Dendritic Spines and Pain Memory

Neuropathic pain is a debilitating form of pain arising from injury or disease of the nervous system that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite its prevalence, the underlying mechanisms of neuropathic pain are still not fully understood. Dendritic spines are small protrusions on the surface of neurons that play an important role in synaptic transmission. Recent studies have shown that dendritic spines reorganize in the superficial and deeper laminae of the spinal cord dorsal horn with the development of neuropathic pain in multiple models of disease or injury. Given the importance of dendritic spines in synaptic transmission, it is possible that studying dendritic spines could lead to new therapeutic approaches for managing intractable pain. In this review article, we highlight the emergent role of dendritic spines in neuropathic pain, as well as discuss the potential for studying dendritic spines for the development of new therapeutics.

Core principles for the implementation of the neurodata without borders data standard

BACKGROUND

The Neurodata Without Borders data standard (NWB) unifies diverse modalities of neurophysiology data in a single format. Integrating NWB with a database unleashes its full potential to promote collaboration, standardize analyses, capitalize on historical data, and ensures data integrity by maintaining process transparency. NWB database technology is the bedrock of analytical systems used by academic leaders including the Allen Institute and the International Brain Laboratory. Here we present the benefits of incorporating NWB design principles in a big data analytics application.

NEW METHOD

Data standards and databases are the foundation of big data analytics. To demonstrate the benefits of using these systems together, we implemented NWB in Jupyter notebooks using DataJoint to streamline database operations.

RESULTS

We demonstrate the utility of combining the NWB with DataJoint in a Jupyter-based electronic lab journal. We convert open-field behavioral data (using X, Y coordinates) to NWB format and process it with a DataJoint pipeline. Additional notebooks demonstrate working NWB files, data sharing, combining data from diverse sources, and retrospective analyses with data query filtering techniques.

COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS

NWB describes how to structure and store neurophysiology data and is streamlined for research settings. In contrast to other data standards, combining NWB with DataJoint's database interface can dramatically increase data analytical capabilities.

CONCLUSIONS

The joint use of NWB with DataJoint transforms traditional laboratory datasets and workflows. Our Jupyter notebooks showcase the analytical and collaborative advantages of adopting big data analytics and can be tailored to other modalities by researchers interested in evaluating NWB.

Dendritic Spines in the Spinal Cord: Live Action Pain

Dendritic spines are microscopic protrusions on neurons that house the postsynaptic machinery necessary for neurotransmission between neurons. As such, dendritic spine structure is intimately linked with synaptic function. In pathology, dendritic spine behavior and its contribution to disease are not firmly understood. It is well known that dendritic spines are highly dynamic in vivo. In our recent publication, we used an intravital imaging approach, which permitted us to repeatedly visualize the same neurons located in lamina II, a nociceptive processing region of the spinal cord. Using this imaging platform, we analyzed the intravital dynamics of dendritic spine structure before and after nerve injury-induced pain. This effort revealed a time-dependent relationship between the progressive increase in pain outcome, and a switch in the steady-state fluctuations of dendritic spine structure. Collectively, our in vivo study demonstrates how injury that leads to abnormal pain may also contribute to synapse-associated structural remodeling in nociceptive regions of the spinal cord dorsal horn. By combining our live-imaging approach with measures of neuronal activity, such as with the use of calcium or other voltage-sensitive dyes, we expect to gain a more complete picture of the relationship between dendritic spine structure and nociceptive physiology.

Assessment of the involvement of CYP3A in the vitro metabolism of a new modulator of MDR in cancer chemotherapy, OC144-193, by human liver microsomes

The novel substituted imidazole compound, OC144-093 exhibits potent biological activity in vitro and in vivo for reversal of P-glycoprotein (PgP) based resistance to cancer chemotherapy. Its mechanism of action relies upon its inhibitory interaction with the mdr1 gene product, a known mediator of multidrug resistance (MDR). Overlapping substrate specificities and tissue distribution of cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) and PgP indicate the potential for drug-drug interactions when modulator and anticancer agent are co-administered. We have examined the metabolism of OC144-093 in vitro using human liver microsomes to determine if CYP3A is involved. Our results show that OC144-093 is converted to one major metabolite (M1) in human liver microsomes which was identified by LCMS to be the O-deethylated derivative. Km and Vmax for O-deethylation were determined as 3.96+/-0.67 microM and 32.08+/-9.73 pmol/mg protein/min, respectively (n=3). Correlation studies conducted in a panel of human livers phenotyped for specific P450 enzyme activity showed a significant relationship between M1 formation and the activity of CYP2C9, CYP2B6, CYP2E1 and CYP3A4. Treatment of microsomes with carbon monoxide gas inhibited M1 formation and diethyldithiocarbamate and ketoconazole (>3 microM), non-specific CYP inhibitors, gave IC50 values of 124.4+/-21.6 microM and 25.3+/-3.2 microM respectively for the inhibition of O-deethylation, also implicating the involvement of CYP enzymes. Specific CYP inhibitors of CYP3A4 were essentially non-inhibitory to M1 formation. We can conclude therefore that OC144-093 is not extensively metabolised in human liver microsomes although conversion to its O-deethylated derivative does occur. Our data indicates that this conversion is not mediated by CYP3A4.

Alpha-keto and alpha-hydroxy branched-chain acid interrelationships in normal humans

Plasma concentrations of the branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine, and those of leucine's and isoleucine's transamination products alpha-ketoisocaproic acid (KICA) and alpha-keto-beta-methylvaleric acid (KMVA), respectively, are known to increase after a protein meal or during extended fasting, but little or no increase in the concentration of valine's transamination product, alpha-ketoisovaleric acid (KIVA), has been observed under these conditions. To determine whether this could be explained by the conversion of KIVA to its alpha-hydroxy analogue, we measured the plasma concentrations of KICA, KMVA and KIVA, as well as their alpha-hydroxy analogues [alpha-hydroxyisocaproic acid (HICA), alpha-hydroxy-beta-methylvaleric acid (HMVA) and alpha-hydroxyisovaleric acid (HIVA)], in normal volunteers immediately after a protein meal or during a 60-h fast. We also determined the oxidoreduction equilibrium constants for HIVA/KIVA and HICA/KICA and their extent of plasma protein binding. In subjects in the postabsorptive state, the plasma concentrations of KICA and KMVA were 100 times those of HICA and HMVA, whereas that of KIVA was only twice that of HIVA. Shortly after a protein meal, KICA and KMVA concentrations increased significantly by 30 and 60%, respectively, whereas that of KIVA decreased by 25% (P < 0.05). HICA, HMVA and HIVA concentrations did not change. During prolonged fasting the plasma concentrations of all six metabolites increased gradually. The high plasma keto/hydroxy acid ratios were not related to their K(eq), which favored alpha-hydroxy analogue formation. The reduction of the branched-chain alpha-keto acids to their alpha-hydroxy analogues seems to take place too slowly to attain thermodynamic equilibrium.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Determination of amphetamine, methamphetamine and desmethyldeprenyl in human plasma by gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry

A sensitive and specific assay for the quantitative determination of amphetamine, methamphetamine and desmethyldeprenyl in human plasma specimens is described. Electron capture/negative ion chemical ionization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry is used to determine the extracted plasma concentrations of the three target compounds as their N-heptafluorobutyryl derivatives. Quantitation is performed by stable isotope dilution using d6-amphetamine and d6-methamphetamine as internal standards. Selected ion monitoring of the [M-HF]- ions of both the analytes and internal standards results in minimum quantifiable limits of 0.10 ng ml-1 for both amphetamine and methamphetamine and 0.25 ng ml-1 for desmethyldeprenyl. Excellent linearity (r = 0.998) up to at least 5.00 ng ml-1 is demonstrated.

On the mechanisms of the formation of L-alloisoleucine and the 2-hydroxy-3-methylvaleric acid stereoisomers from L-isoleucine in maple syrup urine disease patients and in normal humans

2-Keto-3-methylvaleric acid (KMVA) has been found not to undergo spontaneous keto-enol tautomerization in neutral aqueous solution, alone or in the presence of large concentrations of pyridoxamine or pyridoxamine-5-phosphate. This finding denies the commonly held suppositions that 3R-KMVA is derived spontaneously from 3S-KMVA in vivo, and that L-alloisoleucine is the product of the reamination of this 3R-KMVA. Evidence presented here suggests that racemization of the 3-carbon of L-isoleucine occurs during transamination, that L-alloisoleucine is an inherently unavoidable by-product of L-isoleucine transamination (and vice versa), and that a KMVA enol is not obligate in this racemization. The four stereoisomers of 2-hydroxy-3-methylvaleric acid have been synthesized and the mass spectra of their trimethylsilyl derivatives recorded. An achiral methylsilicone column was used to separate the diastereomeric pairs and to determine their relative ratios in plasma and urine from normal controls and two maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) patients. The urinary ratio of the two diastereomers is different from that for plasma, both in normals and in MSUD patients. The plasma ratios may provide a rapid and simple measure of residual branched chain 2-keto acid dehydrogenase activity in MSUD patients.

The mass spectrometry of taxol

The antitumor agent taxol has been examined by electron ionization, chemical ionization, and fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. Three ion series are observed: (1) the M-series, characteristic of the intact molecule; (2) the T-series, with fragments derived from the taxane ring; and (3) the S-series representing the C-13 side chain. Neutral losses dominate each series of ions and serve to verify the presence and number of functionalities in each portion of the molecule. Fragmentation pathways and mechanisms of ion formation are proposed on the basis of product ion analysis and accurate mass measurements.

Isolation and identification of urinary nucleosides. Applications of high-performance liquid chromatographic methods to the synthesis of 5'-deoxyxanthosine and the simultaneous determination of 5,6-dihydrouridine and pseudouridine

Modified nucleosides from pooled normal human urine were extracted using a boronate affinity gel column and fractionated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The major constituents in each of the 30 RP-HPLC fractions were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the trimethylsilyl derivatives of the fractions. The same RP-HPLC method was used in the synthesis of 5'-deoxyxanthosine from authentic 5'-deoxyadenosine. In addition, the simultaneous determination of urinary 5,6-dihydrouridine (D) and pseudouridine (psi) was carried out by RP-HPLC using two ODS columns in series. The level of D in pooled normal urine was 4.87 nmol/mumols creatinine. The RP-HPLC method was applied to the measurement of D and psi levels in urines collected before and after surgery from four patients with gastrointestinal cancer. A large decline in both nucleoside levels in urines after surgery was observed in three of the four cancer patients.

The identification of 5,6-dihydrouridine in normal human urine by combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The identification of 5,6-dihydrouridine in normal human urine is reported. Partial purification and isolation of the compound by boronate gel affinity chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography preceded its characterization as a trimethylsilyl derivative by combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Structure proof is based upon a comparison of mass spectral and chromatographic features of the urinary component to that of an authentic reference sample. Additional data derived from high resolution mass measurements and deuterium isotope-labeling experiments provide confirmation of fragment ion structure. The poor detectability inherent in the HPLC/uv analysis of nucleosides is also discussed.

Differentiation of isomeric 2'-, 3'- and 5'-deoxynucleosides by electron ionization and chemical ionization-linked scanning mass spectrometry

A comparative mass spectral examination of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives of 2'-, 3'- and 5'-deoxyadenosine, 2'-, 3'- and 5'-deoxyguanosine, 2'-, 3'- and 5'-deoxyxanothosine and 2'- and 5'-deoxy-2-fluoroadenosine is presented. A general compilation of the major fragment ions found in the low-resolution electron ionization (EI) spectra of the eleven deoxynucleosides is given. Chemical ionization (CI)-collisional activation (CA) daughter ion spectra are reported using the deoxyadenosines as model compounds. Ion structures and fragmentation pathways are proposed for those ions characteristic of each of the isomers. Significant differences in fragmentation exist between the isomeric 2'-, 3'- and 5'-purine deoxynucleosides. The formation and structures of ten ions important in this differentiation are discussed. The CI-CA linked scan spectra provide complementary structural information relative to the EI mass spectra.