Tonic extracellular glutamate and ischaemia: glutamate antiporter system xc - regulates anoxic depolarization in hippocampus.

In stroke, the sudden deprivation of oxygen to neurons triggers a profuse release of glutamate that induces anoxic depolarization (AD) and leads to rapid cell death. Importantly, the latency of the glutamate-driven AD event largely dictates subsequent tissue damage. Although the contribution of synaptic glutamate during ischaemia is well-studied, the role of tonic (ambient) glutamate has received far less scrutiny. The majority of tonic, non-synaptic glutamate in the brain is governed by the cystine/glutamate antiporter, system xc - . Employing hippocampal slice electrophysiology, we showed that transgenic mice lacking a functional system xc - display longer latencies to AD and altered depolarizing waves compared to wild-type mice after total oxygen deprivation. Experiments which pharmacologically inhibited system xc - , as well as those manipulating tonic glutamate levels and those antagonizing glutamate receptors, revealed that the antiporter's putative effect on ambient glutamate precipitates the ischaemic cascade. As such, the current study yields novel insight into the pathogenesis of acute stroke and may direct future therapeutic interventions. KEY POINTS: Ischaemic stroke remains the leading cause of adult disability in the world, but efforts to reduce stroke severity have been plagued by failed translational attempts to mitigate glutamate excitotoxicity. Elucidating the ischaemic cascade, which within minutes leads to irreversible tissue damage induced by anoxic depolarization, must be a principal focus. Data presented here show that tonic, extrasynaptic glutamate supplied by system xc - synergizes with ischaemia-induced synaptic glutamate release to propagate AD and exacerbate depolarizing waves. Exploiting the role of system xc - and its obligate release of ambient glutamate could, therefore, be a novel therapeutic direction to attenuate the deleterious effects of acute stroke.

The spatial and developmental expression of mouse Vwa8 (von Willebrand domain-containing protein 8).

The Drosophila gene c12.2 was isolated in a screen examining mRNA binding proteins. Drosophila c12.2 is the mouse Vwa8 homolog. Various genome-wide associated studies have linked human Vwa8 to both neurological and oncological pathologies, which include autism, bipolar disorder, comorbid migraine, and acute myeloid leukemia, however, the function and role of the VWA8 protein remain poorly understood. To further analyze the Vwa8 gene in mouse, gene structure, protein homology modeling, and gene expression patterns were examined throughout mouse development. Our analyses indicate that the mouse Vwa8 gene produces two transcripts; the full-length Vwa8a is highly expressed relative to the truncated Vwa8b transcript across all developmental time points and tissues analyzed. Protein homology modeling indicates that VWA8a belongs to a novel protein superfamily containing both the midasin and cytoplasmic dynein 1 heavy chain 1 proteins. These data establish the development timeline and expression profile for both Vwa8a and Vwa8b, paving the way for future studies to determine the cellular role(s) of this highly conserved protein family.

Development of µ-Low-Flow-Push-Pull Perfusion Probes for Ex Vivo Sampling from Mouse Hippocampal Tissue Slices.

This work demonstrates a reduced tip µ-low-flow-push-pull perfusion technique for ex vivo sampling of the extracellular space of mouse hippocampal brain slices. Concentric fused-silica capillary probes are pulled by an in-house gravity puller with a butane flame producing probe tips averaging an overall outer diameter of 30.3 ± 8 µm. The 10-30 nL/min perfusion flow rate through the probe generates an average recovery of 90%. Sampling was performed with mouse brain tissue slices to characterize basal neurotransmitter content in this model system. Samples were collected from hippocampal tissue slices at a volume of 200 nL per sample. Sample arginine, histamine, lysine, glycine, glutamate, and aspartate content was quantified by micellar electrokinetic chromatography with LED-induced fluorescence detection. Primary amine content was sampled over several hours to determine evidence for tissue damage and loss of extracellular content from the tissue slice. Overall, all amino acid concentrations trended lower as an effect of time relative to tissue slicing. There were significant concentration decreases seen for histamine, lysine, and aspartate between time points 0-2 and 2-6 h (p < 0.05) relative to tissue slicing. Analysis of averaged sampling experiments does not appear to reveal significant probe-insertion-related amino acid changes. The work presented shows the applicability of an 80% reduction of probe tip size relative to previous designs for the collection of extracellular content from thin tissue slices.

Direct Sensing of Nutrients via a LAT1-like Transporter in Drosophila Insulin-Producing Cells.

Dietary leucine has been suspected to play an important role in insulin release, a hormone that controls satiety and metabolism. The mechanism by which insulin-producing cells (IPCs) sense leucine and regulate insulin secretion is still poorly understood. In Drosophila, insulin-like peptides (DILP2 and DILP5) are produced by brain IPCs and are released in the hemolymph after leucine ingestion. Using Ca(2+)-imaging and ex vivo cultured larval brains, we demonstrate that IPCs can directly sense extracellular leucine levels via minidiscs (MND), a leucine transporter. MND knockdown in IPCs abolished leucine-dependent changes, including loss of DILP2 and DILP5 in IPC bodies, consistent with the idea that MND is necessary for leucine-dependent DILP release. This, in turn, leads to a strong increase in hemolymph sugar levels and reduced growth. GDH knockdown in IPCs also reduced leucine-dependent DILP release, suggesting that nutrient sensing is coupled to the glutamate dehydrogenase pathway.

The Amino Acid Transporter JhI-21 Coevolves with Glutamate Receptors, Impacts NMJ Physiology, and Influences Locomotor Activity in Drosophila Larvae.

Changes in synaptic physiology underlie neuronal network plasticity and behavioral phenomena, which are adjusted during development. The Drosophila larval glutamatergic neuromuscular junction (NMJ) represents a powerful synaptic model to investigate factors impacting these processes. Amino acids such as glutamate have been shown to regulate Drosophila NMJ physiology by modulating the clustering of postsynaptic glutamate receptors and thereby regulating the strength of signal transmission from the motor neuron to the muscle cell. To identify amino acid transporters impacting glutmatergic signal transmission, we used Evolutionary Rate Covariation (ERC), a recently developed bioinformatic tool. Our screen identified ten proteins co-evolving with NMJ glutamate receptors. We selected one candidate transporter, the SLC7 (Solute Carrier) transporter family member JhI-21 (Juvenile hormone Inducible-21), which is expressed in Drosophila larval motor neurons. We show that JhI-21 suppresses postsynaptic muscle glutamate receptor abundance, and that JhI-21 expression in motor neurons regulates larval crawling behavior in a developmental stage-specific manner.

Total cysteine and glutathione determination in hemolymph of individual adult D. melanogaster.

Determination of thiols, glutathione (GSH) and cysteine (Cys) are important due to their roles in oxidative stress and aging. Oxidants such as soluble O2 and H2O2 promote oxidation of thiols to disulfide (SS) bonded dimers affecting quantitation accuracy. The method presented here reduces disulfide-bonded species followed by fluorescence labelling of the 29.5 (±18.2) nL hemolymph volumes of individual adult Drosophila Melanogaster. The availability of only tens of nanoliter (nL) samples that are also highly volume variant requires efficient sample handling to improve thiol measurements while minimizing sample dilution. The optimized method presented here utilizes defined lengths of capillaries to meter tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine reducing reagent and monobromobimane derivatizing reagent volumes enabling Cys and GSH quantitation with only 20-fold dilution. The nL assay developed here was optimized with respect to reagent concentrations, sample dilution, reaction times and temperatures. Separation and identification of the nL thiol mixtures were obtained with capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence. To demonstrate the capability of this method total Cys and total GSH were measured in the hemolymph collected from individual adult D. Melanogaster. The thiol measurements were used to compare a mutant fly strain with a non-functional cystine-glutamate transporter (xCT) to its background control. The mutant fly, genderblind (gb), carries a non-functional gene for a protein similar to mammalian xCT whose function is not fully understood. Average concentrations obtained for mutant and control flies are 2.19 (±0.22) and 1.94 (±0.34) mM Cys and 2.14 (±0.60) and 2.08 (±0.71) mM GSH, respectively, and are not significantly different (p>0.05). Statistical analysis showed significant differences in total GSH of males and females independent of the xCT mutation. Overall, the method demonstrates an approach for effective chemical characterization of thiols in nL sample volumes.

Regulation of hippocampal synaptic strength by glial xCT.

Most extracellular glutamate in the brain is released by xCT, a glial antiporter that exports glutamate and imports cystine. The function of xCT, and extracellular glutamate in general, remains unclear. Several lines of evidence suggest that glutamate from xCT could act in a paracrine fashion to suppress glutamatergic synapse strength by triggering removal of postsynaptic glutamate receptors. To test this idea, we used whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology and immunohistochemistry to quantify receptor number and synapse function in xCT knock-out mouse hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses. Consistent with the hypothesis that xCT suppresses glutamate receptor number and synapse strength, xCT knock-out synapses showed increased AMPA receptor abundance with concomitant large enhancements of spontaneous and evoked synaptic transmission. We saw no evidence for changes in GABA receptor abundance or the overall number of glutamatergic synapses. The xCT knock-out phenotype was replicated by incubating slices in the xCT inhibitor (S)-4-carboxyphenylglycine, and consistent with the idea that xCT works by regulating extracellular glutamate, the xCT knock-out phenotype could be reproduced in controls by incubating the slices in glutamate-free aCSF. We conclude that glutamate secreted via xCT suppresses glutamatergic synapse strength by triggering removal of postsynaptic AMPA receptors.

Behavioral characterization of system xc- mutant mice.

The slc7a11 gene encodes xCT, an essential component of 'system xc-', a plasma membrane exchanger that imports cystine and exports glutamate. Slc7a11 is expressed primarily in the brain, but its role there is not clear. We performed behavioral tests on two different strains of homozygous slc7a11 mutant mice ('sut' and 'xCT'), as well as heteroallelic offspring of these two strains ('xCT/sut') and their associated genetic backgrounds. Homozygous sut mutant males showed reduced spontaneous alternation in spontaneous alternation tasks as well as reduced movement in an open field maze, but xCT and xCT/sut strains did not show significant changes in these tasks compared to appropriate controls. Neither xCT nor sut mutants showed differences from controls in rotarod tests. Female behavioral phenotypes were independent of estrus cycle stage. To ensure that homozygous xCT, sut, and xCT/sut strains all represent protein null alleles, we measured whole brain xCT protein levels using immunoblots. xCT, sut and xCT/sut strains showed no detectable xCT protein expression, confirming them as null alleles. Previously published microdialysis experiments showed reduced striatal glutamate in xCT mutants. Using the same methods, we measured reduced interstitial glutamate levels in the striatum but not cerebellum of sut mutants. However, we detected no glutamate change in the striatum or cerebellum of sut/xCT mice. We detected no changes in whole brain EAAT-1, -2, or -3 expression. We conclude that the behavioral and chemical differences exist between slc7a11 mutant strains, but we were unable to definitively attribute any of these differences to loss of system xc-.

Nanoliter hemolymph sampling and analysis of individual adult Drosophila melanogaster.

The fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is an extensively used and powerful, genetic model organism. However, chemical studies using individual flies have been limited by the animal's small size. Introduced here is a method to sample nanoliter hemolymph volumes from individual adult fruit-flies for chemical analysis. The technique results in an ability to distinguish hemolymph chemical variations with developmental stage, fly sex, and sampling conditions. Also presented is the means for two-point monitoring of hemolymph composition for individual flies.

Tomosyn-dependent regulation of synaptic transmission is required for a late phase of associative odor memory.

Synaptic vesicle secretion requires the assembly of fusogenic SNARE complexes. Consequently proteins that regulate SNARE complex formation can significantly impact synaptic strength. The SNARE binding protein tomosyn has been shown to potently inhibit exocytosis by sequestering SNARE proteins in nonfusogenic complexes. The tomosyn-SNARE interaction is regulated by protein kinase A (PKA), an enzyme implicated in learning and memory, suggesting tomosyn could be an important effector in PKA-dependent synaptic plasticity. We tested this hypothesis in Drosophila, in which the role of the PKA pathway in associative learning has been well established. We first determined that panneuronal tomosyn knockdown by RNAi enhanced synaptic strength at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction, by increasing the evoked response duration. We next assayed memory performance 3 min (early memory) and 3 h (late memory) after aversive olfactory learning. Whereas early memory was unaffected by tomosyn knockdown, late memory was reduced by 50%. Late memory is a composite of stable and labile components. Further analysis determined that tomosyn was specifically required for the anesthesia-sensitive, labile component, previously shown to require cAMP signaling via PKA in mushroom bodies. Together these data indicate that tomosyn has a conserved role in the regulation of synaptic transmission and provide behavioral evidence that tomosyn is involved in a specific component of late associative memory.

Pre and postsynaptic roles for Drosophila CASK.

CASK ('calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase'), also known in Drosophila as 'Caki' or 'Camguk/CMG', and in C. elegans as 'Lin-2', is thought to play an important role in cell-cell junction formation and at synapses in particular. To understand the role of CASK in synapse formation and function, we functionally and morphologically analyzed Drosophila embryonic and larval glutamatergic neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) after pan-cellular and tissue-specific manipulation of CASK expression. Our results show that Drosophila CASK is associated with both pre and postsynaptic membranes. Loss of presynaptic CASK led to less evoked synaptic transmission, fewer spontaneous synaptic events, and reduced synaptic vesicle cycling. These changes were accompanied by a reduction in the number of synapses but no change in overall NMJ size. Loss of postsynaptic CASK, on the other hand, caused reduced spontaneous synaptic current amplitudes and smaller glutamate-gated currents. These changes were accompanied by loss of postsynaptic glutamate receptors, but the receptor loss was subtype-specific: Only receptors containing GluRIIA subunits were lost in CASK mutants. Receptors containing GluRIIB were unaffected.

Glial solute carrier transporters in Drosophila and mice.

Glia regulate brain physiology primarily by regulating the movement and concentration of substances in the extracellular fluid. Therefore, one approach to understanding the role of glia in brain physiology is to study what happens when glial transporters are removed or modified. The largest and most highly conserved class of transporter is solute carrier (SLC) proteins. SLC proteins are highly expressed in brain, and many are found in glia. The function of many SLC proteins in the brain--particularly in glia--is very poorly understood. SLC proteins can be relatively easily knocked out or modified in genetic model organisms to better understand glial function. Drosophila are popular genetic model organisms that offer a nice balance between genetic malleability and brain complexity. They are ideal for such an endeavor. This article lists and discusses SLC transporter family members that are expressed in both mouse and Drosophila glia, in an effort to provide a foundation for studies of glial SLC transporters using Drosophila as a model.

Drosophila glutamate receptor mRNA expression and mRNP particles.

The processes controlling glutamate receptor expression early in synaptogenesis are poorly understood. Here, we examine glutamate receptor (GluR) subunit mRNA expression and localization in Drosophila embryonic/larval neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). We show that postsynaptic GluR subunit gene expression is triggered by contact from the presynaptic nerve, approximately halfway through embryogenesis. After contact, GluRIIA and GluRIIB mRNA abundance rises quickly approximately 20-fold, then falls within a few hours back to very low levels. Protein abundance, however, gradually increases throughout development. At the same time that mRNA levels decrease following their initial spike, GluRIIA, GluRIIB, and GluRIIC subunit mRNA aggregates become visible in the cytoplasm of postsynaptic muscle cells. These mRNA aggregates do not colocalize with eIF4E, but nevertheless presumably represent mRNP particles of unknown function. Multiplex FISH shows that different GluR subunit mRNAs are found in different mRNPs. GluRIIC mRNPs are most common, followed by GluRIIA and then GluRIIB mRNPs. GluR mRNP density is not increased near NMJs, for any subunit; if anything, GluR mRNP density is highest away from NMJs and near nuclei. These results reveal some of the earliest events in postsynaptic development and provide a foundation for future studies of GluR mRNA biology.

Membrane penetration by synaptotagmin is required for coupling calcium binding to vesicle fusion in vivo.

The vesicle protein synaptotagmin I is the Ca(2+) sensor that triggers fast, synchronous release of neurotransmitter. Specifically, Ca(2+) binding by the C(2)B domain of synaptotagmin is required at intact synapses, yet the mechanism whereby Ca(2+) binding results in vesicle fusion remains controversial. Ca(2+)-dependent interactions between synaptotagmin and SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment receptor) complexes and/or anionic membranes are possible effector interactions. However, no effector-interaction mutations to date impact synaptic transmission as severely as mutation of the C(2)B Ca(2+)-binding motif, suggesting that these interactions are facilitatory rather than essential. Here we use Drosophila to show the functional role of a highly conserved, hydrophobic residue located at the tip of each of the two Ca(2+)-binding pockets of synaptotagmin. Mutation of this residue in the C(2)A domain (F286) resulted in a ∼50% decrease in evoked transmitter release at an intact synapse, again indicative of a facilitatory role. Mutation of this hydrophobic residue in the C(2)B domain (I420), on the other hand, blocked all locomotion, was embryonic lethal even in syt I heterozygotes, and resulted in less evoked transmitter release than that in syt(null) mutants, which is more severe than the phenotype of C(2)B Ca(2+)-binding mutants. Thus, mutation of a single, C(2)B hydrophobic residue required for Ca(2+)-dependent penetration of anionic membranes results in the most severe disruption of synaptotagmin function in vivo to date. Our results provide direct support for the hypothesis that plasma membrane penetration, specifically by the C(2)B domain of synaptotagmin, is the critical effector interaction for coupling Ca(2+) binding with vesicle fusion.

Neurexin in embryonic Drosophila neuromuscular junctions.

BACKGROUND: Neurexin is a synaptic cell adhesion protein critical for synapse formation and function. Mutations in neurexin and neurexin-interacting proteins have been implicated in several neurological diseases. Previous studies have described Drosophila neurexin mutant phenotypes in third instar larvae and adults. However, the expression and function of Drosophila neurexin early in synapse development, when neurexin function is thought to be most important, has not been described. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We use a variety of techniques, including immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, in situ hybridization, and electrophysiology, to characterize neurexin expression and phenotypes in embryonic Drosophila neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Our results surprisingly suggest that neurexin in embryos is present both pre and postsynaptically. Presynaptic neurexin promotes presynaptic active zone formation and neurotransmitter release, but along with postsynaptic neurexin, also suppresses formation of ectopic glutamate receptor clusters. Interestingly, we find that loss of neurexin only affects receptors containing the subunit GluRIIA. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our study extends previous results and provides important detail regarding the role of neurexin in Drosophila glutamate receptor abundance. The possibility that neurexin is present postsynaptically raises new hypotheses regarding neurexin function in synapses, and our results provide new insights into the role of neurexin in synapse development.

Intercellular glutamate signaling in the nervous system and beyond.

Most intercellular glutamate signaling in the nervous system occurs at synapses. Some intercellular glutamate signaling occurs outside synapses, however, and even outside the nervous system where high ambient extracellular glutamate might be expected to preclude the effectiveness of glutamate as an intercellular signal. Here, I briefly review the types of intercellular glutamate signaling in the nervous system and beyond, with emphasis on the diversity of signaling mechanisms and fundamental unanswered questions.

Hemolymph amino acid variations following behavioral and genetic changes in individual Drosophila larvae.

This study investigated the effect of different sampling environments on hemolymph amino acid content of individual Drosophila melanogaster larvae. Hemolymph was collected from individual third instar larvae under cold-anesthetized, awake, and stress conditions. Qualitative and quantitative hemolymph amino acid analyses were performed via capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The hemolymph amino acid concentrations, particularly arginine, glutamate, and taurine, changed significantly depending on the prior-to-sample-collection environments. Hemolymph amino acid analyses of six different Drosophila genotypes including two control genotypes and four mutant alleles were also carried out. Two mutant genotypes with over and under expression of a putative cystine-glutamate exchanger subunit were significantly different from each other with respect to their hemolymph glutamate, glycine, lysine, and taurine levels. Hemolymph amino acid analyses of stressed larvae of two control and two mutant genotypes indicated that behavior-related hemolymph chemical changes are also genotype dependent.

Harvesting and preparing Drosophila embryos for electrophysiological recording and other procedures.

Drosophila is a premier genetic model for the study of both embryonic development and functional neuroscience. Traditionally, these fields are quite isolated from each other, with largely independent histories and scientific communities. However, the interface between these usually disparate fields is the developmental programs underlying acquisition of functional electrical signaling properties and differentiation of functional chemical synapses during the final phases of neural circuit formation. This interface is a critically important area for investigation. In Drosophila, these phases of functional development occur during a period of <8 hours (at 25 degrees C) during the last third of embryogenesis. This late developmental period was long considered intractable to investigation owing to the deposition of a tough, impermeable epidermal cuticle. A breakthrough advance was the application of water-polymerizing surgical glue that can be locally applied to the cuticle to enable controlled dissection of late-stage embryos. With a dorsal longitudinal incision, the embryo can be laid flat, exposing the ventral nerve cord and body wall musculature to experimental investigation. This system has been heavily used to isolate and characterize genetic mutants that impair embryonic synapse formation, and thus reveal the molecular mechanisms governing the specification and differentiation of synapse connections and functional synaptic signaling properties.

Electrophysiological recording in the Drosophila embryo.

Drosophila is a premier genetic model for the study of both embryonic development and functional neuroscience. Traditionally, these fields are quite isolated from each other, with largely independent histories and scientific communities. However, the interface between these usually disparate fields is the developmental programs underlying acquisition of functional electrical signaling properties and differentiation of functional chemical synapses during the final phases of neural circuit formation. This interface is a critically important area for investigation. In Drosophila, these phases of functional development occur during a period of <8 hours (at 25 degrees C) during the last third of embryogenesis. This late developmental period was long considered intractable to investigation owing to the deposition of a tough, impermeable epidermal cuticle. A breakthrough advance was the application of water-polymerizing surgical glue that can be locally applied to the cuticle to enable controlled dissection of late-stage embryos. With a dorsal longitudinal incision, the embryo can be laid flat, exposing the ventral nerve cord and body wall musculature to experimental investigation. Whole-cell patch-clamp techniques can then be employed to record from individually-identifiable neurons and somatic muscles. These recording configurations have been used to track the appearance and maturation of ionic currents and action potential propagation in both neurons and muscles. Genetic mutants affecting these electrical properties have been characterized to reveal the molecular composition of ion channels and associated signaling complexes, and to begin exploration of the molecular mechanisms of functional differentiation. A particular focus has been the assembly of synaptic connections, both in the central nervous system and periphery. The glutamatergic neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is most accessible to a combination of optical imaging and electrophysiological recording. A glass suction electrode is used to stimulate the peripheral nerve, with excitatory junction current (EJC) recordings made in the voltage-clamped muscle. This recording configuration has been used to chart the functional differentiation of the synapse, and track the appearance and maturation of presynaptic glutamate release properties. In addition, postsynaptic properties can be assayed independently via iontophoretic or pressure application of glutamate directly to the muscle surface, to measure the appearance and maturation of the glutamate receptor fields. Thus, both pre- and postsynaptic elements can be monitored separately or in combination during embryonic synaptogenesis. This system has been heavily used to isolate and characterize genetic mutants that impair embryonic synapse formation, and thus reveal the molecular mechanisms governing the specification and differentiation of synapse connections and functional synaptic signaling properties.

Regulation of glutamate receptor subunit availability by microRNAs.

The efficacy of synaptic transmission depends, to a large extent, on postsynaptic receptor abundance. The molecular mechanisms controlling receptor abundance are poorly understood. We tested whether abundance of postsynaptic glutamate receptors (GluRs) in Drosophila neuromuscular junctions is controlled by microRNAs, and provide evidence that it is. We show here that postsynaptic knockdown of dicer-1, the endoribonuclease necessary for microRNA synthesis, leads to large increases in postsynaptic GluR subunit messenger RNA and protein. Specifically, we measured increases in GluRIIA and GluRIIB but not GluRIIC. Further, knockout of MiR-284, a microRNA predicted to bind to GluRIIA and GluRIIB but not GluRIIC, increases expression of GluRIIA and GluRIIB but not GluRIIC proportional to the number of predicted binding sites in each transcript. Most of the de-repressed GluR protein, however, does not appear to be incorporated into functional receptors, and only minor changes in synaptic strength are observed, which suggests that microRNAs primarily regulate Drosophila receptor subunit composition rather than overall receptor abundance or synaptic strength.