postnatal mouse brains. We developed a novel preparation in which the embryonic hindbrain and the diencephalon are flattened out, allowing a birds-eye view of the PrV lemniscus in its entirety. For postnatal brains we used another novel approach by sectioning the brain along an empirically determined oblique horizontal angle, again preserving the trigeminothalamic pathway. PrV neurons are born along the hindbrain ventricular zone and migrate radially for a short distance to coalesce into a nucleus adjacent to the ascending trigeminal tract. During migration of the spindle-shaped cell bodies, slender axonal processes grow along the opposite direction towards the floor plate. As early as embryonic day (E) 11, pioneering axons tipped with large growth cones cross the ventral midline and immediately make a right angle turn. By E13 many PrV axons form fascicles crossing the midline and follow a rostral course. PrV axons reach the midbrain by E15 and the thalamus by E17. While the target recognition and invasion occurs prenatally, organization of PrV axon terminals into whisker-specific rows and patches takes place during the first 4 postnatal (P) days. Initially diffuse and exuberant projections in the VPM at P1 coalesce into row and whisker specific terminal zones by P4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beril G Kivrak
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, USA
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9
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Mosconi T, Arends JJ, Jacquin MF. Null mutations of NT-3 and Bax affect trigeminal ganglion cell number but not brainstem barrelette pattern formation. Somatosens Mot Res 2013; 30:114-9. [PMID: 23614607 DOI: 10.3109/08990220.2013.775118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons innervate the grid-like array of whisker follicles on the face of the mouse. Central TG axons project to the trigeminal (V) brainstem nuclear complex, including the nucleus principalis (PrV) and the spinal subnucleus interpolaris (SpVi), where they innervate barrelettes that are organized in a pattern that recapitulates the whisker pattern on the face. Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) supports a population of TG cells that supply slowly adapting mechanoreceptors in the whisker pad. We examined mice at embryonic day 17 (E17) and on the day of birth (P0) with null mutations of NT-3, Bax, a proapoptotic gene associated with naturally occurring cell death, and Bax/NT-3 double knockout (KO) mutants to determine if: (1) the number of TG cells would be reduced; (2) eliminating the Bax gene would rescue the NT-3-dependent neurons; and (3) the central projections of the rescued axons in the Bax/NT-3 double KO mice would fail to develop the barrelette patterns in the PrV and SpVi subnuclei. In mice at E17, NT-3(-/-) mutants had 65% fewer TG neurons than found in age-matched wild-type (WT) mice, and at P0, the number was reduced by 55% (p < 0.001 for both). Bax null mutant mice at E17 had 132% of the WT number of TG cells (p < 0.001), although the numbers returned to WT levels by P0. Bax/NT-3 double KO mice at E17 had TG cell numbers equal to those seen in WT, but the double KO failed to retain WT TG neuron numbers in P0 mice (39% fewer cells; p < 0.001). In all cases of reduced experimental neuron numbers, and in the E17 Bax(-/-) mice with supernumerary cells, the barrelette patterns in the PrV and SpVi were normal. Only a slight qualitative reduction in overall barrelette field area and clarity of barrelettes were seen. These results suggest that NT-3 is not necessary for barrelette pattern formation in the brainstem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony Mosconi
- Department of Physical Therapy, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA, USA
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10
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Xie YF, Pflueger M, Feng S, Lin SX, Kwan CL, Galasko G, Sessle BJ, Yu XM. Locally released small (non-protein) ninhydrin-reacting molecules underlie developmental differences of cultured medullary versus spinal dorsal horn neurons. J Neurochem 2012; 122:605-18. [PMID: 22612377 DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.2012.07797.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Neurons located in the trigeminal subnucleus caudalis (Vc) play crucial roles in pain and sensorimotor functions in the orofacial region. Because of many anatomical and functional similarities with the spinal dorsal horn (SDH), Vc has been termed the medullary dorsal horn--analogous to the SDH. Here, we report that when compared with embryonic SDH neurons in culture, neurons isolated from the Vc region showed significantly slower growth, lower glutamate receptor activity, and more cells undergoing cell death. SDH neuron development was inhibited in co-cultures of SDH and Vc tissues while Vc neuron development was promoted by co-culture with SDH tissues. Furthermore, we identified that small (non-protein) ninhydrin-reacting molecules purified from either embryonic or post-natal Vc-conditioned medium inhibited neuronal growth whereas ninhydrin-reacting molecules from SDH-conditioned medium promoted neuronal growth. These findings suggest the involvement of locally released factors in the region-specific regulation of neuronal development in Vc and SDH, central nervous system regions playing critical roles in pain, and point to novel avenues for investigating central nervous system regionalization and for designing therapeutic approaches to manage neurodegenerative diseases and pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Feng Xie
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA
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11
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Pouchelon G, Frangeul L, Rijli FM, Jabaudon D. Patterning of pre-thalamic somatosensory pathways. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 35:1533-9. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08059.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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12
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Hu ZL, Huang Y, Tao XR, Qi ZH, Chen JY, Ding YQ. Inducible Prrxl1-CreER(T2) recombination activity in the somatosensory afferent pathway. Genesis 2012; 50:552-60. [PMID: 22368151 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2011] [Revised: 02/04/2012] [Accepted: 02/10/2012] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Prrxl1-CreER(T2) transgenic mice expressing tamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase were generated by modifying a Prrxl1-containing BAC clone. Cre recombination activity was examined in Prrxl1-CreER(T2); Rosa26 reporter mice at various embryonic and postnatal stages. Pregnant mice were treated with a single dose of tamoxifen at embryonic day (E) 9.5 or E12.5, and X-gal staining was performed 2 days later. Strong X-gal staining was observed in the somatosensory ganglia (e.g., dorsal root and trigeminal ganglia) and the first central sites for processing somatosensory information (e.g., spinal dorsal horn and trigeminal nerve-associated nuclei). When tamoxifen was administered at postnatal day (P) 20 or in adulthood (P120), strong Cre recombination activity was present in the primary somatosensory ganglia, while weak Cre recombination activity was found in the spinal dorsal horn, mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus, principal sensory trigeminal nucleus, and spinal trigeminal nucleus. This mouse line provides a useful tool for exploring genes' functions in the somatosensory system in a time-controlled way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ze-Lan Hu
- Key Laboratory of Arrhythmias, Ministry of Education, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200092, China.
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13
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Xiang CX, Zhang KH, Johnson RL, Jacquin MF, Chen ZF. The transcription factor, Lmx1b, promotes a neuronal glutamate phenotype and suppresses a GABA one in the embryonic trigeminal brainstem complex. Somatosens Mot Res 2012; 29:1-12. [PMID: 22397680 DOI: 10.3109/08990220.2011.650869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Achieving an appropriate balance between inhibitory and excitatory neuronal fate is critical for development of effective synaptic transmission. However, the molecular mechanisms dictating such phenotypic outcomes are not well understood, especially in the whisker-to-barrel cortex neuraxis, an oft-used model system for revealing developmental mechanisms. In trigeminal nucleus principalis (PrV), the brainstem link in the whisker-barrel pathway, the transcription factor Lmx1b marks glutamatergic cells. In PrV of Lmx1b knockout mice (-/-), initial specification of glutamatergic vs. GABAergic cell fate is normal until embryonic day 14.5. Subsequently, until the day of birth, glutamatergic markers (e.g., VGLUT2) stain significantly fewer PrV neurons, whereas, GABAergic markers (Pax2 and Gad1) stain significantly more PrV cells, notably in Lmx1b null PrV cells. These changes also occurred in Lmx1b/Bax double-/- mice, where PrV cells are rescued from Lmx1b-/- induced apoptosis; thus, effects upon excitatory/inhibitory cell ratios do not reflect a cell death confound. Electroporation-induced ectopic expression of Lmx1b in an array of sites decreases numbers of neurons that express GABAergic markers, but increases VGLUT2+ cell numbers or stain intensity. Thus, Lmx1b is not involved in the initial specification of glutamatergic cell fate, but is essential for maintaining a glutamatergic phenotype. Other experiments suggest that Lmx1b acts to suppress Pax2, a promoter of GABAergic cell fate, in a cell-autonomous manner, which may be a mechanism for maintaining a functional balance of glutamatergic and GABAergic cell types in development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuan-Xi Xiang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for the Study of Itch, Washington University School of Medicine Pain Center, St Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Morquette P, Lavoie R, Fhima MD, Lamoureux X, Verdier D, Kolta A. Generation of the masticatory central pattern and its modulation by sensory feedback. Prog Neurobiol 2012; 96:340-55. [PMID: 22342735 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2012.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2011] [Revised: 01/16/2012] [Accepted: 01/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The basic pattern of rhythmic jaw movements produced during mastication is generated by a neuronal network located in the brainstem and referred to as the masticatory central pattern generator (CPG). This network composed of neurons mostly associated to the trigeminal system is found between the rostral borders of the trigeminal motor nucleus and facial nucleus. This review summarizes current knowledge on the anatomical organization, the development, the connectivity and the cellular properties of these trigeminal circuits in relation to mastication. Emphasis is put on a population of rhythmogenic neurons in the dorsal part of the trigeminal sensory nucleus. These neurons have intrinsic bursting capabilities, supported by a persistent Na(+) current (I(NaP)), which are enhanced when the extracellular concentration of Ca(2+) diminishes. Presented evidence suggest that the Ca(2+) dependency of this current combined with its voltage-dependency could provide a mechanism for cortical and sensory afferent inputs to the nucleus to interact with the rhythmogenic properties of its neurons to adjust and adapt the rhythmic output. Astrocytes are postulated to contribute to this process by modulating the extracellular Ca(2+) concentration and a model is proposed to explain how functional microdomains defined by the boundaries of astrocytic syncitia may form under the influence of incoming inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippe Morquette
- Groupe de Recherche sur le Système Nerveux Central du FRSQ, Université de Montréal and Faculté de médecine dentaire, Université de Montréal, Canada
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Monteirol C, Rebelol S, Galhardol V, Reguengal C, Limal D. Postnatal expression of the homeobox gene Prrxl1
(Drg11
) is increased in inflammatory but not neuropathic pain. Eur J Pain 2012; 15:477-81. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2010.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2010] [Revised: 09/27/2010] [Accepted: 10/17/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Abstract
The somatosensory cortex of many rodents, lagomorphs, and marsupials contains distinct cytoarchitectonic features named "barrels" that reflect the pattern of large facial whiskers on the snout. Barrels are composed of clustered thalamocortical afferents relaying sensory information from one whisker surrounded by cell-dense walls or "barrels" in layer 4 of the cortex. In many ways, barrels are a simple and relatively accessible canonical cortical column, making them a common model system for the examination of cortical development and function. Despite their experimental accessibility and popularity, we still lack a basic understanding of how and why barrels form in the first place. In this review, we will examine what is known about mechanisms of barrel development, focusing specifically on the recent literature using the molecular-genetic power of mice as a model system for examining brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Li
- Department of Neurobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Xiang C, Zhang KH, Yin J, Arends JJA, Erzurumlu RS, Jacquin MF, Chen ZF. The transcription factor, Lmx1b, is necessary for the development of the principal trigeminal nucleus-based lemniscal pathway. Mol Cell Neurosci 2010; 44:394-403. [PMID: 20621716 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2010.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2009] [Revised: 04/21/2010] [Accepted: 05/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known of transcriptional mechanisms underlying the development of the trigeminal (V) principal sensory nucleus (PrV), the brainstem nucleus responsible for the development of the whisker-to-barrel cortex pathway. Lmx1b, a LIM homeodomain transcription factor, is expressed in embryonic PrV. In Lmx1b knockout ((-)(/)(-)) mice, V primary afferent projections to PrV are normal, albeit reduced in number, whereas the PrV-thalamic lemniscal pathway is sparse and develops late. Excess cell death occurs in the embryonic Lmx1b(-)(/)(-) PrV, but not in Lmx1b/Bax double null mutants. Expression of Drg11, a downstream transcription factor essential for PrV development and pattern formation, is abolished in PrV, but not in the V ganglion. Consequently, whisker patterns fail to develop in PrV by birth. Rescued PrV cells in Lmx1b/Bax double (-)(/)(-)s failed to rescue whisker-related PrV pattern formation. Thus, Lmx1b and Drg11 may act in the same genetic signaling pathway that is essential for PrV pattern formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanxi Xiang
- Departments of Anesthesiology, Psychiatry, and Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Abstract
The facial somatosensory map in the cortex is derived from facial representations that are first established at the brainstem level and then serially 'copied' at each stage of the somatosensory pathway. Recent studies have provided insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of somatotopic maps of the face and whiskers in the trigeminal nuclei of the mouse brainstem. This work has revealed that early molecular regionalization and positional patterning of trigeminal ganglion and brainstem target neurons are established by homeodomain transcription factors, the expression of which is induced and maintained by signals from the brain and face. Such position-dependent information is fundamental in transforming the early spatial layout of sensory receptors into a topographic connectivity map that is conferred to higher brain levels.
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