In vitro studies of primary explosive blast loading on neurons.

In a military setting, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is frequently caused by blast waves that can trigger a series of neuronal biochemical changes. Although many animal models have been used to study the effects of primary blast waves, elucidating the mechanisms of damage in a whole-animal model is extremely complex. In vitro models of primary blast, which allow for the deconvolution of mechanisms, are relatively scarce. It is largely unknown how structural damage at the cellular level impacts the functional activity at variable time scales after the TBI event. A novel in vitro system was developed to probe the effects of explosive blast (ranging from ∼25 to 40 psi) on dissociated neurons. PC12 neurons were cultured on laminin-coated substrates, submerged underwater, and subjected to single and multiple blasts in a controlled environment. Changes in cell membrane permeability, viability, and cell morphology were evaluated. Significant increases in axonal beading were observed in the injured cells. In addition, although cell death was minimal after a single insult, cell viability decreased significantly following repeated blast exposure.

Identification of beta-2 as a key cell adhesion molecule in PCa cell neurotropic behavior: a novel ex vivo and biophysical approach.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is believed to metastasize through the blood/lymphatics systems; however, PCa may utilize the extensive innervation of the prostate for glandular egress. The interaction of PCa and its nerve fibers is observed in 80% of PCa and is termed perineural invasion (PNI). PCa cells have been observed traveling through the endoneurium of nerves, although the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. Voltage sensitive sodium channels (VSSC) are multimeric transmembrane protein complexes comprised of a pore-forming α subunit and one or two auxiliary beta (ß) subunits with inherent cell adhesion molecule (CAM) functions. The beta-2 isoform (gene SCN2B) interacts with several neural CAMs, while interacting putatively with other prominent neural CAMs. Furthermore, beta-2 exhibits elevated mRNA and protein levels in highly metastatic and castrate-resistant PCa. When overexpressed in weakly aggressive LNCaP cells (2BECFP), beta-2 alters LNCaP cell morphology and enhances LNCaP cell metastasis associated behavior in vitro. We hypothesize that PCa cells use beta-2 as a CAM during PNI and subsequent PCa metastasis. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of beta-2 expression on PCa cell neurotropic metastasis associated behavior. We overexpressed beta-2 as a fusion protein with enhanced cyan fluorescence protein (ECFP) in weakly aggressive LNCaP cells and observed neurotropic effects utilizing our novel ex vivo organotypic spinal cord co-culture model, and performed functional assays with neural matrices and atomic force microscopy. With increased beta-2 expression, PCa cells display a trend of enhanced association with nerve axons. On laminin, a neural CAM, overexpression of beta-2 enhances PCa cell migration, invasion, and growth. 2BECFP cells exhibit marked binding affinity to laminin relative to LNECFP controls, and recombinant beta-2 ectodomain elicits more binding events to laminin than BSA control. Functional overexpression of VSSC beta subunits in PCa may mediate PCa metastatic behavior through association with neural matrices.

Exaggerated exercise pressor reflex in adults with moderately elevated systolic blood pressure: role of purinergic receptors.

The neurocirculatory responses to exercise are exaggerated in hypertension, increasing cardiovascular risk, yet the mechanisms remain incompletely understood. The aim of this study was to examine the in vitro effectiveness of pyridoxal-5-phosphate as a purinergic (P2) receptor antagonist in isolated murine dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and the in vivo contribution of P2 receptors to the neurocirculatory responses to exercise in older adults with moderately elevated systolic blood pressure (BP). In vitro, pyridoxal-5-phosphate attenuated the ATP-induced increases in [Ca(2+)](i) (73 ± 15 vs. 11 ± 3 nM; P < 0.05). In vivo, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA; peroneal microneurography) and arterial BP (Finometer) were assessed during exercise pressor reflex activation (static handgrip followed by postexercise ischemia; PEI) during a control trial (normal saline) and localized P2 receptor blockade (pyridoxal-5-phosphate). Compared with normotensive adults (63 ± 2 yr, 117 ± 2/70 ± 2 mmHg), adults with moderately elevated systolic BP (65 ± 1 yr, 138 ± 5/79 ± 3 mmHg) demonstrated greater increases in MSNA and BP during handgrip and PEI. Compared with the control trial, local antagonism of P2 receptors during PEI partially attenuated MSNA (39 ± 4 vs. 34 ± 5 bursts/min; P < 0.05) in adults with moderately elevated systolic BP. In conclusion, these data demonstrate pyridoxal-5-phosphate is an effective P2 receptor antagonist in isolated DRG neurons, which are of particular relevance to the exercise pressor reflex. Furthermore, these findings indicate that exercise pressor reflex function is exaggerated in older adults with moderately elevated systolic BP and further suggest a modest role of purinergic receptors in evoking the abnormally large reflex-mediated increases in sympathetic activity during exercise in this clinical population.

Co-culture of osteocytes and neurons on a unique patterned surface.

Neural and skeletal communication is essential for the maintenance of bone mass and transmission of pain, yet the mechanism(s) of signal transduction between these tissues is unknown. The authors established a novel system to co-culture murine long bone osteocyte-like cells (MLO-Y4) and primary murine dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons. Assessment of morphology and maturation marker expression on perlecan domain IV peptide (PlnDIV) and collagen type-1 (Col1) demonstrated that PlnDIV was an optimal matrix for MLO-Y4 culture. A novel matrix-specificity competition assay was developed to expose these cells to several extracellular matrix proteins such as PlnDIV, Col1, and laminin (Ln). The competition assay showed that approximately 70% of MLO-Y4 cells preferred either PlnDIV or Col1 to Ln. To co-culture MLO-Y4 and DRG, we developed patterned surfaces using micro-contact printing to create 40 µm × 1 cm alternating stripes of PlnDIV and Ln or PlnDIV and Col1. Co-culture on PlnDIV/Ln surfaces demonstrated that these matrix molecules provided unique cues for each cell type, with MLO-Y4 preferentially attaching to the PlnDIV lanes and DRG neurons to the Ln lanes. Approximately 80% of DRG were localized to Ln. Cellular processes from MLO-Y4 were closely associated with axonal extensions of DRG neurons. Approximately 57% of neuronal processes were in close proximity to nearby MLO-Y4 cells at the PlnDIV-Ln interface. The surfaces in this new assay provided a unique model system with which to study the communication between osteocyte-like cells and neurons in an in vitro environment.