1
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Deivasigamani S, Miteva MT, Natale S, Gutierrez-Barragan D, Basilico B, Di Angelantonio S, Weinhard L, Molotkov D, Deb S, Pape C, Bolasco G, Galbusera A, Asari H, Gozzi A, Ragozzino D, Gross CT. Microglia complement signaling promotes neuronal elimination and normal brain functional connectivity. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10750-10760. [PMID: 37718159 PMCID: PMC10629900 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Complement signaling is thought to serve as an opsonization signal to promote the phagocytosis of synapses by microglia. However, while its role in synaptic remodeling has been demonstrated in the retino-thalamic system, it remains unclear whether complement signaling mediates synaptic pruning in the brain more generally. Here we found that mice lacking the Complement receptor 3, the major microglia complement receptor, failed to show a deficit in either synaptic pruning or axon elimination in the developing mouse cortex. Instead, mice lacking Complement receptor 3 exhibited a deficit in the perinatal elimination of neurons in the cortex, a deficit that is associated with increased cortical thickness and enhanced functional connectivity in these regions in adulthood. These data demonstrate a role for complement in promoting neuronal elimination in the developing cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senthilkumar Deivasigamani
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Mariya T Miteva
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
- Neuroscience Masters Programme, Sapienza University, Piazza Aldo Moro 1, 00185 Roma, Italy
| | - Silvia Natale
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatologic Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Daniel Gutierrez-Barragan
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @ UNITN, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Bernadette Basilico
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Di Angelantonio
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Center for Life Nano- & Neuro-Science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Laetitia Weinhard
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Dmitry Molotkov
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Sukrita Deb
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Constantin Pape
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, EMBL Heidelberg, Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Giulia Bolasco
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Alberto Galbusera
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @ UNITN, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Hiroki Asari
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gozzi
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @ UNITN, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Davide Ragozzino
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Via Ardeatina, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
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2
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Neniskyte U, Kuliesiute U, Vadisiute A, Jevdokimenko K, Coletta L, Deivasigamani S, Pamedytyte D, Daugelaviciene N, Dabkeviciene D, Perlas E, Bali A, Basilico B, Gozzi A, Ragozzino D, Gross CT. Phospholipid scramblase Xkr8 is required for developmental axon pruning via phosphatidylserine exposure. EMBO J 2023:e111790. [PMID: 37211968 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022111790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The mature mammalian brain connectome emerges during development via the extension and pruning of neuronal connections. Glial cells have been identified as key players in the phagocytic elimination of neuronal synapses and projections. Recently, phosphatidylserine has been identified as neuronal "eat-me" signal that guides elimination of unnecessary input sources, but the associated transduction systems involved in such pruning are yet to be described. Here, we identified Xk-related protein 8 (Xkr8), a phospholipid scramblase, as a key factor for the pruning of axons in the developing mammalian brain. We found that mouse Xkr8 is highly expressed immediately after birth and required for phosphatidylserine exposure in the hippocampus. Mice lacking Xkr8 showed excess excitatory nerve terminals, increased density of cortico-cortical and cortico-spinal projections, aberrant electrophysiological profiles of hippocampal neurons, and global brain hyperconnectivity. These data identify phospholipid scrambling by Xkr8 as a central process in the labeling and discrimination of developing neuronal projections for pruning in the mammalian brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urte Neniskyte
- VU LSC-EMBL Partnership for Genome Editing Technologies, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Ugne Kuliesiute
- VU LSC-EMBL Partnership for Genome Editing Technologies, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Auguste Vadisiute
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology - Center for Research in Neurobiology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Kristina Jevdokimenko
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Ludovico Coletta
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @UNITN, Rovereto, Italy
| | | | - Daina Pamedytyte
- VU LSC-EMBL Partnership for Genome Editing Technologies, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Neringa Daugelaviciene
- VU LSC-EMBL Partnership for Genome Editing Technologies, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Daiva Dabkeviciene
- VU LSC-EMBL Partnership for Genome Editing Technologies, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Emerald Perlas
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Aditya Bali
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Bernadette Basilico
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology - Center for Research in Neurobiology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessandro Gozzi
- Functional Neuroimaging Laboratory, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems @UNITN, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Davide Ragozzino
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology - Center for Research in Neurobiology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
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3
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Tsang E, Orlandini C, Sureka R, Crevenna AH, Perlas E, Prankerd I, Masferrer ME, Gross CT. Induction of flight via midbrain projections to the cuneiform nucleus. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281464. [PMID: 36795666 PMCID: PMC9934373 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The dorsal periaqueductal gray is a midbrain structure implicated in the control of defensive behaviors and the processing of painful stimuli. Electrical stimulation or optogenetic activation of excitatory neurons in dorsal periaqueductal gray results in freezing or flight behavior at low and high intensity, respectively. However, the output structures that mediate these defensive behaviors remain unconfirmed. Here we carried out a targeted classification of neuron types in dorsal periaqueductal gray using multiplex in situ sequencing and then applied cell-type and projection-specific optogenetic stimulation to identify projections from dorsal periaqueductal grey to the cuneiform nucleus that promoted goal-directed flight behavior. These data confirmed that descending outputs from dorsal periaqueductal gray serve as a trigger for directed escape behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmy Tsang
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - Camilla Orlandini
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
- Neurobiology Master’s Program, Sapienza University, Piazzale Aldo Moro, Rome, Italy
| | - Rahul Sureka
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - Alvaro H. Crevenna
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - Emerald Perlas
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - Izzie Prankerd
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
- University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Maria E. Masferrer
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
| | - Cornelius T. Gross
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Rome, Italy
- * E-mail:
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4
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Rahy R, Asari H, Gross CT. Sensory-thresholded switch of neural firing states in a computational model of the ventromedial hypothalamus. Front Comput Neurosci 2022; 16:964634. [PMID: 36157840 PMCID: PMC9491323 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.964634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The mouse ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) is both necessary and sufficient for defensive responses to predator and social threats. Defensive behaviors typically involve cautious approach toward potentially threatening stimuli aimed at obtaining information about the risk involved, followed by sudden avoidance and flight behavior to escape harm. In vivo neural recording studies in mice have identified two major populations of VMH neurons that either increase their firing activity as the animal approaches the threat (called Assessment+ cells) or increase their activity as the animal flees the threat (called Flight+ cells). Interestingly, Assessment+ and Flight+ cells abruptly decrease and increase their firing activity, respectively, at the decision point for flight, creating an escape-related “switch” in functional state. This suggests that the activity of the two cell types in VMH is coordinated and could result from local circuit interactions. Here, we used computational modeling to test if a local inhibitory feedback circuit could give rise to key features of the neural activity seen in VMH during the approach-to-flight transition. Starting from a simple dual-population inhibitory feedback circuit receiving repeated trains of monotonically increasing sensory input to mimic approach to threat, we tested the requirement for balanced sensory input, balanced feedback, short-term synaptic plasticity, rebound excitation, and inhibitory feedback exclusivity to reproduce an abrupt, sensory-thresholded reciprocal firing change that resembles Assessment+ and Flight+ cell activity seen in vivo. Our work demonstrates that a relatively simple local circuit architecture is sufficient for the emergence of firing patterns similar to those seen in vivo and suggests that a reiterative process of experimental and computational work may be a fruitful avenue for better understanding the functional organization of mammalian instinctive behaviors at the circuit level.
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5
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Ayuso-Jimeno IP, Ronchi P, Wang T, Gallori CE, Gross CT. Identifying long-range synaptic inputs using genetically encoded labels and volume electron microscopy. Sci Rep 2022; 12:10213. [PMID: 35715545 PMCID: PMC9205864 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14309-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Enzymes that facilitate the local deposition of electron dense reaction products have been widely used as labels in electron microscopy (EM) for the identification of synaptic contacts in neural tissue. Peroxidases, in particular, can efficiently metabolize 3,3'-diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride hydrate (DAB) to produce precipitates with high contrast under EM following heavy metal staining, and can be genetically encoded to facilitate the labeling of specific cell-types or organelles. Nevertheless, the peroxidase/DAB method has so far not been reported to work in a multiplexed manner in combination with 3D volume EM techniques (e.g. Serial blockface electron microscopy, SBEM; Focused ion beam electron microscopy, FIBSEM) that are favored for the large-scale ultrastructural assessment of synaptic architecture However, a recently described peroxidase with enhanced enzymatic activity (dAPEX2) can efficienty deposit EM-visible DAB products in thick tissue without detergent treatment opening the possibility for the multiplex labeling of genetically defined cell-types in combination with volume EM methods. Here we demonstrate that multiplexed dAPEX2/DAB tagging is compatible with both FIBSEM and SBEM volume EM approaches and use them to map long-range genetically identified synaptic inputs from the anterior cingulate cortex to the periaqueductal gray in the mouse brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene P Ayuso-Jimeno
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, RM, Italy
| | - Paolo Ronchi
- Electron Microscopy Core Facility (EMCF), European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 69117, Meyerhofstr, Germany
| | - Tianzi Wang
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, RM, Italy
| | - Catherine E Gallori
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, RM, Italy
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, RM, Italy.
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6
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Dong W, Chen H, Sit T, Han Y, Song F, Vyssotski AL, Gross CT, Si B, Zhan Y. Characterization of exploratory patterns and hippocampal-prefrontal network oscillations during the emergence of free exploration. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2021; 66:2238-2250. [PMID: 36654115 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2021.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
During free exploration, the emergence of patterned and sequential behavioral responses to an unknown environment reflects exploration traits and adaptation. However, the behavioral dynamics and neural substrates underlying the exploratory behavior remain poorly understood. We developed computational tools to quantify the exploratory behavior and performed in vivo electrophysiological recordings in a large arena in which mice made sequential excursions into unknown territory. Occupancy entropy was calculated to characterize the cumulative and moment-to-moment behavioral dynamics in explored and unexplored territories. Local field potential analysis revealed that the theta activity in the dorsal hippocampus (dHPC) was highly correlated with the occupancy entropy. Individual dHPC and prefrontal cortex (PFC) oscillatory activities could classify various aspects of free exploration. Initiation of exploration was accompanied by a coordinated decrease and increase in theta activity in PFC and dHPC, respectively. Our results indicate that dHPC and PFC work synergistically in shaping free exploration by modulating exploratory traits during emergence and visits to an unknown environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiu Dong
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Hongbiao Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Timothy Sit
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yechao Han
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Fei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China; Institutes for Robotics and Intelligent Manufacturing, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110169, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Alexei L Vyssotski
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, the University of Zürich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo 00015, Italy
| | - Bailu Si
- School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
| | - Yang Zhan
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Manipulation, the Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Brain Diseases, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China.
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7
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Basilico B, Ferrucci L, Ratano P, Golia MT, Grimaldi A, Rosito M, Ferretti V, Reverte I, Sanchini C, Marrone MC, Giubettini M, De Turris V, Salerno D, Garofalo S, St-Pierre MK, Carrier M, Renzi M, Pagani F, Modi B, Raspa M, Scavizzi F, Gross CT, Marinelli S, Tremblay MÈ, Caprioli D, Maggi L, Limatola C, Di Angelantonio S, Ragozzino D. Microglia control glutamatergic synapses in the adult mouse hippocampus. Glia 2021; 70:173-195. [PMID: 34661306 PMCID: PMC9297980 DOI: 10.1002/glia.24101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Microglia cells are active players in regulating synaptic development and plasticity in the brain. However, how they influence the normal functioning of synapses is largely unknown. In this study, we characterized the effects of pharmacological microglia depletion, achieved by administration of PLX5622, on hippocampal CA3‐CA1 synapses of adult wild type mice. Following microglial depletion, we observed a reduction of spontaneous and evoked glutamatergic activity associated with a decrease of dendritic spine density. We also observed the appearance of immature synaptic features and higher levels of plasticity. Microglia depleted mice showed a deficit in the acquisition of the Novel Object Recognition task. These events were accompanied by hippocampal astrogliosis, although in the absence ofneuroinflammatory condition. PLX‐induced synaptic changes were absent in Cx3cr1−/− mice, highlighting the role of CX3CL1/CX3CR1 axis in microglia control of synaptic functioning. Remarkably, microglia repopulation after PLX5622 withdrawal was associated with the recovery of hippocampal synapses and learning functions. Altogether, these data demonstrate that microglia contribute to normal synaptic functioning in the adult brain and that their removal induces reversible changes in organization and activity of glutamatergic synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette Basilico
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Ferrucci
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Patrizia Ratano
- Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology Inflammaging Unit, IRCCS Neuromed, Mediterranean Neurological Institute, Pozzilli, IS, Italy
| | - Maria T Golia
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Alfonso Grimaldi
- Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Rosito
- Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Ferretti
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Ingrid Reverte
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Caterina Sanchini
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria C Marrone
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) 'Rita Levi-Montalcini', Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Giubettini
- Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.,CrestOptics S.p.A, Rome, Italy
| | - Valeria De Turris
- Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Debora Salerno
- Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Garofalo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marie-Kim St-Pierre
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences Québec, Quebec City, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval Québec, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Micael Carrier
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences Québec, Quebec City, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval Québec, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Massimiliano Renzi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Pagani
- Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Brijesh Modi
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) 'Rita Levi-Montalcini', Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Raspa
- National Research Council, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (CNR-IBBC/EMMA/Infrafrontier/IMPC), International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Ferdinando Scavizzi
- National Research Council, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (CNR-IBBC/EMMA/Infrafrontier/IMPC), International Campus "A. Buzzati-Traverso", Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Silvia Marinelli
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) 'Rita Levi-Montalcini', Rome, Italy
| | - Marie-Ève Tremblay
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec, Axe Neurosciences Québec, Quebec City, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval Québec, Quebec City, Canada.,Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - Daniele Caprioli
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Maggi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Limatola
- Neurophysiology and Neuropharmacology Inflammaging Unit, IRCCS Neuromed, Mediterranean Neurological Institute, Pozzilli, IS, Italy.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University, Laboratory affiliated to Istituto Pasteur Italia, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Di Angelantonio
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-science, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Davide Ragozzino
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Santa Lucia Foundation (IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia), Rome, Italy
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8
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Streich L, Boffi JC, Wang L, Alhalaseh K, Barbieri M, Rehm R, Deivasigamani S, Gross CT, Agarwal A, Prevedel R. High-resolution structural and functional deep brain imaging using adaptive optics three-photon microscopy. Nat Methods 2021; 18:1253-1258. [PMID: 34594033 PMCID: PMC8490155 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-021-01257-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Multiphoton microscopy has become a powerful tool with which to visualize the morphology and function of neural cells and circuits in the intact mammalian brain. However, tissue scattering, optical aberrations and motion artifacts degrade the imaging performance at depth. Here we describe a minimally invasive intravital imaging methodology based on three-photon excitation, indirect adaptive optics (AO) and active electrocardiogram gating to advance deep-tissue imaging. Our modal-based, sensorless AO approach is robust to low signal-to-noise ratios as commonly encountered in deep scattering tissues such as the mouse brain, and permits AO correction over large axial fields of view. We demonstrate near-diffraction-limited imaging of deep cortical spines and (sub)cortical dendrites up to a depth of 1.4 mm (the edge of the mouse CA1 hippocampus). In addition, we show applications to deep-layer calcium imaging of astrocytes, including fibrous astrocytes that reside in the highly scattering corpus callosum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Streich
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
- Collaboration for joint PhD degree between EMBL and Heidelberg University, Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Juan Carlos Boffi
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ling Wang
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Khaleel Alhalaseh
- The Chica and Heinz Schaller Research Group, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Matteo Barbieri
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ronja Rehm
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Amit Agarwal
- The Chica and Heinz Schaller Research Group, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Robert Prevedel
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany.
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Italy.
- Interdisciplinary Center for Neurosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit (MMPU), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
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9
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Natale S, Esteban Masferrer M, Deivasigamani S, Gross CT. A role for cerebral cortex in the suppression of innate defensive behaviour. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 54:6044-6059. [PMID: 34405470 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The cerebral cortex is widely accepted to be involved in the control of cognition and the processing of learned information. However, data suggest that it may also have a role in the regulation of innate responses because rodents, cats or primates with surgical removal of cortical regions show excessive aggression and rage elicited by threatening stimuli. Nevertheless, the imprecision and chronic nature of these lesions leave open the possibility that compensatory processes may underlie some of these phenotypes. In the present study we applied a precise, rapid and reversible inhibition approach to examine the contribution of the cerebral cortex to defensive behaviours elicited by a variety of innately aversive stimuli in laboratory mice. Pharmacological treatment of mice carrying the pharmacogenetic inhibitory receptor hM4D selectively in neocortex, archicortex and related dorsal telencephalon-derived structures resulted in the rapid inhibition of cerebral cortex neural activity. Cortical inhibition was associated with a selective increase in defensive behaviours elicited by an aggressive conspecific, a novel prey and a physically stressful stimulus. These findings are consistent with a role for cortex in the acute inhibition of innate defensive behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Natale
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Italy.,Division of Pharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive and Odontostomatologic Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Maria Esteban Masferrer
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Italy
| | | | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Italy
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10
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Ciccarelli A, Weijers D, Kwan W, Warner C, Bourne J, Gross CT. Sexually dimorphic perineuronal nets in the rodent and primate reproductive circuit. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:3274-3291. [PMID: 33950531 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Perineuronal nets are extracellular glycoprotein structures that have been found on some neurons in the central nervous system and that have been shown to regulate their structural plasticity. Until now work on perineuronal nets has been focused on their role in cortical structures where they are selectively expressed on parvalbumin-positive neurons and are reported to restrict the experience-dependent plasticity of inhibitory afferents. Here, we examined the expression of perineuronal nets subcortically, showing that they are expressed in several discrete structures, including nuclei that comprise the brain network controlling reproductive behaviors (e.g., mounting, lordosis, aggression, and social defense). In particular, perineuronal nets were found in the posterior dorsal division of the medial amygdala, the medial preoptic nucleus, the posterior medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, the ventrolateral ventromedial hypothalamus and adjacent tuberal nucleus, and the ventral premammillary nucleus in both the mouse and primate brain. Comparison of perineuronal nets in male and female mice revealed a significant sexually dimorphic expression, with expression found prominently on estrogen receptor expressing neurons in the medial amygdala. These findings suggest that perineuronal nets may be involved in regulating neural plasticity in the mammalian reproductive system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Ciccarelli
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Rome
| | - Dilys Weijers
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Rome
| | - William Kwan
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Claire Warner
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - James Bourne
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Rome
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11
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Montardy Q, Kwan WC, Mundinano IC, Fox DM, Wang L, Gross CT, Bourne JA. Mapping the neural circuitry of predator fear in the nonhuman primate. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 226:195-205. [PMID: 33263778 PMCID: PMC7817595 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02176-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In rodents, innate and learned fear of predators depends on the medial hypothalamic defensive system, a conserved brain network that lies downstream of the amygdala and promotes avoidance via projections to the periaqueductal gray. Whether this network is involved in primate fear remains unknown. To address this, we provoked flight responses to a predator (moving snake) in the marmoset monkey under laboratory conditions. We combined c-Fos immunolabeling and anterograde/retrograde tracing to map the functional connectivity of the ventromedial hypothalamus, a core node in the medial hypothalamic defensive system. Our findings demonstrate that the ventromedial hypothalamus is recruited by predator exposure in primates and that anatomical connectivity of the rodent and primate medial hypothalamic defensive system are highly conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Montardy
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - William C Kwan
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Inaki C Mundinano
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Dylan M Fox
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Liping Wang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science-Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, RM, Italy.
| | - James A Bourne
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
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12
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Abstract
Social aggression and avoidance are defensive behaviors expressed by territorial animals in a manner appropriate to spatial context and experience. The ventromedial hypothalamus controls both social aggression and avoidance, suggesting that it may encode a general internal state of threat modulated by space and experience. Here, we show that neurons in the mouse ventromedial hypothalamus are activated both by the presence of a social threat as well as by a chamber where social defeat previously occurred. Moreover, under conditions where the animal could move freely between a home and defeat chamber, firing activity emerged that predicted the animal's position, demonstrating the dynamic encoding of spatial context in the hypothalamus. Finally, we found that social defeat induced a functional reorganization of neural activity as optogenetic activation could elicit avoidance after, but not before social defeat. These findings reveal how the hypothalamus dynamically encodes spatial and sensory cues to drive social behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Krzywkowski
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMonterotondoItaly
- EMBL and Heidelberg University, Faculty of BiosciencesHeidelbergGermany
| | - Beatrice Penna
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMonterotondoItaly
- Masters Course in Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Civil and Industrial Engineering, Sapienza UniversityRomaItaly
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, EMBL Rome, European Molecular Biology LaboratoryMonterotondoItaly
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13
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Diuba AV, Samigullin DV, Kaszas A, Zonfrillo F, Malkov A, Petukhova E, Casini A, Arosio D, Esclapez M, Gross CT, Bregestovski P. CLARITY analysis of the Cl/pH sensor expression in the brain of transgenic mice. Neuroscience 2019; 439:181-194. [PMID: 31302264 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Genetically encoded biosensors are widely used in cell biology for the non-invasive imaging of concentrations of ions or the activity of enzymes, to evaluate the distribution of small molecules, proteins and organelles, and to image protein interactions in living cells. These fluorescent molecules can be used either by transient expression in cultured cells or in entire organisms or through stable expression by producing transgenic animals characterized by genetically encoded and heritable biosensors. Using the mouse Thy1 mini-promoter, we generated a line of transgenic mice expressing a genetically encoded sensor for the simultaneous measurements of intracellular Cl- and pH. This construct, called ClopHensor, consists of a H+- and Cl--sensitive variant of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (E2GFP) fused with a red fluorescent protein (DsRedm). Stimulation of hippocampal Schaffer collaterals proved that the sensor is functionally active. To reveal the expression pattern of ClopHensor across the brain of Thy1::ClopHensor mice, we obtained transparent brain samples using the CLARITY method and imaged them with confocal and light-sheet microscopy. We then developed a semi-quantitative approach to identify brain structures with high intrinsic sensor fluorescence. This approach allowed us to assess cell morphology and track axonal projection, as well as to confirm E2GFP and DsRedm fluorescence colocalization. This analysis also provides a map of the brain areas suitable for non-invasive monitoring of intracellular Cl-/pH in normal and pathological conditions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Honoring Ricardo Miledi - outstanding neuroscientist of XX-XXI centuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artem V Diuba
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, INS, Institut of System Neurosciences, 13005 Marseille, France; A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119992, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry V Samigullin
- Laboratory of Biophysics of Synaptic Processes, Kazan Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, FRC Kazan Scientific Center of RAS, 420111, Kazan, Russia; Department of Radiophotonics and microwave technologies, Kazan National Research Technical University named after A.N.Tupolev, 420111, Kazan, Russia; Open Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Kazan Federal University,420111, Kazan, Russia
| | - Attila Kaszas
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, INS, Institut of System Neurosciences, 13005 Marseille, France; Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, CNRS UMR 7289 & Aix- Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Francesca Zonfrillo
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL-Rome, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, ITALY
| | - Anton Malkov
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, INS, Institut of System Neurosciences, 13005 Marseille, France; Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290, Pushchino, Russia
| | - Elena Petukhova
- Institute of Neurosciences, Kazan Medical State University, Kazan, Russia
| | | | - Daniele Arosio
- Institute of Biophysics, National Research Council of Italy, 38123 Trento, Italy
| | - Monique Esclapez
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, INS, Institut of System Neurosciences, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL-Rome, Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, ITALY
| | - Piotr Bregestovski
- Aix-Marseille University, INSERM, INS, Institut of System Neurosciences, 13005 Marseille, France; Institute of Neurosciences, Kazan Medical State University, Kazan, Russia.
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14
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Bolasco G, Weinhard L, Boissonnet T, Neujahr R, Gross CT. Three-Dimensional Nanostructure of an Intact Microglia Cell. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:105. [PMID: 30568579 PMCID: PMC6290067 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Bolasco
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL Rome), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Laetitia Weinhard
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL Rome), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Tom Boissonnet
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL Rome), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Ralph Neujahr
- Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, ZEISS Group, Oberkochen, Germany
| | - Cornelius T. Gross
- Epigenetics & Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL Rome), Monterotondo, Italy
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15
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Weinhard L, di Bartolomei G, Bolasco G, Machado P, Schieber NL, Neniskyte U, Exiga M, Vadisiute A, Raggioli A, Schertel A, Schwab Y, Gross CT. Microglia remodel synapses by presynaptic trogocytosis and spine head filopodia induction. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1228. [PMID: 29581545 PMCID: PMC5964317 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03566-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 495] [Impact Index Per Article: 82.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Microglia are highly motile glial cells that are proposed to mediate synaptic pruning during neuronal circuit formation. Disruption of signaling between microglia and neurons leads to an excess of immature synaptic connections, thought to be the result of impaired phagocytosis of synapses by microglia. However, until now the direct phagocytosis of synapses by microglia has not been reported and fundamental questions remain about the precise synaptic structures and phagocytic mechanisms involved. Here we used light sheet fluorescence microscopy to follow microglia–synapse interactions in developing organotypic hippocampal cultures, complemented by a 3D ultrastructural characterization using correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM). Our findings define a set of dynamic microglia–synapse interactions, including the selective partial phagocytosis, or trogocytosis (trogo-: nibble), of presynaptic structures and the induction of postsynaptic spine head filopodia by microglia. These findings allow us to propose a mechanism for the facilitatory role of microglia in synaptic circuit remodeling and maturation. Direct visualization of microglia-mediated synapse pruning has been lacking. This study shows direct evidence of microglia-synapse interaction where microglia do not necessarily ‘eat’ post-synaptic structure but ‘nibble’ on pre-synaptic terminals, much akin to trogocytosis by lymphocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laetitia Weinhard
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Giulia di Bartolomei
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Giulia Bolasco
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Pedro Machado
- Electron Microscopy Core Facility, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nicole L Schieber
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Urte Neniskyte
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy.,Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Life Science Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio al. 7, Vilnius, 10257, Lithuania
| | - Melanie Exiga
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Auguste Vadisiute
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy.,Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, Life Science Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio al. 7, Vilnius, 10257, Lithuania
| | - Angelo Raggioli
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Andreas Schertel
- Carl Zeiss Microscopy GmbH, ZEISS Group, Carl-Zeiss-Strasse 22, 73447, Oberkochen, Germany
| | - Yannick Schwab
- Electron Microscopy Core Facility, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany.,Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy.
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16
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Silva BA, Gross CT, Gräff J. The neural circuits of innate fear: detection, integration, action, and memorization. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 23:544-55. [PMID: 27634145 PMCID: PMC5026211 DOI: 10.1101/lm.042812.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
How fear is represented in the brain has generated a lot of research attention, not only because fear increases the chances for survival when appropriately expressed but also because it can lead to anxiety and stress-related disorders when inadequately processed. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the understanding of the neural circuits processing innate fear in rodents. We propose that these circuits are contained within three main functional units in the brain: a detection unit, responsible for gathering sensory information signaling the presence of a threat; an integration unit, responsible for incorporating the various sensory information and recruiting downstream effectors; and an output unit, in charge of initiating appropriate bodily and behavioral responses to the threatful stimulus. In parallel, the experience of innate fear also instructs a learning process leading to the memorization of the fearful event. Interestingly, while the detection, integration, and output units processing acute fear responses to different threats tend to be harbored in distinct brain circuits, memory encoding of these threats seems to rely on a shared learning system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca A Silva
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Johannes Gräff
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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17
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Della Sala G, Putignano E, Chelini G, Melani R, Calcagno E, Michele Ratto G, Amendola E, Gross CT, Giustetto M, Pizzorusso T. Dendritic Spine Instability in a Mouse Model of CDKL5 Disorder Is Rescued by Insulin-like Growth Factor 1. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 80:302-311. [PMID: 26452614 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.08.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2014] [Revised: 08/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CDKL5 (cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5) is mutated in many severe neurodevelopmental disorders, including atypical Rett syndrome. CDKL5 was shown to interact with synaptic proteins, but an in vivo analysis of the role of CDKL5 in dendritic spine dynamics and synaptic molecular organization is still lacking. METHODS In vivo two-photon microscopy of the somatosensory cortex of Cdkl5(-/y) mice was applied to monitor structural dynamics of dendritic spines. Synaptic function and plasticity were measured using electrophysiological recordings of excitatory postsynaptic currents and long-term potentiation in brain slices and assessing the expression of synaptic postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95). Finally, we studied the impact of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) treatment on CDKL5 null mice to restore the synaptic deficits. RESULTS Adult mutant mice showed a significant reduction in spine density and PSD-95-positive synaptic puncta, a reduction of persistent spines, and impaired long-term potentiation. In juvenile mutants, short-term spine elimination, but not formation, was dramatically increased. Exogenous administration of IGF-1 rescued defective rpS6 phosphorylation, spine density, and PSD-95 expression. Endogenous cortical IGF-1 levels were unaffected by CDKL5 deletion. CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that dendritic spine stabilization is strongly regulated by CDKL5. Moreover, our data suggest that IGF-1 treatment could be a promising candidate for clinical trials in CDKL5 patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grazia Della Sala
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health-Neurofarba, University of Florence, Florence
| | - Elena Putignano
- Institute of Neuroscience (EP, TP), National Research Council, Pisa
| | - Gabriele Chelini
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health-Neurofarba, University of Florence, Florence
| | - Riccardo Melani
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health-Neurofarba, University of Florence, Florence
| | - Eleonora Calcagno
- Department of Neuroscience and National Institute of Neuroscience (EC, MG), University of Turin, Turin
| | - Gian Michele Ratto
- National Enterprise for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (GMR), Institute of Nanoscience of the National Research Council, and Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa
| | - Elena Amendola
- Mouse Biology Unit (EA, CTG), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit (EA, CTG), European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Maurizio Giustetto
- Department of Neuroscience and National Institute of Neuroscience (EC, MG), University of Turin, Turin
| | - Tommaso Pizzorusso
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, and Child Health-Neurofarba, University of Florence, Florence; Institute of Neuroscience (EP, TP), National Research Council, Pisa.
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18
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Silva BA, Mattucci C, Krzywkowski P, Cuozzo R, Carbonari L, Gross CT. The ventromedial hypothalamus mediates predator fear memory. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 43:1431-9. [PMID: 26991018 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2016] [Revised: 03/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The amygdala has been shown to be essential for the processing of acute and learned fear across animal species. However, the downstream neural circuits that mediate these fear responses differ according to the nature of the threat, with separate pathways having been identified for predator, conspecific and physically harmful threats. In particular, the dorsomedial part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VHMdm) is critical for the expression of defensive responses to predators. Here, we tested the hypothesis that this circuit also participates in predator fear memory by transient pharmacogenetic inhibition of the VMHdm and its downstream effector, the dorsal periaqueductal grey, during predator fear learning in the mouse. Our data demonstrate that neural activity in the VMHdm is required for both the acquisition and recall of predator fear memory, whereas that of its downstream effector, the dorsal periaqueductal grey, is required only for the acute expression of fear. These findings are consistent with a role for the medial hypothalamus in encoding an internal emotional state of fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca A Silva
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Camilla Mattucci
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Piotr Krzywkowski
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Rachel Cuozzo
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Laura Carbonari
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, 00015, Monterotondo, Italy
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19
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Madroñal N, Delgado-García JM, Fernández-Guizán A, Chatterjee J, Köhn M, Mattucci C, Jain A, Tsetsenis T, Illarionova A, Grinevich V, Gross CT, Gruart A. Rapid erasure of hippocampal memory following inhibition of dentate gyrus granule cells. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10923. [PMID: 26988806 PMCID: PMC4802048 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The hippocampus is critical for the acquisition and retrieval of episodic and contextual memories. Lesions of the dentate gyrus, a principal input of the hippocampus, block memory acquisition, but it remains unclear whether this region also plays a role in memory retrieval. Here we combine cell-type specific neural inhibition with electrophysiological measurements of learning-associated plasticity in behaving mice to demonstrate that dentate gyrus granule cells are not required for memory retrieval, but instead have an unexpected role in memory maintenance. Furthermore, we demonstrate the translational potential of our findings by showing that pharmacological activation of an endogenous inhibitory receptor expressed selectively in dentate gyrus granule cells can induce a rapid loss of hippocampal memory. These findings open a new avenue for the targeted erasure of episodic and contextual memories. Dentate gyrus (DG) is critical for memory formation in the hippocampus but its role in memory retrieval is unclear. Here, Gross and colleagues, show that granule cells in DG are not required for memory retrieval but for maintenance, and inhibiting them with a drug leads to rapid loss of memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noelia Madroñal
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, Monterotondo 00015, Italy.,Division of Neuroscience, University Pablo Olavide, Carretera de Utrera-km 1, Sevilla 41013, Spain
| | - José M Delgado-García
- Division of Neuroscience, University Pablo Olavide, Carretera de Utrera-km 1, Sevilla 41013, Spain
| | - Azahara Fernández-Guizán
- Division of Neuroscience, University Pablo Olavide, Carretera de Utrera-km 1, Sevilla 41013, Spain
| | - Jayanta Chatterjee
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Maja Köhn
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstraße 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Camilla Mattucci
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, Monterotondo 00015, Italy
| | - Apar Jain
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, Monterotondo 00015, Italy
| | - Theodoros Tsetsenis
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, Monterotondo 00015, Italy
| | - Anna Illarionova
- Schaller Research Group on Neuropeptides, German Cancer Research Center DKFZ, Central Institute of Mental Health, CellNetwork Cluster of Excellence, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Valery Grinevich
- Schaller Research Group on Neuropeptides, German Cancer Research Center DKFZ, Central Institute of Mental Health, CellNetwork Cluster of Excellence, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), via Ramarini 32, Monterotondo 00015, Italy
| | - Agnès Gruart
- Division of Neuroscience, University Pablo Olavide, Carretera de Utrera-km 1, Sevilla 41013, Spain
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20
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Samuels BA, Anacker C, Hu A, Levinstein MR, Pickenhagen A, Tsetsenis T, Madroñal N, Donaldson ZR, Drew LJ, Dranovsky A, Gross CT, Tanaka KF, Hen R. 5-HT1A receptors on mature dentate gyrus granule cells are critical for the antidepressant response. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:1606-16. [PMID: 26389840 PMCID: PMC4624493 DOI: 10.1038/nn.4116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are widely used antidepressants, but the mechanisms by which they influence behavior are only partially resolved. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is necessary for some of the responses to SSRIs, but it is unknown whether the mature dentate gyrus granule cells (mature DG GCs) also contribute. We deleted Serotonin 1A receptor (5HT1AR; a receptor required for the SSRI response) specifically from DG GCs and found that the effects of the SSRI fluoxetine on behavior and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis were abolished. By contrast, mice lacking 5HT1ARs only in young adult born granule cells (abGCs) showed normal fluoxetine responses. Importantly, 5HT1AR deficient mice engineered to express functional 5HT1ARs only in DG GCs responded to fluoxetine, indicating that 5HT1ARs in DG GCs are sufficient to mediate an antidepressant response. Taken together, these data indicate that both mature DG GCs and young abGCs must be engaged for an antidepressant response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Adam Samuels
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Christoph Anacker
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alice Hu
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Marjorie R Levinstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Anouchka Pickenhagen
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Theodore Tsetsenis
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Noelia Madroñal
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Zoe R Donaldson
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Liam John Drew
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alex Dranovsky
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Kenji F Tanaka
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - René Hen
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
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21
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Pagani F, Paolicelli RC, Murana E, Cortese B, Di Angelantonio S, Zurolo E, Guiducci E, Ferreira TA, Garofalo S, Catalano M, D'Alessandro G, Porzia A, Peruzzi G, Mainiero F, Limatola C, Gross CT, Ragozzino D. Defective microglial development in the hippocampus of Cx3cr1 deficient mice. Front Cell Neurosci 2015; 9:111. [PMID: 25873863 PMCID: PMC4379915 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Microglial cells participate in brain development and influence neuronal loss and synaptic maturation. Fractalkine is an important neuronal chemokine whose expression increases during development and that can influence microglia function via the fractalkine receptor, CX3CR1. Mice lacking Cx3cr1 show a variety of neuronal defects thought to be the result of deficient microglia function. Activation of CX3CR1 is important for the proper migration of microglia to sites of injury and into the brain during development. However, little is known about how fractalkine modulates microglial properties during development. Here we examined microglial morphology, response to ATP, and K+ current properties in acute brain slices from Cx3cr1 knockout mice across postnatal hippocampal development. We found that fractalkine signaling is necessary for the development of several morphological and physiological features of microglia. Specifically, we found that the occurrence of an outward rectifying K+ current, typical of activated microglia, that peaked during the second and third postnatal week, was reduced in Cx3cr1 knockout mice. Fractalkine signaling also influenced microglial morphology and ability to extend processes in response to ATP following its focal application to the slice. Our results reveal the developmental profile of several morphological and physiological properties of microglia and demonstrate that these processes are modulated by fractalkine signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Pagani
- Center for Life Nanoscience - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia@Sapienza, Rome Italy
| | - Rosa C Paolicelli
- Division of Psychiatry Research, University of Zürich, Zürich Switzerland ; Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo Italy
| | - Emanuele Murana
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy
| | - Barbara Cortese
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Institute of Inorganic Methodologies and Plasmas, Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy
| | - Silvia Di Angelantonio
- Center for Life Nanoscience - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia@Sapienza, Rome Italy ; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy
| | - Emanuele Zurolo
- Department of Neuropathology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Eva Guiducci
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo Italy
| | - Tiago A Ferreira
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo Italy
| | - Stefano Garofalo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy
| | - Myriam Catalano
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy ; Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Neuromed Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Giuseppina D'Alessandro
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy ; Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Neuromed Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Alessandra Porzia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanna Peruzzi
- Center for Life Nanoscience - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia@Sapienza, Rome Italy
| | - Fabrizio Mainiero
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Limatola
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy ; Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Neuromed Pozzilli, Italy
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Monterotondo Italy
| | - Davide Ragozzino
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome Italy ; Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Neuromed Pozzilli, Italy
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22
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Piszczek L, Piszczek A, Kuczmanska J, Audero E, Gross CT. Modulation of anxiety by cortical serotonin 1A receptors. Front Behav Neurosci 2015; 9:48. [PMID: 25759645 PMCID: PMC4338812 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Serotonin (5-HT) plays an important role in the modulation of behavior across animal species. The serotonin 1A receptor (Htr1a) is an inhibitory G-protein coupled receptor that is expressed both on serotonin and non-serotonin neurons in mammals. Mice lacking Htr1a show increased anxiety behavior suggesting that its activation by serotonin has an anxiolytic effect. This outcome can be mediated by either Htr1a population present on serotonin (auto-receptor) or non-serotonin neurons (hetero-receptor), or both. In addition, both transgenic and pharmacological studies have shown that serotonin acts on Htr1a during development to modulate anxiety in adulthood, demonstrating a function for this receptor in the maturation of anxiety circuits in the brain. However, previous studies have been equivocal about which Htr1a population modulates anxiety behavior, with some studies showing a role of Htr1a hetero-receptor and others implicating the auto-receptor. In particular, cell-type specific rescue and suppression of Htr1a expression in either forebrain principal neurons or brainstem serotonin neurons reached opposite conclusions about the role of the two populations in the anxiety phenotype of the knockout. One interpretation of these apparently contradictory findings is that the modulating role of these two populations depends on each other. Here we use a novel Cre-dependent inducible allele of Htr1a in mice to show that expression of Htr1a in cortical principal neurons is sufficient to modulate anxiety. Together with previous findings, these results support a hetero/auto-receptor interaction model for Htr1a function in anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukasz Piszczek
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Agnieszka Piszczek
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Joanna Kuczmanska
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Enrica Audero
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
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23
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Carola V, Perlas E, Zonfrillo F, Soini HA, Novotny MV, Gross CT. Modulation of social behavior by the agouti pigmentation gene. Front Behav Neurosci 2014; 8:259. [PMID: 25136298 PMCID: PMC4117936 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Accepted: 07/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Agouti is a secreted neuropeptide that acts as an endogenous antagonist of melanocortin receptors. Mice and rats lacking agouti (called non-agouti) have dark fur due to a disinhibition of melanocortin signaling and pigment deposition in the hair follicle. Non-agouti animals have also been reported to exhibit altered behavior, despite no evidence for the expression of agouti outside the skin. Here we confirm that non-agouti mice show altered social behavior and uncover expression of agouti in the preputial gland, a sebaceous organ in the urinary tract that secretes molecules involved in social behavior. Non-agouti mice had enlarged preputial glands and altered levels of putative preputial pheromones and surgical removal of the gland reversed the behavioral phenotype. These findings demonstrate the existence of an autologous, out-of-skin pathway for the modulation of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Carola
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy ; Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Emerald Perlas
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Francesca Zonfrillo
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Helena A Soini
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Milos V Novotny
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Pheromone Research, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory Monterotondo, Italy
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24
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Amendola E, Zhan Y, Mattucci C, Castroflorio E, Calcagno E, Fuchs C, Lonetti G, Silingardi D, Vyssotski AL, Farley D, Ciani E, Pizzorusso T, Giustetto M, Gross CT. Mapping pathological phenotypes in a mouse model of CDKL5 disorder. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91613. [PMID: 24838000 PMCID: PMC4023934 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2013] [Accepted: 02/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) cause early-onset epileptic encephalopathy, a neurodevelopmental disorder with similarities to Rett Syndrome. Here we describe the physiological, molecular, and behavioral phenotyping of a Cdkl5 conditional knockout mouse model of CDKL5 disorder. Behavioral analysis of constitutive Cdkl5 knockout mice revealed key features of the human disorder, including limb clasping, hypoactivity, and abnormal eye tracking. Anatomical, physiological, and molecular analysis of the knockout uncovered potential pathological substrates of the disorder, including reduced dendritic arborization of cortical neurons, abnormal electroencephalograph (EEG) responses to convulsant treatment, decreased visual evoked responses (VEPs), and alterations in the Akt/rpS6 signaling pathway. Selective knockout of Cdkl5 in excitatory and inhibitory forebrain neurons allowed us to map the behavioral features of the disorder to separable cell-types. These findings identify physiological and molecular deficits in specific forebrain neuron populations as possible pathological substrates in CDKL5 disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Amendola
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Yang Zhan
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Camilla Mattucci
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Enrico Castroflorio
- Department of Neuroscience and National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Eleonora Calcagno
- Department of Neuroscience and National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Claudia Fuchs
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppina Lonetti
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health NEUROFARBA University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Davide Silingardi
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Alexei L. Vyssotski
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zürich and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dominika Farley
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Ciani
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Tommaso Pizzorusso
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health NEUROFARBA University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Maurizio Giustetto
- Department of Neuroscience and National Institute of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Cornelius T. Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Monterotondo, Italy
- * E-mail:
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25
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Abstract
Fear is an emotion that has powerful effects on behaviour and physiology across animal species. It is accepted that the amygdala has a central role in processing fear. However, it is less widely appreciated that distinct amygdala outputs and downstream circuits are involved in different types of fear. Data show that fear of painful stimuli, predators and aggressive members of the same species are processed in independent neural circuits that involve the amygdala and downstream hypothalamic and brainstem circuits. Here, we discuss data supporting multiple fear pathways and the implications of this distributed system for understanding and treating fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelius T Gross
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy.
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26
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Jain A, Dvorkin A, Fonio E, Golani I, Gross CT. Validation of the dimensionality emergence assay for the measurement of innate anxiety in laboratory mice. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2012; 22:153-63. [PMID: 21788118 DOI: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2011.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2010] [Revised: 06/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/04/2011] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The open field test is a common tool to measure innate anxiety in rodents. In the usual configuration of this test the animal is forced to explore the open arena and its behavior includes both anxiety and non-anxiety responses. However, the open arena is generally small and allows only limited expression of exploratory behavior. The recently developed dimensionality emergence assay in which an animal is housed in a home cage with free access to a large circular arena elicits graded exploration and promises to serve as a more ethological test of anxiety. Here we examined the predictive validity of this assay for anxiety-related measures in mice. First, we compared their behavior in the presence or absence of access to the home cage and found that mice with access to the home cage exhibited a gradual build-up in exploration of the arena while those without did not. Then we identified behavioral measures that responded to treatment with the anxiolytic drug diazepam. Diazepam altered several classical measures of innate anxiety, such as distance traveled and thigmotaxis, but also led to a dose-dependent acceleration of the build-up as reflected in a significantly reduced latency to attain several exploratory landmarks. Finally, we tested the utility of the dimensionality emergence assay in assessing alterations in innate anxiety reported in mice carrying a knockout allele for the serotonin 1A receptor (Htr1a). Our findings support the validity of the dimensionality emergence assay as a method to extract an expanded repertoire of behavioral measures for the assessment of anxiety in laboratory mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apar Jain
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Italy
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27
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Paolicelli RC, Bolasco G, Pagani F, Maggi L, Scianni M, Panzanelli P, Giustetto M, Ferreira TA, Guiducci E, Dumas L, Ragozzino D, Gross CT. Synaptic pruning by microglia is necessary for normal brain development. Science 2011; 333:1456-8. [PMID: 21778362 DOI: 10.1126/science.1202529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2676] [Impact Index Per Article: 205.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Microglia are highly motile phagocytic cells that infiltrate and take up residence in the developing brain, where they are thought to provide a surveillance and scavenging function. However, although microglia have been shown to engulf and clear damaged cellular debris after brain insult, it remains less clear what role microglia play in the uninjured brain. Here, we show that microglia actively engulf synaptic material and play a major role in synaptic pruning during postnatal development in mice. These findings link microglia surveillance to synaptic maturation and suggest that deficits in microglia function may contribute to synaptic abnormalities seen in some neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa C Paolicelli
- Mouse Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Via Ramarini 32, 00015 Monterotondo, Italy
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28
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Gozzi A, Jain A, Giovanelli A, Bertollini C, Crestan V, Schwarz AJ, Tsetsenis T, Ragozzino D, Gross CT, Bifone A. A Neural Switch for Active and Passive Fear. Neuron 2010; 67:656-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/17/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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29
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Abstract
Mice lacking serotonin receptor 1A (Htr1a) display increased anxiety behavior that depends on the expression of the receptor in the forebrain during the third to fifth postnatal weeks. Within the forebrain, Htr1a is prominently expressed in the soma and dendrites of CA1 pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus and these cells undergo rapid dendritic growth and synapse formation during this period. Consistent with a possible role of Htr1a in synaptic maturation, CA1 pyramidal neurons in the knockout mice show increased ramification of oblique dendrites. These findings suggest that Htr1a may shape hippocampal circuits by directly modulating dendritic growth. Here we show that pharmacological blockade of the receptor during the third to fifth postnatal weeks is sufficient to reproduce the increased branching of oblique dendrites seen in knockout mice. Using dissociated hippocampal cultures we demonstrate that serotonin functions through Htr1a to attenuate the motility of dendritic growth cones, reduce their content of filamentous actin and alter their morphology. These findings suggest that serotonin modulates actin cytoskeletal dynamics in hippocampal neurons during a limited developmental period to restrict dendritic growth and achieve a long-term adjustment of neural connectivity.
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30
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Abstract
Serotonin 1A receptor knockout (5-HT1AR KO) mice exhibit increased behavioral inhibition in conflict tests. To gain further insight into their anxiety-related phenotype, we subjected these mice to additional behavioral tests. First, we considered whether behavioral inhibition in these knockout mice is a consequence of reduced exploratory motivation. The knockout mice engage in normal exploration during a light-dark test and normal exploration of a novel object in a familiar environment, suggesting that the anxiety-related phenotype is not due to reduced exploratory drive. Second, we tested whether these mice exhibit increased behavioral inhibition in response to any aversive cues, or whether this response depends on cue modality. Knockout mice respond normally to discrete aversive cues in the Vogel lick-suppression test, arguing that their phenotype is restricted to conflict tests based on complex or spatial aversive cues. Third, to probe the processing of spatial aversive cues, we assessed fear conditioning to contextual cues. After contextual fear conditioning, knockout and wild-type (WT) mice express freezing responses when exposed to the training environment. However, when placed in an ambiguous environment containing both conditioned and novel cues, the freezing response of knockout mice does not significantly decrease as it does in WT mice, suggesting that the knockout fear response is biased toward threatening cues. We hypothesize that this inappropriate generalization of fearful behavior to a context containing both fearful and neutral stimuli, a phenomenon that occurs in a subset of human anxiety disorders such as panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, underlies the anxiety phenotype of 5-HT1AR KO mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen C Klemenhagen
- Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032-2695, USA
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31
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Gross CT, McGinnis W. DEAF-1, a novel protein that binds an essential region in a Deformed response element. EMBO J 1996; 15:1961-70. [PMID: 8617243 PMCID: PMC450115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
A 120 bp homeotic response element that is regulated specifically by Deformed in Drosophila embryos contains a single binding site for Deformed protein. However, a 24 bp sub-element containing this site does not constitute a Deformed response element. Specific activation requires a second region in the 120 bp element, which presumably contains one or more binding sites for Deformed cofactors. We have isolated a novel protein from Drosophila nuclear extracts which binds specifically to a site in this second region. This protein, which we call DEAF-1 (Deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor-1), contains three conserved domains. One of these includes a cysteine repeat motif that is similar to a motif found in Drosophila Nervy and the human MTG8 proto-oncoprotein, and another matches a region of Drosophila Trithorax. Mutations in the response element designed to improve binding to DEAF-1 in vitro resulted in increased embryonic expression. Conversely, small mutations designed to diminish binding to DEAF-1 resulted in reduced expression of the element. Thus, DEAF-1 is likely to contribute to the functional activity, and perhaps to the homeotic specificity, of this response element. Consistent with this hypothesis, we have discovered DEAF-1 binding sites in other Deformed response elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- C T Gross
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8114, USA
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32
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Dessain S, Gross CT, Kuziora MA, McGinnis W. Antp-type homeodomains have distinct DNA binding specificities that correlate with their different regulatory functions in embryos. EMBO J 1992; 11:991-1002. [PMID: 1347746 PMCID: PMC556540 DOI: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05138.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Much of the functional specificity of Drosophila homeotic selector proteins, in their ability to regulate specific genes and to assign specific segmental identities, appears to map within their different, but closely related homeodomains. For example, the Drosophila Dfd and human HOX4B (Hox 4.2) proteins, which have extensive structural similarity only in their respective homeodomains, both specifically activate the Dfd promoter. In contrast, a chimeric Dfd protein containing the Ubx homeodomain (Dfd/Ubx) specifically activates the Antp P1 promoter, which is normally targeted by Ubx. Using a variety of DNA binding assays, we find significant differences in DNA binding preferences between the Dfd, Dfd/Ubx and Ubx proteins when Dfd and Antp upstream regulatory sequences are used as binding substrates. No significant differences in DNA binding specificity were detected between the human HOX4B (Hox 4.2) and Drosophila Dfd proteins. All of these full-length proteins bound as monomers to high affinity DNA binding sites, and interference assays indicate that they interact with DNA in a way that is very similar to homeodomain polypeptides. These experiments indicate that the ninth amino acid of the recognition helix of the homeodomain, which is glutamine in all four of these Antp-type homeodomain proteins, is not sufficient to determine their DNA binding specificities. The good correlation between the in vitro DNA binding preferences of these four Antp-type homeodomain proteins and their ability to specifically regulate a Dfd enhancer element in the embryo, suggests that the modest binding differences that distinguish them make an important contribution to their unique regulatory specificities.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Dessain
- Department of Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
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Gross CT, Salamon H, Hunt AJ, Macey RI, Orme F, Quintanilha AT. Hemoglobin polymerization in sickle cells studied by circular polarized light scattering. Biochim Biophys Acta 1991; 1079:152-60. [PMID: 1911838 DOI: 10.1016/0167-4838(91)90120-o] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We have studied intracellular polymerization of hemoglobin S in suspensions of small populations of sickle cells using circular polarized light scattering. We argue that the preferential scattering of right circular polarized light (as expressed by measurements of the S14 Mueller scattering matrix element) directly reflects the amount of polymer inside cells. This technique has made it possible to investigate the effect of oxygen tension, cell density and osmotic stress on intracellular hemoglobin polymerization. Using S14 to determine hemoglobin polymer, we show that the polymer increases with deoxyhemoglobin concentration, that cells containing higher hemoglobin concentrations show significantly more polymer than cells containing less hemoglobin, and that polymerization occurs in sickle-trait cells in hypertonic solutions as the oxygen tension in the suspension is reduced. We also present kinetic measurements of polymerization, including that induced by osmotic shock. Finally, we demonstrate that the total light scattered (S11 Mueller scattering matrix element) that is routinely measured simultaneously with S14 can be used to estimate the percent of reduced (deoxy) Hb in the sample. These experiments demonstrate the potential of this technique to monitor hemoglobin polymerization simultaneously with oxygen dissociation under a wide variety of physiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- C T Gross
- Applied Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Berkeley, CA
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