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1.
JCI Insight ; 9(10)2024 May 22.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38713511

While sclerostin-neutralizing antibodies (Scl-Abs) transiently stimulate bone formation by activating Wnt signaling in osteoblast lineage cells, they exert sustained inhibition of bone resorption, suggesting an alternate signaling pathway by which Scl-Abs control osteoclast activity. Since sclerostin can activate platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs) in osteoblast lineage cells in vitro and PDGFR signaling in these cells induces bone resorption through M-CSF secretion, we hypothesized that the prolonged anticatabolic effect of Scl-Abs could result from PDGFR inhibition. We show here that inhibition of PDGFR signaling in osteoblast lineage cells is sufficient and necessary to mediate prolonged Scl-Ab effects on M-CSF secretion and osteoclast activity in mice. Indeed, sclerostin coactivates PDGFRs independently of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling inhibition, by forming a ternary complex with LRP6 and PDGFRs in preosteoblasts. In turn, Scl-Ab prevents sclerostin-mediated coactivation of PDGFR signaling and consequent M-CSF upregulation in preosteoblast cultures, thereby inhibiting osteoclast activity in preosteoblast/osteoclast coculture assays. These results provide a potential mechanism explaining the dissociation between anabolic and antiresorptive effects of long-term Scl-Ab.


Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing , Bone Resorption , Osteoblasts , Osteoclasts , Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor , Signal Transduction , Animals , Osteoblasts/metabolism , Mice , Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism , Bone Resorption/metabolism , Osteoclasts/metabolism , Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor/metabolism , Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor/antagonists & inhibitors , Wnt Signaling Pathway/drug effects , Antibodies, Neutralizing/pharmacology , Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-6/metabolism , Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor/metabolism , Cell Lineage , Osteogenesis/drug effects , Cell Differentiation
2.
J Neurophysiol ; 131(5): 842-864, 2024 May 01.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38505907

The inferior colliculus (IC) of the midbrain is important for complex sound processing, such as discriminating conspecific vocalizations and human speech. The IC's nonlemniscal, dorsal "shell" region is likely important for this process, as neurons in these layers project to higher-order thalamic nuclei that subsequently funnel acoustic signals to the amygdala and nonprimary auditory cortices, forebrain circuits important for vocalization coding in a variety of mammals, including humans. However, the extent to which shell IC neurons transmit acoustic features necessary to discern vocalizations is less clear, owing to the technical difficulty of recording from neurons in the IC's superficial layers via traditional approaches. Here, we use two-photon Ca2+ imaging in mice of either sex to test how shell IC neuron populations encode the rate and depth of amplitude modulation, important sound cues for speech perception. Most shell IC neurons were broadly tuned, with a low neurometric discrimination of amplitude modulation rate; only a subset was highly selective to specific modulation rates. Nevertheless, neural network classifier trained on fluorescence data from shell IC neuron populations accurately classified amplitude modulation rate, and decoding accuracy was only marginally reduced when highly tuned neurons were omitted from training data. Rather, classifier accuracy increased monotonically with the modulation depth of the training data, such that classifiers trained on full-depth modulated sounds had median decoding errors of ∼0.2 octaves. Thus, shell IC neurons may transmit time-varying signals via a population code, with perhaps limited reliance on the discriminative capacity of any individual neuron.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The IC's shell layers originate a "nonlemniscal" pathway important for perceiving vocalization sounds. However, prior studies suggest that individual shell IC neurons are broadly tuned and have high response thresholds, implying a limited reliability of efferent signals. Using Ca2+ imaging, we show that amplitude modulation is accurately represented in the population activity of shell IC neurons. Thus, downstream targets can read out sounds' temporal envelopes from distributed rate codes transmitted by populations of broadly tuned neurons.


Auditory Perception , Inferior Colliculi , Neurons , Inferior Colliculi/physiology , Animals , Mice , Male , Female , Auditory Perception/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Acoustic Stimulation , Neural Networks, Computer
3.
J Neurosci ; 44(6)2024 Feb 07.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37968120

In higher sensory brain regions, slow oscillations (0.5-5 Hz) associated with quiet wakefulness and attention modulate multisensory integration, predictive coding, and perception. Although often assumed to originate via thalamocortical mechanisms, the extent to which subcortical sensory pathways are independently capable of slow oscillatory activity is unclear. We find that in the first station for auditory processing, the cochlear nucleus, fusiform cells from juvenile mice (of either sex) generate robust 1-2 Hz oscillations in membrane potential and exhibit electrical resonance. Such oscillations were absent prior to the onset of hearing, intrinsically generated by hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) and persistent Na+ conductances (NaP) interacting with passive membrane properties, and reflected the intrinsic resonance properties of fusiform cells. Cx36-containing gap junctions facilitated oscillation strength and promoted pairwise synchrony of oscillations between neighboring neurons. The strength of oscillations were strikingly sensitive to external Ca2+, disappearing at concentrations >1.7 mM, due in part to the shunting effect of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels. This effect explains their apparent absence in previous in vitro studies of cochlear nucleus which routinely employed high-Ca2+ extracellular solution. In contrast, oscillations were amplified in reduced Ca2+ solutions, due to relief of suppression by Ca2+ of Na+ channel gating. Our results thus reveal mechanisms for synchronous oscillatory activity in auditory brainstem, suggesting that slow oscillations, and by extension their perceptual effects, may originate at the earliest stages of sensory processing.


Calcium , Cochlear Nucleus , Mice , Animals , Calcium/metabolism , Cochlear Nucleus/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Membrane Potentials/physiology , Afferent Pathways/physiology
4.
J Neurosci ; 44(7)2024 Feb 14.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38123993

Layer 5 pyramidal neurons of sensory cortices project "corticofugal" axons to myriad sub-cortical targets, thereby broadcasting high-level signals important for perception and learning. Recent studies suggest dendritic Ca2+ spikes as key biophysical mechanisms supporting corticofugal neuron function: these long-lasting events drive burst firing, thereby initiating uniquely powerful signals to modulate sub-cortical representations and trigger learning-related plasticity. However, the behavioral relevance of corticofugal dendritic spikes is poorly understood. We shed light on this issue using 2-photon Ca2+ imaging of auditory corticofugal dendrites as mice of either sex engage in a GO/NO-GO sound-discrimination task. Unexpectedly, only a minority of dendritic spikes were triggered by behaviorally relevant sounds under our conditions. Task related dendritic activity instead mostly followed sound cue termination and co-occurred with mice's instrumental licking during the answer period of behavioral trials, irrespective of reward consumption. Temporally selective, optogenetic silencing of corticofugal neurons during the trial answer period impaired auditory discrimination learning. Thus, auditory corticofugal systems' contribution to learning and plasticity may be partially nonsensory in nature.


Auditory Cortex , Inferior Colliculi , Mice , Animals , Inferior Colliculi/physiology , Auditory Cortex/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Auditory Perception/physiology , Pyramidal Cells , Auditory Pathways/physiology , Acoustic Stimulation
5.
bioRxiv ; 2023 Aug 16.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37645904

The inferior colliculus (IC) of the midbrain is important for complex sound processing, such as discriminating conspecific vocalizations and human speech. The IC's non-lemniscal, dorsal "shell" region is likely important for this process, as neurons in these layers project to higher-order thalamic nuclei that subsequently funnel acoustic signals to the amygdala and non-primary auditory cortices; forebrain circuits important for vocalization coding in a variety of mammals, including humans. However, the extent to which shell IC neurons transmit acoustic features necessary to discern vocalizations is less clear, owing to the technical difficulty of recording from neurons in the IC's superficial layers via traditional approaches. Here we use 2-photon Ca2+ imaging in mice of either sex to test how shell IC neuron populations encode the rate and depth of amplitude modulation, important sound cues for speech perception. Most shell IC neurons were broadly tuned, with a low neurometric discrimination of amplitude modulation rate; only a subset were highly selective to specific modulation rates. Nevertheless, neural network classifier trained on fluorescence data from shell IC neuron populations accurately classified amplitude modulation rate, and decoding accuracy was only marginally reduced when highly tuned neurons were omitted from training data. Rather, classifier accuracy increased monotonically with the modulation depth of the training data, such that classifiers trained on full-depth modulated sounds had median decoding errors of ~0.2 octaves. Thus, shell IC neurons may transmit time-varying signals via a population code, with perhaps limited reliance on the discriminative capacity of any individual neuron.

6.
J Neurosci ; 43(31): 5642-5655, 2023 08 02.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37308295

The inferior colliculus (IC) is a midbrain hub critical for perceiving complex sounds, such as speech. In addition to processing ascending inputs from most auditory brainstem nuclei, the IC receives descending inputs from auditory cortex that control IC neuron feature selectivity, plasticity, and certain forms of perceptual learning. Although corticofugal synapses primarily release the excitatory transmitter glutamate, many physiology studies show that auditory cortical activity has a net inhibitory effect on IC neuron spiking. Perplexingly, anatomy studies imply that corticofugal axons primarily target glutamatergic IC neurons while only sparsely innervating IC GABA neurons. Corticofugal inhibition of the IC may thus occur largely independently of feedforward activation of local GABA neurons. We shed light on this paradox using in vitro electrophysiology in acute IC slices from fluorescent reporter mice of either sex. Using optogenetic stimulation of corticofugal axons, we find that excitation evoked with single light flashes is indeed stronger in presumptive glutamatergic neurons compared with GABAergic neurons. However, many IC GABA neurons fire tonically at rest, such that sparse and weak excitation suffices to significantly increase their spike rates. Furthermore, a subset of glutamatergic IC neurons fire spikes during repetitive corticofugal activity, leading to polysynaptic excitation in IC GABA neurons owing to a dense intracollicular connectivity. Consequently, recurrent excitation amplifies corticofugal activity, drives spikes in IC GABA neurons, and generates substantial local inhibition in the IC. Thus, descending signals engage intracollicular inhibitory circuits despite apparent constraints of monosynaptic connectivity between auditory cortex and IC GABA neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Descending "corticofugal" projections are ubiquitous across mammalian sensory systems, and enable the neocortex to control subcortical activity in a predictive or feedback manner. Although corticofugal neurons are glutamatergic, neocortical activity often inhibits subcortical neuron spiking. How does an excitatory pathway generate inhibition? Here we study the corticofugal pathway from auditory cortex to inferior colliculus (IC), a midbrain hub important for complex sound perception. Surprisingly, cortico-collicular transmission was stronger onto IC glutamatergic compared with GABAergic neurons. However, corticofugal activity triggered spikes in IC glutamate neurons with local axons, thereby generating strong polysynaptic excitation and feedforward spiking of GABAergic neurons. Our results thus reveal a novel mechanism that recruits local inhibition despite limited monosynaptic convergence onto inhibitory networks.


Auditory Cortex , Inferior Colliculi , Mice , Animals , Inferior Colliculi/physiology , Auditory Cortex/physiology , Axons , GABAergic Neurons/metabolism , Glutamates , Auditory Pathways/physiology , Acoustic Stimulation , Mammals
7.
Nat Commun ; 13(1): 3606, 2022 06 24.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35750880

Intra-tumoral heterogeneity is a hallmark of glioblastoma that challenges treatment efficacy. However, the mechanisms that set up tumor heterogeneity and tumor cell migration remain poorly understood. Herein, we present a comprehensive spatiotemporal study that aligns distinctive intra-tumoral histopathological structures, oncostreams, with dynamic properties and a specific, actionable, spatial transcriptomic signature. Oncostreams are dynamic multicellular fascicles of spindle-like and aligned cells with mesenchymal properties, detected using ex vivo explants and in vivo intravital imaging. Their density correlates with tumor aggressiveness in genetically engineered mouse glioma models, and high grade human gliomas. Oncostreams facilitate the intra-tumoral distribution of tumoral and non-tumoral cells, and potentially the collective invasion of the normal brain. These fascicles are defined by a specific molecular signature that regulates their organization and function. Oncostreams structure and function depend on overexpression of COL1A1. Col1a1 is a central gene in the dynamic organization of glioma mesenchymal transformation, and a powerful regulator of glioma malignant behavior. Inhibition of Col1a1 eliminates oncostreams, reprograms the malignant histopathological phenotype, reduces expression of the mesenchymal associated genes, induces changes in the tumor microenvironment and prolongs animal survival. Oncostreams represent a pathological marker of potential value for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.


Brain Neoplasms , Glioblastoma , Glioma , Animals , Brain Neoplasms/metabolism , Glioblastoma/metabolism , Glioma/pathology , Mice , Spatio-Temporal Analysis , Tumor Microenvironment/genetics
8.
Elife ; 102022 01 06.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34989674

Corticofugal projections to evolutionarily ancient, subcortical structures are ubiquitous across mammalian sensory systems. These 'descending' pathways enable the neocortex to control ascending sensory representations in a predictive or feedback manner, but the underlying cellular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we combine optogenetic approaches with in vivo and in vitro patch-clamp electrophysiology to study the projection from mouse auditory cortex to the inferior colliculus (IC), a major descending auditory pathway that controls IC neuron feature selectivity, plasticity, and auditory perceptual learning. Although individual auditory cortico-collicular synapses were generally weak, IC neurons often integrated inputs from multiple corticofugal axons that generated reliable, tonic depolarizations even during prolonged presynaptic activity. Latency measurements in vivo showed that descending signals reach the IC within 30 ms of sound onset, which in IC neurons corresponded to the peak of synaptic depolarizations evoked by short sounds. Activating ascending and descending pathways at latencies expected in vivo caused a NMDA receptor-dependent, supralinear excitatory postsynaptic potential summation, indicating that descending signals can nonlinearly amplify IC neurons' moment-to-moment acoustic responses. Our results shed light upon the synaptic bases of descending sensory control and imply that heterosynaptic cooperativity contributes to the auditory cortico-collicular pathway's role in plasticity and perceptual learning.


Auditory Pathways/physiology , Auditory Perception/physiology , Inferior Colliculi/physiology , Optogenetics , Animals , Female , Male , Mice , Neurons/physiology
9.
Nat Neurosci ; 21(11): 1583-1590, 2018 11.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30349100

Animals strategically scan the environment to form an accurate perception of their surroundings. Here we investigated the neuronal representations that mediate this behavior. Ca2+ imaging and selective optogenetic manipulation during an active sensing task reveals that layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the vibrissae cortex produce a diverse and distributed representation that is required for mice to adapt their whisking motor strategy to changing sensory cues. The optogenetic perturbation degraded single-neuron selectivity and network population encoding through a selective inhibition of active dendritic integration. Together the data indicate that active dendritic integration in pyramidal neurons produces a nonlinearly mixed network representation of joint sensorimotor parameters that is used to transform sensory information into motor commands during adaptive behavior. The prevalence of the layer 5 cortical circuit motif suggests that this is a general circuit computation.


Behavior, Animal/physiology , Dendrites/physiology , Neocortex/physiology , Nerve Net/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Adaptation, Psychological/physiology , Animals , Male , Mice , Somatosensory Cortex/physiology , Vibrissae/physiology
10.
Science ; 356(6333)2017 04 07.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28385956

Behavior has molecular, cellular, and circuit determinants. However, because many proteins are broadly expressed, their acute manipulation within defined cells has been difficult. Here, we combined the speed and molecular specificity of pharmacology with the cell type specificity of genetic tools. DART (drugs acutely restricted by tethering) is a technique that rapidly localizes drugs to the surface of defined cells, without prior modification of the native target. We first developed an AMPAR antagonist DART, with validation in cultured neuronal assays, in slices of mouse dorsal striatum, and in behaving mice. In parkinsonian animals, motor deficits were causally attributed to AMPARs in indirect spiny projection neurons (iSPNs) and to excess phasic firing of tonically active interneurons (TANs). Together, iSPNs and TANs (i.e., D2 cells) drove akinesia, whereas movement execution deficits reflected the ratio of AMPARs in D2 versus D1 cells. Finally, we designed a muscarinic antagonist DART in one iteration, demonstrating applicability of the method to diverse targets.


Behavior, Animal/drug effects , Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/pharmacology , Quinoxalines/pharmacology , Receptors, Glutamate/metabolism , Animals , Corpus Striatum/drug effects , Disease Models, Animal , Drug Design , Long-Term Potentiation/drug effects , Mice , Muscarinic Antagonists/pharmacology , Neurons/drug effects , Optogenetics , Parkinson Disease/physiopathology
11.
Neuron ; 89(4): 770-83, 2016 Feb 17.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26833135

In CA1 pyramidal neurons, correlated inputs trigger dendritic plateau potentials that drive neuronal plasticity and firing rate modulation. Given the strong electrotonic coupling between soma and axon, the >25 mV depolarization associated with the plateau could propagate through the axon to influence action potential initiation, propagation, and neurotransmitter release. We examined this issue in brain slices, awake mice, and a computational model. Despite profoundly inactivating somatic and proximal axon Na(+) channels, plateaus evoked action potentials that recovered to full amplitude in the distal axon (>150 µm) and triggered neurotransmitter release similar to regular spiking. This effect was due to strong attenuation of plateau depolarizations by axonal K(+) channels, allowing full axon repolarization and Na(+) channel deinactivation. High-pass filtering of dendritic plateaus by axonal K(+) channels should thus enable accurate transmission of gain-modulated firing rates, allowing neuronal firing to be efficiently read out by downstream regions as a simple rate code.


Action Potentials/physiology , Axons/physiology , CA1 Region, Hippocampal/cytology , Pyramidal Cells/cytology , Pyramidal Cells/physiology , Action Potentials/drug effects , Action Potentials/genetics , Animals , Axons/drug effects , Biophysical Phenomena , Calcium/metabolism , Channelrhodopsins , Computer Simulation , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/drug effects , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/physiology , Female , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Transgenic , Nerve Net/drug effects , Nerve Net/physiology , Potassium Channel Blockers/pharmacology , Sodium Channel Blockers/pharmacology , Tetrodotoxin/pharmacology , Wakefulness
12.
Neuron ; 87(6): 1274-1289, 2015 Sep 23.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-26402609

Spatial and temporal features of synaptic inputs engage integration mechanisms on multiple scales, including presynaptic release sites, postsynaptic dendrites, and networks of inhibitory interneurons. Here we investigate how these mechanisms cooperate to filter synaptic input in hippocampal area CA1. Dendritic recordings from CA1 pyramidal neurons reveal that proximal inputs from CA3 as well as distal inputs from entorhinal cortex layer III (ECIII) sum sublinearly or linearly at low firing rates due to feedforward inhibition, but sum supralinearly at high firing rates due to synaptic facilitation, producing a high-pass filter. However, during ECIII and CA3 input comparison, supralinear dendritic integration is dynamically balanced by feedforward and feedback inhibition, resulting in suppression of dendritic complex spiking. We find that a particular subpopulation of CA1 interneurons expressing neuropeptide Y (NPY) contributes prominently to this dynamic filter by integrating both ECIII and CA3 input pathways and potently inhibiting CA1 pyramidal neuron dendrites.


Action Potentials/physiology , CA1 Region, Hippocampal/physiology , Interneurons/physiology , Nerve Net/physiology , Neural Inhibition/physiology , Animals , Gene Knock-In Techniques/methods , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Organ Culture Techniques , Rats
13.
Neuron ; 83(2): 324-330, 2014 Jul 16.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25002229

Voltage-gated ion channels amplify, compartmentalize, and normalize synaptic signals received by neurons. We show that voltage-gated channels activated during subthreshold glutamatergic synaptic potentials in a principal cell generate an excitatory→inhibitory synaptic sequence that excites electrically coupled interneurons. In fusiform cells of the dorsal cochlear nucleus, excitatory synapses activate a TTX-sensitive Na(+) conductance and deactivate a resting Ih conductance, leading to a striking reshaping of the synaptic potential. Subthreshold voltage changes resulting from activation/deactivation of these channels subsequently propagate through gap junctions, causing slow excitation followed by inhibition in GABAergic stellate interneurons. Gap-junction-mediated transmission of voltage-gated signals accounts for the majority of glutamatergic signaling to interneurons, such that subthreshold synaptic events from a single principal cell are sufficient to drive spikes in coupled interneurons. Thus, the interaction between a principal cell's synaptic and voltage-gated channels may determine the spike activity of networks without firing a single action potential.


Action Potentials/physiology , Cochlear Nucleus/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Synaptic Potentials/physiology , Animals , Interneurons/physiology , Mice , Neural Inhibition/physiology , Patch-Clamp Techniques , Synapses/physiology , Synaptic Transmission/physiology
14.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24959121

The dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) integrates auditory and multisensory signals at the earliest levels of auditory processing. Proposed roles for this region include sound localization in the vertical plane, head orientation to sounds of interest, and suppression of sensitivity to expected sounds. Auditory and non-auditory information streams to the DCN are refined by a remarkably complex array of inhibitory and excitatory interneurons, and the role of each cell type is gaining increasing attention. One inhibitory neuron that has been poorly appreciated to date is the superficial stellate cell. Here we review previous studies and describe new results that reveal the surprisingly rich interactions that this tiny interneuron has with its neighbors, interactions which enable it to respond to both multisensory and auditory afferents.


Auditory Pathways/cytology , Cochlear Nucleus/cytology , Neurons/cytology , Sound Localization/physiology , Animals , Auditory Pathways/physiology , Cochlear Nerve/physiology , Cochlear Nucleus/physiology , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Neurons/physiology
15.
J Neurophysiol ; 111(9): 1812-22, 2014 May.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24523517

The dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN) is a cerebellum-like auditory brain stem region whose functions include sound localization and multisensory integration. Although previous in vivo studies have shown that glycinergic and GABAergic inhibition regulate the activity of several DCN cell types in response to sensory stimuli, data regarding the synaptic inputs onto DCN inhibitory interneurons remain limited. Using acute DCN slices from mice, we examined the properties of excitatory and inhibitory synapses onto the superficial stellate cell, a poorly understood cell type that provides inhibition to DCN output neurons (fusiform cells) as well as to local inhibitory interneurons (cartwheel cells). Excitatory synapses onto stellate cells activated both NMDA receptors and fast-gating, Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA receptors. Inhibition onto superficial stellate cells was mediated by glycine and GABAA receptors with different temporal kinetics. Paired recordings revealed that superficial stellate cells make reciprocal synapses and autapses, with a connection probability of ∼ 18-20%. Unexpectedly, superficial stellate cells co-released both glycine and GABA, suggesting that co-transmission may play a role in fine-tuning the duration of inhibitory transmission.


Cochlear Nucleus/physiology , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials , Synapses/metabolism , Animals , Cochlear Nucleus/cytology , Cochlear Nucleus/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Neurons/metabolism , Neurons/physiology , Receptors, AMPA/metabolism , Receptors, GABA-A/metabolism , Receptors, Glycine/metabolism , Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism , Synapses/physiology
16.
Nat Neurosci ; 16(12): 1764-72, 2013 Dec.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24185427

Electrical coupling of inhibitory interneurons can synchronize activity across multiple neurons, thereby enhancing the reliability of inhibition onto principal cell targets. It is unclear whether downstream activity in principal cells controls the excitability of such inhibitory networks. Using paired patch-clamp recordings, we show that excitatory projection neurons (fusiform cells) and inhibitory stellate interneurons of the dorsal cochlear nucleus form an electrically coupled network through gap junctions containing connexin36 (Cxc36, also called Gjd2). Remarkably, stellate cells were more strongly coupled to fusiform cells than to other stellate cells. This heterologous coupling was functionally asymmetric, biasing electrical transmission from the principal cell to the interneuron. Optogenetically activated populations of fusiform cells reliably enhanced interneuron excitability and generated GABAergic inhibition onto the postsynaptic targets of stellate cells, whereas deep afterhyperpolarizations following fusiform cell spike trains potently inhibited stellate cells over several hundred milliseconds. Thus, the excitability of an interneuron network is bidirectionally controlled by distinct epochs of activity in principal cells.


Gap Junctions/physiology , Interneurons/physiology , Nerve Net/physiology , Neural Inhibition/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Action Potentials/drug effects , Action Potentials/physiology , Animals , Animals, Newborn , Biophysical Phenomena/drug effects , Biophysical Phenomena/genetics , Channelrhodopsins , Cochlear Nucleus/cytology , Connexins/deficiency , Connexins/genetics , Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem/drug effects , Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem/genetics , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/drug effects , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/genetics , Female , Gap Junctions/drug effects , In Vitro Techniques , Interneurons/drug effects , Luminescent Proteins/genetics , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Transgenic , Nerve Net/drug effects , Neural Inhibition/drug effects , Neurons/classification , Neurons/drug effects , Neurotransmitter Agents/pharmacology , Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 2/genetics , Gap Junction delta-2 Protein
17.
J Neurosci ; 33(11): 4768-81, 2013 Mar 13.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23486948

The release of neurotransmitter via the fusion of transmitter-filled, presynaptic vesicles is the primary means by which neurons relay information. However, little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms that supply neurotransmitter destined for vesicle filling, the endogenous transmitter concentrations inside presynaptic nerve terminals, or the dynamics of vesicle refilling after exocytosis. We addressed these issues by recording from synaptically coupled pairs of glycine/GABA coreleasing interneurons (cartwheel cells) of the mouse dorsal cochlear nucleus. We find that the plasma membrane transporter GlyT2 and the intracellular enzyme glutamate decarboxylase supply the majority of glycine and GABA, respectively. Pharmacological block of GlyT2 or glutamate decarboxylase led to rapid and complete rundown of transmission, whereas increasing GABA synthesis via intracellular glutamate uncaging dramatically potentiated GABA release within 1 min. These effects were surprisingly independent of exocytosis, indicating that prefilled vesicles re-equilibrated upon acute changes in cytosolic transmitter. Titration of cytosolic transmitter with postsynaptic responses indicated that endogenous, nonvesicular glycine/GABA levels in nerve terminals are 5-7 mm, and that vesicular transport mechanisms are not saturated under basal conditions. Thus, cytosolic transmitter levels dynamically set the strength of inhibitory synapses in a release-independent manner.


Glycine/metabolism , Interneurons/cytology , Synapses/metabolism , Synaptic Vesicles/metabolism , gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/metabolism , Animals , Benzamides/pharmacology , Biophysics , Channelrhodopsins , Cochlear Nucleus/cytology , Electric Stimulation , Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/pharmacology , Female , GABA Antagonists/pharmacology , Glutamate Decarboxylase/metabolism , Glutamates/pharmacology , Glycine/pharmacology , Glycine Agents/pharmacology , Glycine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/genetics , In Vitro Techniques , Indoles/pharmacology , Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potentials/drug effects , Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potentials/genetics , Interneurons/drug effects , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Inbred CBA , Mice, Transgenic , Models, Neurological , Neural Inhibition/drug effects , Patch-Clamp Techniques , Pregnancy , Pyridazines/pharmacology , Sodium Channel Blockers/pharmacology , Strychnine/pharmacology , Synapses/drug effects , Synaptic Transmission/drug effects , Synaptic Transmission/genetics , Tetrodotoxin/pharmacology , Time Factors , gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/pharmacology
18.
J Neurophysiol ; 102(2): 1218-26, 2009 Aug.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19553482

The avian nucleus laminaris (NL) encodes the azimuthal location of low-frequency sound sources by detecting the coincidence of binaural signals. Accurate coincidence detection requires precise developmental regulation of the lengths of the fine, bitufted dendrites that characterize neurons in NL. Such regulation has been suggested to be driven by local, synaptically mediated, dendritic signals such as Ca(2+). We examined Ca(2+) signaling through patch clamp and ion imaging experiments in slices containing nucleus laminaris from embryonic chicks. Voltage-clamp recordings of neurons located in the NL showed the presence of large Ca(2+) currents of two types, a low voltage-activated, fast inactivating Ni(2+) sensitive channel resembling mammalian T-type channels, and a high voltage-activated, slowly inactivating Cd(2+) sensitive channel. Two-photon Ca(2+) imaging showed that both channel types were concentrated on dendrites, even at their distal tips. Single action potentials triggered synaptically or by somatic current injection immediately elevated Ca(2+) throughout the entire cell. Ca(2+) signals triggered by subthreshold synaptic activity were highly localized. Thus when electrical activity is suprathreshold, Ca(2+) channels ensure that Ca(2+) rises in all dendrites, even those that are synaptically inactive.


Auditory Pathways/physiology , Calcium Channels/metabolism , Dendrites/physiology , Neurons/physiology , Synaptic Transmission/physiology , Action Potentials , Animals , Calcium/metabolism , Chick Embryo , Electric Stimulation , Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials/physiology , Fluorescence , In Vitro Techniques , Membrane Potentials/physiology , Patch-Clamp Techniques , Temperature
19.
J Cell Physiol ; 192(1): 93-101, 2002 Jul.
Article En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-12115740

Interleukin (IL)-4, which exhibits potent anti-inflammatory activities, is of potential therapeutic value in destructive arthropathies. To further define the response of human joint cells to IL-4, we analyzed the ability of this cytokine to modulate the effects of IL-1beta and growth factors. Freshly isolated chondrocytes, dedifferentiated chondrocytes, and synoviocytes were treated with IL-4 before determination of nitric oxide (NO) and collagenase production in response to IL-1beta, or before proliferation assays in presence of IL-1beta, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), or transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta. IL-4 downregulated IL-1beta induced NO production in dedifferentiated chondrocytes and inhibited IL-1beta induced collagenase release, as well as IL-1beta and growth factor induced proliferation in dedifferentiated chondrocytes and synoviocytes. In contrast, IL-4 had no effect in freshly isolated primary chondrocytes and in cartilage explants. The lack of response to IL-4 in primary chondrocytes was associated with impaired signal transduction, as indicated by markedly decreased IL-4 dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-6. It also correlated with differences in the expression pattern of IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) subunits during chondrocyte dedifferentiation. Indeed, whereas the IL-4Ralpha and IL-13Ralpha' subunits were expressed in all cell types, expression of the common receptor gamma chain was restricted to freshly isolated chondrocytes. In conclusion, IL-4 downregulated IL-1beta-induced catabolic events and cell proliferation in dedifferentiated chondrocytes and synoviocytes, but had no effects in freshly isolated chondrocytes. The difference in IL-4 responsiveness between primary and dedifferentiated chondrocytes correlated with changes in proximal signaling events and in the expression pattern of IL-4R subunits during cell dedifferentiation.


Cartilage, Articular/cytology , Chondrocytes/cytology , Chondrocytes/drug effects , Interleukin-4/pharmacology , Receptors, Interleukin-4/metabolism , Synovial Membrane/cytology , Synovial Membrane/drug effects , Cell Differentiation/physiology , Cell Division/drug effects , Chondrocytes/metabolism , Collagenases/metabolism , Humans , Interleukin-1/pharmacology , Nitric Oxide/biosynthesis , Phosphorylation/drug effects , Protein Isoforms/metabolism , STAT6 Transcription Factor , Trans-Activators/metabolism
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