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Benevento M, Alpár A, Gundacker A, Afjehi L, Balueva K, Hevesi Z, Hanics J, Rehman S, Pollak DD, Lubec G, Wulff P, Prevot V, Horvath TL, Harkany T. A brainstem-hypothalamus neuronal circuit reduces feeding upon heat exposure. Nature 2024; 628:826-834. [PMID: 38538787 PMCID: PMC11041654 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07232-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Empirical evidence suggests that heat exposure reduces food intake. However, the neurocircuit architecture and the signalling mechanisms that form an associative interface between sensory and metabolic modalities remain unknown, despite primary thermoceptive neurons in the pontine parabrachial nucleus becoming well characterized1. Tanycytes are a specialized cell type along the wall of the third ventricle2 that bidirectionally transport hormones and signalling molecules between the brain's parenchyma and ventricular system3-8. Here we show that tanycytes are activated upon acute thermal challenge and are necessary to reduce food intake afterwards. Virus-mediated gene manipulation and circuit mapping showed that thermosensing glutamatergic neurons of the parabrachial nucleus innervate tanycytes either directly or through second-order hypothalamic neurons. Heat-dependent Fos expression in tanycytes suggested their ability to produce signalling molecules, including vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Instead of discharging VEGFA into the cerebrospinal fluid for a systemic effect, VEGFA was released along the parenchymal processes of tanycytes in the arcuate nucleus. VEGFA then increased the spike threshold of Flt1-expressing dopamine and agouti-related peptide (Agrp)-containing neurons, thus priming net anorexigenic output. Indeed, both acute heat and the chemogenetic activation of glutamatergic parabrachial neurons at thermoneutrality reduced food intake for hours, in a manner that is sensitive to both Vegfa loss-of-function and blockage of vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2)-dependent exocytosis from tanycytes. Overall, we define a multimodal neurocircuit in which tanycytes link parabrachial sensory relay to the long-term enforcement of a metabolic code.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Benevento
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alán Alpár
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- SE NAP Research Group of Experimental Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Gundacker
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Leila Afjehi
- Programme Proteomics, Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Kira Balueva
- Institute of Physiology, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Zsofia Hevesi
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - János Hanics
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- SE NAP Research Group of Experimental Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Sabah Rehman
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela D Pollak
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gert Lubec
- Programme Proteomics, Paracelsus Medizinische Privatuniversität, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Peer Wulff
- Institute of Physiology, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Vincent Prevot
- University of Lille, INSERM, CHU Lille, Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition, UMR S1172, EGID, Lille, France
| | - Tamas L Horvath
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
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2
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Harkany T, Tretiakov E, Varela L, Jarc J, Rebernik P, Newbold S, Keimpema E, Verkhratsky A, Horvath T, Romanov R. Molecularly stratified hypothalamic astrocytes are cellular foci for obesity. RESEARCH SQUARE 2024:rs.3.rs-3748581. [PMID: 38405925 PMCID: PMC10889077 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3748581/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Astrocytes safeguard the homeostasis of the central nervous system1,2. Despite their prominent morphological plasticity under conditions that challenge the brain's adaptive capacity3-5, the classification of astrocytes, and relating their molecular make-up to spatially devolved neuronal operations that specify behavior or metabolism, remained mostly futile6,7. Although it seems unexpected in the era of single-cell biology, the lack of a major advance in stratifying astrocytes under physiological conditions rests on the incompatibility of 'neurocentric' algorithms that rely on stable developmental endpoints, lifelong transcriptional, neurotransmitter, and neuropeptide signatures for classification6-8 with the dynamic functional states, anatomic allocation, and allostatic plasticity of astrocytes1. Simplistically, therefore, astrocytes are still grouped as 'resting' vs. 'reactive', the latter referring to pathological states marked by various inducible genes3,9,10. Here, we introduced a machine learning-based feature recognition algorithm that benefits from the cumulative power of published single-cell RNA-seq data on astrocytes as a reference map to stepwise eliminate pleiotropic and inducible cellular features. For the healthy hypothalamus, this walk-back approach revealed gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that specified subsets of astrocytes, and could be used as landmarking tools for their anatomical assignment. The core molecular censuses retained by astrocyte subsets were sufficient to stratify them by allostatic competence, chiefly their signaling and metabolic interplay with neurons. Particularly, we found differentially expressed mitochondrial genes in insulin-sensing astrocytes and demonstrated their reciprocal signaling with neurons that work antagonistically within the food intake circuitry. As a proof-of-concept, we showed that disrupting Mfn2 expression in astrocytes reduced their ability to support dynamic circuit reorganization, a time-locked feature of satiety in the hypothalamus, thus leading to obesity in mice. Overall, our results suggest that astrocytes in the healthy brain are fundamentally more heterogeneous than previously thought and topologically mirror the specificity of local neurocircuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Harkany
- Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna
| | | | | | - Jasna Jarc
- Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna
| | | | | | - Erik Keimpema
- Medical University of Vienna, Center for Brain Research
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3
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Junaid M, Choe HK, Kondoh K, Lee EJ, Lim SB. Unveiling Hypothalamic Molecular Signatures via Retrograde Viral Tracing and Single-Cell Transcriptomics. Sci Data 2023; 10:861. [PMID: 38049462 PMCID: PMC10696032 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02789-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of hypothalamic neurocircuits in regulating homeostatic and survival-related behaviors, our understanding of the intrinsic molecular identities of neural components involved in these complex multi-synaptic interactions remains limited. In this study, we constructed a Cre recombinase-dependent pseudorabies virus (PRVs) capable of crossing synapses, coupled with transcriptome analysis of single upstream neurons post-infection. By utilizing this retrograde nuclear Connect-seq (nuConnect-seq) approach, we generated a single nuclei RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) dataset of 1,533 cells derived from the hypothalamus of CRH-IRES-Cre (CRH-Cre) mice. To ensure the technical validity of our nuConnect-seq dataset, we employed a label transfer technique against an integrated reference dataset of postnatal mouse hypothalamus comprising 152,524 QC-passed cells. The uniqueness of our approach lies in the integration of diverse datasets for validation, providing a more nuanced diversity of hypothalamic cell types. The presented validated dataset may deepen our understanding of hypothalamic neurocircuits and underscore the essential role of comprehensive integrated transcriptomic data for technical validity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Junaid
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16499, Korea
| | - Han Kyoung Choe
- Department of Brain Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, 42988, Korea
| | - Kunio Kondoh
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Homeostatic Regulation, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8585, Japan
| | - Eun Jeong Lee
- Department of Brain Science, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16499, Korea.
| | - Su Bin Lim
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16499, Korea.
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4
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Romanov RA, Harkany T. Grabbing neuropeptide signals in the brain. Science 2023; 382:764-765. [PMID: 37972194 DOI: 10.1126/science.adl1788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Bioengineered sensors resolve the dynamics of neuropeptide action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman A Romanov
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum 7D, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
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5
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Toyoda H, Fujinami Y, Saito M, Maeda Y, Kang Y. Increased vertical dimension of occlusion for varying periods differentially impairs learning and memory in guinea pigs. Behav Brain Res 2023; 452:114547. [PMID: 37331607 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114547] [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: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
There is an increasing number of studies showing that occlusal dysfunction impairs learning and memory. We previously demonstrated that the brain has a mechanism to calibrate between the activities of spindle afferents and periodontal-mechanoreceptor afferents for controlling the chewing movement, and the accurate calibration can be done only at the proper vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO). Then, the chewing at an inappropriate VDO may induce a severe mental stress due to a mal-calibration. However, it is not clear how the impairment of learning/memory progresses over the period of stress induced by occlusal dysfunction. We investigated by passive avoidance test how the behavior and learning/memory are altered in guinea pigs in which the VDO was raised by 2-3 mm over the period up to 8 weeks. We found that the guinea pigs reared under the raised occlusal-condition (ROC) for 1 week showed a very high sensitivity to electrical stimulation whereas this did not cause the memory consolidation in the 1st-day retention trial, suggesting that such hypersensitivity rather hampered the fear learning. In the guinea pigs reared under the ROC for 2 and 8 weeks, the learning ability was not largely affected and memory consolidation occurred similarly whereas the memory retention deteriorated more severely in the latter guinea pigs than in the former ones. In the guinea pigs reared under the ROC for 3 and 4 weeks, learning was severely impaired, and memory consolidation did not occur. These results suggest that the occlusal dysfunction for varying periods differentially impairs learning and memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroki Toyoda
- Department of Neuroscience and Oral Physiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Yozo Fujinami
- Department of Neuroscience and Oral Physiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Department of Prosthodontics, Gerodontology and Oral Rehabilitation, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Saito
- Department of Oral Physiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima 890-8544, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Maeda
- Department of Prosthodontics, Gerodontology and Oral Rehabilitation, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Youngnam Kang
- Department of Neuroscience and Oral Physiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; Department of Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
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6
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Caramia M, Romanov RA, Syderomenos S, Hevesi Z, Zhao M, Krasniakova M, Xu ZQD, Harkany T, Hökfelt TGM. Neuronal diversity of neuropeptide signaling, including galanin, in the mouse locus coeruleus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2222095120. [PMID: 37487094 PMCID: PMC10401028 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2222095120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small nucleus in the pons from which ascending and descending projections innervate major parts of the central nervous system. Its major transmitter is norepinephrine (NE). This system is evolutionarily conserved, including in humans, and its functions are associated with wakefulness and related to disorders, such as depression. Here, we performed single-cell ribonucleic acid-sequencing (RNA-seq) to subdivide neurons in the LC (24 clusters in total) into 3 NE, 17 glutamate, and 5 γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) subtypes, and to chart their neuropeptide, cotransmitter, and receptor profiles. We found that NE neurons expressed at least 19 neuropeptide transcripts, notably galanin (Gal) but not Npy, and >30 neuropeptide receptors. Among the galanin receptors, Galr1 was expressed in ~19% of NE neurons, as was also confirmed by in situ hybridization. Unexpectedly, Galr1 was highly expressed in GABA neurons surrounding the NE ensemble. Patch-clamp electrophysiology and cell-type-specific Ca2+-imaging using GCaMP6s revealed that a GalR1 agonist inhibits up to ~35% of NE neurons. This effect is direct and does not rely on feed-forward GABA inhibition. Our results define a role for the galanin system in NE functions, and a conceptual framework for the action of many other peptides and their receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martino Caramia
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm17177, Sweden
| | - Roman A. Romanov
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna1090, Austria
| | - Spyridon Syderomenos
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna1090, Austria
| | - Zsofia Hevesi
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna1090, Austria
| | - Ming Zhao
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm17177, Sweden
| | - Marharyta Krasniakova
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm17177, Sweden
| | - Zhi-Qing David Xu
- Department of Neurobiology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing100069, China
- Department of Pathology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing100069, China
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm17177, Sweden
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna1090, Austria
| | - Tomas G. M. Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm17177, Sweden
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7
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Verkhratsky A, Pivoriūnas A. Astroglia support, regulate and reinforce brain barriers. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 179:106054. [PMID: 36842485 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Nervous system is segregated from the body by the complex system of barriers. The CNS is protected by (i) the blood-brain and blood-spinal cord barrier between the intracerebral and intraspinal blood vessels and the brain parenchyma; (ii) the arachnoid blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier; (iii) the blood-cerebrospinal barrier of circumventricular organs made by tanycytes and (iv) the choroid plexus blood-CSF barrier formed by choroid ependymocytes. In the peripheral nervous system the nerve-blood barrier is secured by tight junctions between specialised glial cells known as perineural cells. In the CNS astroglia contribute to all barriers through the glia limitans, which represent the parenchymal portion of the barrier system. Astroglia through secretion of various paracrine factors regulate the permeability of endothelial vascular barrier; in pathology damage or asthenia of astrocytes may compromise brain barriers integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexei Verkhratsky
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, LT-01102 Vilnius, Lithuania; Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK; Achucarro Centre for Neuroscience, IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao, Spain; Department of Forensic Analytical Toxicology, School of Forensic Medicine, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Augustas Pivoriūnas
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, LT-01102 Vilnius, Lithuania.
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8
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Chidananda AH, Khandelwal R, Jhamkhindikar A, Pawar AD, Sharma AK, Sharma Y. Secretagogin is a Ca 2+-dependent stress-responsive chaperone that may also play a role in aggregation-based proteinopathies. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102285. [PMID: 35870554 PMCID: PMC9425029 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102285] [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] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Secretagogin (SCGN) is a three-domain hexa-EF-hand Ca2+-binding protein that plays a regulatory role in the release of several hormones. SCGN is expressed largely in pancreatic β-cells, certain parts of the brain, and also in neuroendocrine tissues. The expression of SCGN is altered in several diseases, such as diabetes, cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders; however, the precise associations that closely link SCGN expression to such pathophysiologies are not known. In this work, we report that SCGN is an early responder to cellular stress, and SCGN expression is temporally upregulated by oxidative stress and heat shock. We show the overexpression of SCGN efficiently prevents cells from heat shock and oxidative damage. We further demonstrate that in the presence of Ca2+, SCGN efficiently prevents the aggregation of a broad range of model proteins in vitro. Small-angle X-ray scattering (BioSAXS) studies further reveal that Ca2+ induces the conversion of a closed compact apo-SCGN conformation into an open extended holo-SCGN conformation via multistate intermediates, consistent with the augmentation of chaperone activity of SCGN. Furthermore, isothermal titration calorimetry establishes that Ca2+ enables SCGN to bind α-synuclein and insulin, two target proteins of SCGN. Altogether, our data not only demonstrate that SCGN is a Ca2+-dependent generic molecular chaperone involved in protein homeostasis with broad substrate specificity but also elucidate the origin of its altered expression in several cancers. We describe a plausible mechanism of how perturbations in Ca2+ homeostasis and/or deregulated SCGN expression would hasten the process of protein misfolding, which is a feature of many aggregation-based proteinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amrutha H Chidananda
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad-500 007, India
| | - Radhika Khandelwal
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad-500 007, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad-201002, India
| | - Aditya Jhamkhindikar
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad-500 007, India
| | - Asmita D Pawar
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad-500 007, India; Indian Institute of Scientific and Education Research (IISER), Berhampur-760010, India
| | - Anand K Sharma
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad-500 007, India.
| | - Yogendra Sharma
- CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad-500 007, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad-201002, India; Indian Institute of Scientific and Education Research (IISER), Berhampur-760010, India.
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9
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Guidolin D, Tortorella C, Marcoli M, Maura G, Agnati LF. Intercellular Communication in the Central Nervous System as Deduced by Chemical Neuroanatomy and Quantitative Analysis of Images: Impact on Neuropharmacology. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:5805. [PMID: 35628615 PMCID: PMC9145073 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23105805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last decades, new evidence on brain structure and function has been acquired by morphological investigations based on synergic interactions between biochemical anatomy approaches, new techniques in microscopy and brain imaging, and quantitative analysis of the obtained images. This effort produced an expanded view on brain architecture, illustrating the central nervous system as a huge network of cells and regions in which intercellular communication processes, involving not only neurons but also other cell populations, virtually determine all aspects of the integrative function performed by the system. The main features of these processes are described. They include the two basic modes of intercellular communication identified (i.e., wiring and volume transmission) and mechanisms modulating the intercellular signaling, such as cotransmission and allosteric receptor-receptor interactions. These features may also open new possibilities for the development of novel pharmacological approaches to address central nervous system diseases. This aspect, with a potential major impact on molecular medicine, will be also briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Guidolin
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Anatomy, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy;
| | - Cinzia Tortorella
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Anatomy, University of Padova, 35121 Padova, Italy;
| | - Manuela Marcoli
- Department of Pharmacy, Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genova, 16126 Genova, Italy; (M.M.); (G.M.)
| | - Guido Maura
- Department of Pharmacy, Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genova, 16126 Genova, Italy; (M.M.); (G.M.)
| | - Luigi F. Agnati
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125 Modena, Italy;
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10
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Basu S, Mitra S, Singh O, Chandramohan B, Singru PS. Secretagogin in the brain and pituitary of the catfish, Clarias batrachus: Molecular characterization and regulation by insulin. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:1743-1772. [PMID: 35322425 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Secretagogin (scgn), is a novel hexa EF-hand, phylogenetically conserved calcium-binding protein. It serves as Ca2+ sensor and participates in Ca2+ -signaling and neuroendocrine regulation in mammals. However, its relevance in the brain of non-mammalian vertebrates has largely remained unexplored. To address this issue, we studied the cDNA encoding scgn, scgn mRNA expression, and distribution of scgn-equipped elements in the brain and pituitary of a teleost, Clarias batrachus (cb). The cbscgn cDNA consists of three transcripts (T) variants: T1 (2185 bp), T2 (2151 bp) and T3 (2060 bp). While 816 bp ORF in T1 and T2 encodes highly conserved six EF-hand 272 aa protein fully capable of Ca2+ -binding, 726-bp ORF in T3 encodes 242 aa protein. The T1 showed >90% and >70% identity with scgn of catfishes, and other teleosts and mammals, respectively. The T1-mRNA was widely expressed in the brain and pituitary, while the expression of T3 was restricted to the telencephalon. Application of the anti-scgn antiserum revealed a ∼32 kDa scgn-immunoreactive (scgn-i) band (known molecular weight of scgn) in the forebrain tissue, and immunohistochemically labeled neurons in the olfactory epithelium and bulb, telencephalon, preoptic area, hypothalamus, thalamus, and hindbrain. In the pituitary, scgn-i cells were seen in the pars distalis and intermedia. Insulin is reported to regulate scgn mRNA in the mammalian hippocampus, and feeding-related neuropeptides in the telencephalon of teleost. Intracranial injection of insulin significantly increased T1-mRNA expression and scgn-immunoreactivity in the telencephalon. We suggest that scgn may be an important player in the regulation of olfactory, neuroendocrine system, and energy balance functions in C. batrachus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sumela Basu
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Saptarsi Mitra
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Omprakash Singh
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
| | - Bathrachalam Chandramohan
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India
| | - Praful S Singru
- School of Biological Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, India.,Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai, India
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11
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Steffens S, Bakker J, Glat M, Keimpema E, Pollak DD, Hökfelt T, Harkany T. 3D-print design of a stereotaxic adaptor for the precision targeting of brain structures in infant mice. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:725-732. [PMID: 34978111 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Experimental investigation of early postnatal brain development in infant mice (<postnatal day 10) is challenging because of the rapid expansion of their brain volume and the fragility of cranial bones. Stereotaxic adaptors that are commercially available usually evoke significant compression forces, thus limiting the accuracy of micromanipulations. Here, we took advantage of recent progress in 3D-printing for the cost-effective production of stereotaxic adaptors for infant mice. Our designs offer gentle head positioning, tailored incisor placement and high precision, whilst also integrating evaporator and tubing components for gaseous anesthesia. Thus, post-procedural lethality is minimized even upon time-consuming surgeries. Viral microinjections through glass capillaries are shown as proof-of-principle to experimentally validate targeting accuracy in mice aged 6-10 days. The exact engineering workflow and printing protocol are disseminated for open-label use. Overall, we present technical details and experimental data on a stereotaxic device that can help neurobiologists working at a particularly complex developmental stage in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Steffens
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum 7D, Solna, Sweden
| | - Joanne Bakker
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum 7D, Solna, Sweden
| | - Micaela Glat
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Erik Keimpema
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniela D Pollak
- Department of Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomas Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum 7D, Solna, Sweden
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum 7D, Solna, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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12
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Female-specific role of ciliary neurotrophic factor in the medial amygdala in promoting stress responses. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 17:100435. [PMID: 35146079 PMCID: PMC8819478 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is produced by astrocytes which have been implicated in regulating stress responses. We found that CNTF in the medial amygdala (MeA) promotes despair or passive coping, i.e., immobility in an acute forced swim stress, in female mice, while having no effect in males. Neutralizing CNTF antibody injected into the MeA of wildtype females reduced activation of downstream STAT3 (Y705) 24 and 48 h later. In concert, the antibody reduced immobility in the swim test in females and only after MeA injection, but not when injected in the central or basolateral amygdala. Antibody injected into the male MeA did not affect immobility. These data reveal a unique role of CNTF in female MeA in promoting despair or passive coping behavior. Moreover, 4 weeks of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) increased immobility in the swim test and reduced sucrose preference in wildtype CNTF+/+, but not CNTF−/− littermate, females. Following CUS, 10 min of restraint stress increased plasma corticosterone levels only in CNTF+/+ females. In males, the CUS effects were present in both genotypes. Further, CUS increased CNTF expression in the MeA of female, but not male, mice. CUS did not alter CNTF in the female hippocampus, hypothalamus and bed nucleus of stria terminalis. This suggests that MeA CNTF has a female-specific role in promoting CUS-induced despair or passive coping, behavioral anhedonia and neuroendocrine responses. Compared to CNTF+/+ mice, CNTF−/− mice did not show differences in CUS-induced anxiety-like behavior and sensorimotor gating function as measured by elevated T-Maze, open field and pre-pulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response. Together, this study reveals a novel CNTF-mediated female-specific mechanism in stress responses and points to opportunities for developing treatments for stress-related disorders in women. CNTF in the MeA promotes despair or passive coping behavior in female mice only. Chronic stress upregulates CNTF in female but not male MeA. CNTF contributes to chronic stress-induced despair or passive coping, anhedonia and neuroendocrine responses in females only. CNTF does not affect anxiety-like behavior and sensorimotor gating function. These data reveal a novel CNTF-mediated female-specific mechanism in stress responses.
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13
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Secretagogin marks amygdaloid PKCδ interneurons and modulates NMDA receptor availability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:1921123118. [PMID: 33558223 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1921123118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of and response to danger is critical for an individual's survival and is encoded by subcortical neurocircuits. The amygdaloid complex is the primary neuronal site that initiates bodily reactions upon external threat with local-circuit interneurons scaling output to effector pathways. Here, we categorize central amygdala neurons that express secretagogin (Scgn), a Ca2+-sensor protein, as a subset of protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ)+ interneurons, likely "off cells." Chemogenetic inactivation of Scgn+/PKCδ+ cells augmented conditioned response to perceived danger in vivo. While Ca2+-sensor proteins are typically implicated in shaping neurotransmitter release presynaptically, Scgn instead localized to postsynaptic compartments. Characterizing its role in the postsynapse, we found that Scgn regulates the cell-surface availability of NMDA receptor 2B subunits (GluN2B) with its genetic deletion leading to reduced cell membrane delivery of GluN2B, at least in vitro. Conclusively, we describe a select cell population, which gates danger avoidance behavior with secretagogin being both a selective marker and regulatory protein in their excitatory postsynaptic machinery.
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14
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MUW researcher of the month. Wien Klin Wochenschr 2021; 133:418-419. [PMID: 33891181 DOI: 10.1007/s00508-021-01873-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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15
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Lasconi C, Pahl MC, Cousminer DL, Doege CA, Chesi A, Hodge KM, Leonard ME, Lu S, Johnson ME, Su C, Hammond RK, Pippin JA, Terry NA, Ghanem LR, Leibel RL, Wells AD, Grant SFA. Variant-to-Gene-Mapping Analyses Reveal a Role for the Hypothalamus in Genetic Susceptibility to Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol 2020; 11:667-682. [PMID: 33069917 PMCID: PMC7843407 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2020.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a polygenic disorder characterized principally by dysregulated inflammation impacting the gastrointestinal tract. However, there also is increasing evidence for a clinical association with stress and depression. Given the role of the hypothalamus in stress responses and in the pathogenesis of depression, useful insights could be gleaned from understanding its genetic role in IBD. METHODS We conducted genetic correlation analyses on publicly available genome-wide association study summary statistics for depression and IBD traits to identify genetic commonalities. We used partitioned linkage disequilibrium score regression, leveraging our ATAC sequencing and promoter-focused Capture C data, to measure enrichment of IBD single-nucleotide polymorphisms within promoter-interacting open chromatin regions of human embryonic stem cell-derived hypothalamic-like neurons (HNs). Using the same data sets, we performed variant-to-gene mapping to implicate putative IBD effector genes in HNs. To contrast these results, we similarly analyzed 3-dimensional genomic data generated in epithelium-derived colonoids from rectal biopsy specimens from donors without pathologic disease noted at the time of colonoscopy. Finally, we conducted enrichment pathway analyses on the implicated genes to identify putative IBD dysfunctional pathways. RESULTS We found significant genetic correlations (rg) of 0.122 with an adjusted P (Padj) = 1.4 × 10-4 for IBD: rg = 0.122; Padj = 2.5 × 10-3 for ulcerative colitis and genetic correlation (rg) = 0.094; Padj = 2.5 × 10-3 for Crohn's disease, and significant approximately 4-fold (P = .005) and approximately 7-fold (P = .03) enrichment of IBD single-nucleotide polymorphisms in HNs and colonoids, respectively. We implicated 25 associated genes in HNs, among which CREM, CNTF, and RHOA encode key regulators of stress. Seven genes also additionally were implicated in the colonoids. We observed an overall enrichment for immune and hormonal signaling pathways, and a colonoid-specific enrichment for microbiota-relevant terms. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the hypothalamus warrants further study in the context of IBD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Lasconi
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Matthew C Pahl
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Diana L Cousminer
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Claudia A Doege
- Division of Molecular Genetics (Pediatrics), Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
| | - Alessandra Chesi
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Kenyaita M Hodge
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Michelle E Leonard
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Sumei Lu
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Matthew E Johnson
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Chun Su
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Reza K Hammond
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - James A Pippin
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | | | | | - Rudolph L Leibel
- Division of Molecular Genetics (Pediatrics), Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York
| | - Andrew D Wells
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Pathology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Struan F A Grant
- Center for Spatial and Functional Genomics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Human Genetics, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Diabetes and Endocrinology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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16
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Li Y, Lv Q, Li B, Luo D, Sun X, Xu J. The role of trauma experiences, personality traits, and genotype in maintaining posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among child survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. BMC Psychiatry 2020; 20:439. [PMID: 32894097 PMCID: PMC7487586 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-020-02844-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most prevalent type of psychiatric disorder among children after an earthquake. This study investigated the role of trauma experiences, personality traits, and genotype in the maintenance of PTSD symptoms. METHODS In a previous large-scale epidemiological investigation 1 year after the Wenchuan earthquake, 215 children with PTSD symptoms were selected at random with their blood samples collected. All of them were followed up, and their PTSD symptoms were assessed 3 years later. The adolescent version of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index, the earthquake exposure scale, and the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire were used to determine PTSD symptoms, trauma experiences, and personality traits, respectively. We sequenced candidate genes involved in the regulation of long-term potentiation via NMDA-type receptors to identify the related SNP variations. RESULTS Being trapped for a longer period of time, feeling one's own or a family member's life to be in danger, losing a close family member or friend, extraversion, neuroticism, TrkB, G72 and CNTF were found to be associated with the maintenance of PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Experiences, personality traits, and genotype influenced the maintenance of PTSD in child survivors who were considered to be followed up without medicine. This result could help to identify potential targets for treatment and promote the rational allocation of medical resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuwei Li
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiuyue Lv
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bin Li
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Dan Luo
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xueli Sun
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
| | - Jiajun Xu
- Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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17
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Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan-5 forms perisynaptic matrix assemblies in the adult rat cortex. Cell Signal 2020; 74:109710. [PMID: 32653642 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2020.109710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Composition of the brain extracellular matrix changes in time as maturation proceeds. Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 5 (CSPG-5), also known as neuroglycan C, has been previously associated to differentiation since it shapes neurite growth and synapse forming. Here, we show that this proteoglycan persists in the postnatal rat brain, and its expression is higher in cortical regions with plastic properties, including hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex at the end of the second postnatal week. Progressively accumulating after birth, CSPG-5 typically concentrates around glutamatergic and GABAergic terminals in twelve-week old rat hippocampus. CSPG-5-containing perisynaptic matrix rings often appear at the peripheral margin of perineuronal nets. Electron microscopy and analysis of synaptosomal fraction showed that CSPG-5 accumulates around, and is associated to synapses, respectively. In vitro analyses suggest that neurons, but less so astrocytes, express CSPG-5 in rat primary neocortical cultures, and CSPG-5 produced by transfected neuroblastoma cells appear at endings and contact points of neurites. In human subjects, CSPG-5 expression shifts in brain areas of the default mode network of suicide victims, which may reflect an impact in the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases or support diagnostic power.
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18
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Venema W, Severi I, Perugini J, Di Mercurio E, Mainardi M, Maffei M, Cinti S, Giordano A. Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor Acts on Distinctive Hypothalamic Arcuate Neurons and Promotes Leptin Entry Into and Action on the Mouse Hypothalamus. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:140. [PMID: 32528252 PMCID: PMC7253709 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans and experimental animals, the administration of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) reduces food intake and body weight. To gain further insights into the mechanism(s) underlying its satiety effect, we: (i) evaluated the CNTF-dependent activation of the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway in mouse models where neuropeptide Y (NPY) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons can be identified by green fluorescent protein (GFP); and (ii) assessed whether CNTF promotes leptin signaling in hypothalamic feeding centers. Immunohistochemical experiments enabled us to establish that intraperitoneal injection of mouse recombinant CNTF activated the JAK2-STAT3 pathway in a substantial proportion of arcuate nucleus (ARC) NPY neurons (18.68% ± 0.60 in 24-h fasted mice and 25.50% ± 1.17 in fed mice) but exerted a limited effect on POMC neurons (4.15% ± 0.33 in 24-h fasted mice and 2.84% ± 0.45 in fed mice). CNTF-responsive NPY neurons resided in the ventromedial ARC, facing the median eminence (ME), and were surrounded by albumin immunoreactivity, suggesting that they are located outside the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In both normally fed and high-fat diet (HFD) obese animals, CNTF activated extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling in ME β1- and β2-tanycytes, an effect that has been linked to the promotion of leptin entry into the brain. Accordingly, compared to the animals treated with leptin, mice treated with leptin/CNTF showed: (i) a significantly greater leptin content in hypothalamic protein extracts; (ii) a significant increase in phospho-STAT3 (P-STAT3)-positive neurons in the ARC and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus of normally fed mice; and (iii) a significantly increased number of P-STAT3-positive neurons in the ARC and dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus of HFD obese mice. Collectively, these data suggest that exogenously administered CNTF reduces food intake by exerting a leptin-like action on distinctive NPY ARC neurons and by promoting leptin signaling in hypothalamic feeding centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wiebe Venema
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Ilenia Severi
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Jessica Perugini
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Eleonora Di Mercurio
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Marco Mainardi
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Saverio Cinti
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Ancona, Italy.,Center of Obesity, Università Politecnica delle Marche-United Hospitals, Ancona, Italy
| | - Antonio Giordano
- Section of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università Politecnica Delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
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19
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Ringers C, Olstad EW, Jurisch-Yaksi N. The role of motile cilia in the development and physiology of the nervous system. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 375:20190156. [PMID: 31884916 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Motile cilia are miniature, whip-like organelles whose beating generates a directional fluid flow. The flow generated by ciliated epithelia is a subject of great interest, as defective ciliary motility results in severe human diseases called motile ciliopathies. Despite the abundance of motile cilia in diverse organs including the nervous system, their role in organ development and homeostasis remains poorly understood. Recently, much progress has been made regarding the identity of motile ciliated cells and the role of motile-cilia-mediated flow in the development and physiology of the nervous system. In this review, we will discuss these recent advances from sensory organs, specifically the nose and the ear, to the spinal cord and brain ventricles. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Unity and diversity of cilia in locomotion and transport'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christa Ringers
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Olav Kyrres Gate 9, 7030 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Emilie W Olstad
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Olav Kyrres Gate 9, 7030 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Nathalie Jurisch-Yaksi
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Olav Kyrres Gate 9, 7030 Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Olav Kyrres Gate 9, 7030 Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St Olavs University Hospital, Edvard Griegs Gate 8, 7030 Trondheim, Norway
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20
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Romanov RA, Alpár A, Hökfelt T, Harkany T. Unified Classification of Molecular, Network, and Endocrine Features of Hypothalamic Neurons. Annu Rev Neurosci 2019; 42:1-26. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-neuro-070918-050414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Peripheral endocrine output relies on either direct or feed-forward multi-order command from the hypothalamus. Efficient coding of endocrine responses is made possible by the many neuronal cell types that coexist in intercalated hypothalamic nuclei and communicate through extensive synaptic connectivity. Although general anatomical and neurochemical features of hypothalamic neurons were described during the past decades, they have yet to be reconciled with recently discovered molecular classifiers and neurogenetic function determination. By interrogating magnocellular as well as parvocellular dopamine, GABA, glutamate, and phenotypically mixed neurons, we integrate available information at the molecular, cellular, network, and endocrine output levels to propose a framework for the comprehensive classification of hypothalamic neurons. Simultaneously, we single out putative neuronal subclasses for which future research can fill in existing gaps of knowledge to rationalize cellular diversity through function-determinant molecular marks in the hypothalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman A. Romanov
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Alán Alpár
- Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology, and SE NAP Research Group of Experimental Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, Semmelweis University, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tomas Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17165 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicum, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17165 Stockholm, Sweden
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21
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Tanaka DH, Li S, Mukae S, Tanabe T. Genetic Access to Gustatory Disgust-Associated Neurons in the Interstitial Nucleus of the Posterior Limb of the Anterior Commissure in Male Mice. Neuroscience 2019; 413:45-63. [PMID: 31229633 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Orofacial and somatic disgust reactions are observed in rats following intraoral infusion of not only bitter quinine (innate disgust) but also sweet saccharin previously paired with illness (learned disgust). It remains unclear, however, whether these innate and learned disgust reactions share a common neural basis and which brain regions, if any, host it. In addition, there is no established method to genetically access neurons whose firing is associated with disgust (disgust-associated neurons). Here, we examined the expression of cFos and Arc, two markers of neuronal activity, in the interstitial nucleus of the posterior limb of the anterior commissure (IPAC) of male mice that showed innate disgust and mice that showed learned disgust. Furthermore, we used a targeted recombination in active populations (TRAP) method to genetically label the disgust-associated neurons in the IPAC with YFP. We found a significant increase of both cFos-positive neurons and Arc-positive neurons in the IPAC of mice that showed innate disgust and mice that showed learned disgust. In addition, TRAP following quinine infusion (Quinine-TRAP) resulted in significantly more YFP-positive neurons in the IPAC, compared to TRAP following water infusion. A significant number of the YFP-positive neurons following Quinine-TRAP were co-labeled with Arc following the second quinine infusion, confirming that Quinine-TRAP preferentially labeled quinine-activated neurons in the IPAC. Our results suggest that the IPAC activity is associated with both innate and learned disgust and that disgust-associated neurons in the IPAC are genetically accessible by TRAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke H Tanaka
- Department of Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan
| | - Shusheng Li
- Department of Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan
| | - Shiori Mukae
- Department of Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Tanabe
- Department of Pharmacology and Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
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22
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Zahola P, Hanics J, Pintér A, Máté Z, Gáspárdy A, Hevesi Z, Echevarria D, Adori C, Barde S, Törőcsik B, Erdélyi F, Szabó G, Wagner L, Kovacs GG, Hökfelt T, Harkany T, Alpár A. Secretagogin expression in the vertebrate brainstem with focus on the noradrenergic system and implications for Alzheimer's disease. Brain Struct Funct 2019; 224:2061-2078. [PMID: 31144035 PMCID: PMC6591208 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01886-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Calcium-binding proteins are widely used to distinguish neuronal subsets in the brain. This study focuses on secretagogin, an EF-hand calcium sensor, to identify distinct neuronal populations in the brainstem of several vertebrate species. By using neural tube whole mounts of mouse embryos, we show that secretagogin is already expressed during the early ontogeny of brainstem noradrenaline cells. In adults, secretagogin-expressing neurons typically populate relay centres of special senses and vegetative regulatory centres of the medulla oblongata, pons and midbrain. Notably, secretagogin expression overlapped with the brainstem column of noradrenergic cell bodies, including the locus coeruleus (A6) and the A1, A5 and A7 fields. Secretagogin expression in avian, mouse, rat and human samples showed quasi-equivalent patterns, suggesting conservation throughout vertebrate phylogeny. We found reduced secretagogin expression in locus coeruleus from subjects with Alzheimer’s disease, and this reduction paralleled the loss of tyrosine hydroxylase, the enzyme rate limiting noradrenaline synthesis. Residual secretagogin immunoreactivity was confined to small submembrane domains associated with initial aberrant tau phosphorylation. In conclusion, we provide evidence that secretagogin is a useful marker to distinguish neuronal subsets in the brainstem, conserved throughout several species, and its altered expression may reflect cellular dysfunction of locus coeruleus neurons in Alzheimer’s disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Zahola
- SE NAP B Research Group of Experimental Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Anatomy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Hanics
- SE NAP B Research Group of Experimental Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Anatomy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Pintér
- Department of Anatomy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zoltán Máté
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Anna Gáspárdy
- Department of Anatomy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsófia Hevesi
- SE NAP B Research Group of Experimental Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.,Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria
| | - Diego Echevarria
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Miguel Hernandez de Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Csaba Adori
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum 7D, SE-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Swapnali Barde
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum 7D, SE-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Beáta Törőcsik
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ferenc Erdélyi
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Gábor Szabó
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ludwig Wagner
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gabor G Kovacs
- Institute of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomas Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum 7D, SE-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum 7D, SE-17165, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alán Alpár
- SE NAP B Research Group of Experimental Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. .,Department of Anatomy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
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23
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Maj M, Wagner L, Tretter V. 20 Years of Secretagogin: Exocytosis and Beyond. Front Mol Neurosci 2019; 12:29. [PMID: 30853888 PMCID: PMC6396707 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Calcium is one of the most important signaling factors in mammalian cells. Specific temporal and spatial calcium signals underlie fundamental processes such as cell growth, development, circadian rhythms, neurotransmission, hormonal actions and apoptosis. In order to translate calcium signals into cellular processes a vast number of proteins bind this ion with affinities from the nanomolar to millimolar range. Using classical biochemical methods an impressing number of calcium binding proteins (CBPs) have been discovered since the late 1960s, some of which are expressed ubiquitously, others are more restricted to specific cell types. In the nervous system expression patterns of different CBPs have been used to discern different neuronal cell populations, especially before advanced methods like single-cell transcriptomics and activity recording were available to define neuronal identity. However, understanding CBPs and their interacting proteins is still of central interest. The post-genomic era has coined the term “calciomics,” to describe a whole new research field, that engages in the identification and characterization of CBPs and their interactome. Secretagogin is a CBP, that was discovered 20 years ago in the pancreas. Consecutively it was found also in other organs including the nervous system, with characteristic expression patterns mostly forming cell clusters. Its regional expression and subcellular location together with the identification of protein interaction partners implicated, that secretagogin has a central role in hormone secretion. Meanwhile, with the help of modern proteomics a large number of actual and putative interacting proteins has been identified, that allow to anticipate a much more complex role of secretagogin in developing and adult neuronal cells. Here, we review recent findings that appear like puzzle stones of a greater picture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Maj
- Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States
| | - Ludwig Wagner
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medizinische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Verena Tretter
- Department of Anesthesia and General Intensive Care, Clinical Department of Anesthesia, Medizinische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
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Alpár A, Benevento M, Romanov RA, Hökfelt T, Harkany T. Hypothalamic cell diversity: non-neuronal codes for long-distance volume transmission by neuropeptides. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 56:16-23. [PMID: 30471413 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Volume transmission is a mode of intercellular communication using cerebral liquor to deliver signal molecules over long distances and allow their action for extended periods. For hypothalamic neuropeptides, nerve endings amongst ependymal cells are seen as a site of release into the cerebrospinal fluid. Recent single-cell RNA-seq data identify tanycytes and ventricular ependyma as alternative sources by being unexpectedly rich in neuroactive substances. This notion, coupled with circuit analysis showing regionalized innervation of periventricular ependyma by intrahypothalamic neurons, could allow for the integration of hypothalamic neuronal activity patterns with brain-wide activity changes upon metabolic challenges through phasic volume transmission primed by neuron-ependyma coupling. Here, we discuss emerging data for an ependymal interface and its breaches in neuropsychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alán Alpár
- SE NAP Research Group of Experimental Neuroanatomy and Developmental Biology, Semmelweis University, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary; Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology, Semmelweis University, H-1085 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Marco Benevento
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Roman A Romanov
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomas Hökfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17165 Solna, Sweden
| | - Tibor Harkany
- Department of Molecular Neurosciences, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, A-1090 Vienna, Austria; Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17165 Solna, Sweden.
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Pozzi D, Matteoli M. The hypothalamic-LC-PFC axis: a new "ace" in the brain for fast-behavioral stress response. EMBO J 2018; 37:embj.2018100702. [PMID: 30361465 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2018100702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Davide Pozzi
- Humanitas University, Milan, Italy.,Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Milan, Italy.,IN-CNR, Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Matteoli
- Humanitas University, Milan, Italy.,Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Milan, Italy.,IN-CNR, Milan, Italy
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