Inactivation of the bacterial pathogens Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Acinetobacter baumannii by butanoic acid.

AIMS: This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of butanoic acid against bacterial pathogens including Acinetobacter baumannii and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. METHODS AND RESULTS: Vegetative bacteria were exposed to butanoic acid in vitro and log reduction was quantified using viable count assays. The maximum (8 and 9) log inactivation was determined by qualitatively assaying for growth/no-growth after a 48-h incubation (37°C). Membrane integrity after exposure to butanoic acid was determined by propidium iodide staining, scanning electron microscopy, membrane depolarization and inductively coupled plasma analysis. Cytosolic pH was measured by 5-(6-)carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibitory concentrations of butanoic acid ranged between 11 and 21 mmol l-1 for Gram-positive and Gram-negative species tested. The maximum log reduction of A. baumannii was achieved with a 10-s exposure of 0·50 mol l-1 of butanoic acid. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius required 0·40 mol l-1 of butanoic acid to achieve the same level of reduction in the same time period. Inactivation was associated with membrane permeability and acidification of the cytosol. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Antibiotic resistance among bacterial pathogens necessitates the utilization of novel therapeutics for disinfection and biological control. These results may facilitate the development of butanoic acid as an effective agent against a broad-spectrum of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens.

Akt1 deficiency modulates reward learning and reward prediction error in mice.

In contemporary reinforcement learning models, reward prediction error (RPE), the difference between the expected and actual reward, is thought to guide action value learning through the firing activity of dopaminergic neurons. Given the importance of dopamine in reward learning and the involvement of Akt1 in dopamine-dependent behaviors, the aim of this study was to investigate whether Akt1 deficiency modulates reward learning and the magnitude of RPE using Akt1 mutant mice as a model. In comparison to wild-type littermate controls, the expression of Akt1 proteins in mouse brains occurred in a gene-dosage-dependent manner and Akt1 heterozygous (HET) mice exhibited impaired striatal Akt1 activity under methamphetamine challenge. No genotypic difference was found in the basal levels of dopamine and its metabolites. In a series of reward-related learning tasks, HET mice displayed a relatively efficient method of updating reward information from the environment during the acquisition phase of the two natural reward tasks and in the reverse section of the dynamic foraging T-maze but not in methamphetamine-induced or aversive-related reward learning. The implementation of a standard reinforcement learning model and the Bayesian hierarchical parameter estimation show that HET mice have higher RPE magnitudes and that their action values are updated more rapidly among all three test sections in T-maze. These results indicate that Akt1 deficiency modulates natural reward learning and RPE. This study showed a promising avenue for investigating RPE in mutant mice and provided evidence for the potential link from genetic deficiency, to neurobiological abnormalities, to impairment in higher-order cognitive functioning.

Mice lacking Asic3 show reduced anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus maze and reduced aggression.

Sensing external stimulation is crucial for central processing in the brain and subsequent behavioral expression. Although sensory alteration or deprivation may result in behavioral changes, most studies related to the control of behavior have focused on central mechanisms. Here we created a sensory deficit model of mice lacking acid-sensing ion channel 3 (Asic3(-/-)) to probe behavioral alterations. ASIC3 is predominately distributed in the peripheral nervous system. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry used to examine the expression of Asic3 in the mouse brain showed near-background mRNA and protein levels of ASIC3 throughout the whole brain, except for the sensory mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus. Consistent with the expression results, Asic3 knockout had no effect on synaptic plasticity of the hippocampus and the behavioral tasks of motor function, learning and memory. In anxiety behavior tasks, Asic3(-/-) mice spent more time in the open arms of an elevated plus maze than did their wild-type littermates. Asic3(-/-) mice also displayed less aggressiveness toward intruders but more stereotypic repetitive behaviors during resident-intruder testing than did wild-type littermates. Therefore, loss of ASIC3 produced behavioral changes in anxiety and aggression in mice, which suggests that ASIC3-dependent sensory activities might relate to the central process of emotion modulation.

Roles of A-type potassium currents in tuning spike frequency and integrating synaptic transmission in noradrenergic neurons of the A7 catecholamine cell group in rats.

We investigated voltage-dependent K(+) currents (I(K)) in noradrenergic (NAergic) A7 neurons. The I(K) evoked consisted of A-type I(K) (I(A)), which had the characteristics of a low threshold for activation (approximately -50 mV), fast activation/inactivation, and rapid recovery from inactivation. Since the I(A) were blocked by heteropodatoxin-2 (Hptx-2), a specific Kv4 channel blocker, and the NAergic A7 neurons were shown to be reactive with antibodies against Kv4.1/Kv4.3 channel proteins, we conclude that the I(A) evoked in NAergic neurons are mediated by Kv4.1/Kv4.3 channels. I(A) were also evoked using voltage commands of a single action potential (AP), a subthreshold voltage change between two consecutive APs, or excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) activity recorded in current-clamp mode (CCM). Blockade of the I(A) by 4-AP, a broad spectrum I(A) blocker, or by Hptx-2 increased the half-width and spontaneous firing of APs and reduced the amount of synaptic drive needed to elicit APs in CCM, showing that the I(A) play important roles in regulating the shape and firing frequency of APs and in synaptic integration in NAergic A7 neurons. Since these neurons are the principal projection neurons to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord, these results also suggest roles for Kv4.1/4.3 channels in descending NAergic pain regulation.

Physiological and morphological properties of, and effect of substance P on, neurons in the A7 catecholamine cell group in rats.

The A7 catecholamine cell group consists of noradrenergic (NAergic) neurons that project to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Here, we characterized their morphology and physiology properties and tested the effect of substance P (Sub-P) on them, since the results of many morphological studies suggest that A7 neurons are densely innervated by Sub-P-releasing terminals from nuclei involved in the descending inhibitory system, such as the lateral hypothalamus and periaqueductal gray area. Whole cell recordings were made from neurons located approximately 200 microm rostral to the trigeminal motor nucleus (the presumed A7 area) in sagittal brainstem slices from rats aged 7-10 days. After recording, the neurons were injected with biocytin and immunostained with antibody against dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH). DBH-immunoreactive (ir) cells were presumed to be NAergic neurons. They had a large somata diameter ( approximately 20 microm) and relatively simple dendritic branching patterns. They fired action potentials (AP) spontaneously with or without blockade of synaptic inputs, and had similar properties to those of NAergic neurons in other areas, including the existence of calcium channel-mediated APs and a voltage-dependent delay in initiation of the AP (an indicator of the existence of A-type potassium currents) and an ability to be hyperpolarized by norepinephrine. Furthermore, in all DBH-ir neurons tested, Sub-P caused depolarization of the membrane potential and an increase in neuronal firing rate by acting on neurokinin-1 receptors. Non-DBH-ir neurons with a smaller somata size were also found in the A7 area. These showed great diversity in firing patterns and about half were depolarized by Sub-P. Morphological examination suggested that the non-DBH-ir neurons form contacts with DBH-ir neurons. These results provide the first description of the intrinsic regulation of membrane properties of, and the excitatory effect of Sub-P on, A7 area neurons, which play an important role in pain regulation.

Identification and characterization of a subset of mouse sensory neurons that express acid-sensing ion channel 3.

Acid-sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3) is the most sensitive acid sensor in sensory neurons that innervate into skin, muscle, heart, and visceral tissues. ASIC3 is involved in ischemia sensing, nociception, mechanosensation, and hearing, but how ASIC3-expressing neurons differ in their firing properties is still unknown. We hypothesized that ASIC3-expressing neurons have specialized firing properties, which, coupled with the heterogeneity of acid-sensing properties, accounts for various physiological roles. Here, we successfully identified ASIC3-expressing lumbar dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons whose transient proton-gated currents were blocked by salicylic acid (SA). The salicylic acid-sensitive (SAS) neurons did not exist in DRG neurons of mice lacking ASIC3. SAS neurons expressed distinct electrophysiological properties as compared with other DRG neurons. Especially, SAS neurons fired action potentials (APs) with large overshoot and long afterhyperpolarization duration, which suggests that they belong to nociceptors. SAS neurons also exhibited multiple nociceptor markers such as capsaicin response (38%), action potential (AP) with inflection (35%), or tetrodotoxin resistance (31%). Only in SAS neurons but not other DRG neurons was afterhyperpolarization duration correlated with resting membrane potential and AP duration. Our studies reveal a unique feature of ASIC3-expressing DRG neurons and a basis for their heterogeneous functions.

Synaptically released glutamate reduces gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic inhibition in the hippocampus via kainate receptors.

Exogenous application of agonists at the kainate subtype of glutamate receptors has been shown to depress evoked monosynaptic inhibition by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic interneurons in the hippocampus. This observation has led to the hypothesis that synaptic release of endogenous glutamate might have a disinhibitory effect on neuronal circuits, in addition to depolarizing neurons via postsynaptic alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), kainate, and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors. It is not known, however, if glutamate released from excitatory neurons has the same kainate receptor-mediated effect on monosynaptic inhibitory transmission as exogenous agonist application. Indeed, the recent demonstration that excitatory synaptic signals elicited in interneurons are partly mediated by kainate receptors suggests that these receptors may have a pro- rather than disinhibitory role. Here, we examine the effect of synaptically released glutamate on monosynaptic inhibitory signaling. In the presence of antagonists to AMPA and NMDA receptors, brief bursts of activity in glutamatergic afferent fibers reduce GABAergic transmission. This depression of inhibition is reversibly abolished by blocking kainate receptors. It persists when GABA(B) receptors are blocked and is enhanced by blocking metabotropic glutamate receptors, possibly explained by presynaptic regulation of glutamate release from excitatory afferents by metabotropic autoreceptors. We conclude that the net kainate receptor-mediated effect of synaptically released glutamate is to reduce monosynaptic inhibition. Since this form of disinhibition may contribute to seizure initiation, kainate receptors may constitute an important target for anticonvulsant drug development.

Extracellular glutamate diffusion determines the occupancy of glutamate receptors at CA1 synapses in the hippocampus.

Following exocytosis at excitatory synapses in the brain, glutamate binds to several subtypes of postsynaptic receptors. The degree of occupancy of AMPA and NMDA receptors at hippocampal synapses is, however, not known. One approach to estimate receptor occupancy is to examine quantal amplitude fluctuations of postsynaptic signals in hippocampal neurons studied in vitro. The results of such experiments suggest that NMDA receptors at CA1 synapses are activated not only by glutamate released from the immediately apposed presynaptic terminals, but also by glutamate spillover from neighbouring terminals. Numerical simulations point to the extracellular diffusion coefficient as a critical parameter that determines the extent of activation of receptors positioned at different distances from the release site. We have shown that raising the viscosity of the extracellular medium can modulate the diffusion coefficient, providing an experimental tool to investigate the role of diffusion in activation of synaptic and extrasynaptic receptors. Whether intersynaptic cross-talk mediated by NMDA receptors occurs in vivo remains to be determined. The theoretical and experimental approaches described here also promise to shed light on the roles of metabotropic and kainate receptors, which often occur in an extrasynaptic distribution, and are therefore positioned to sense glutamate escaping from the synaptic cleft.

Activation of AMPA, kainate, and metabotropic receptors at hippocampal mossy fiber synapses: role of glutamate diffusion.

Glutamatergic transmission at mossy fiber (MF) synapses on CA3 pyramidal neurons in the hippocampus is mediated by AMPA, kainate, and NMDA receptors and undergoes presynaptic modulation by metabotropic glutamate receptors. The recruitment of different receptors has thus far been studied by altering presynaptic stimulation to modulate glutamate release and interfering pharmacologically with receptors and transporters. Here, we introduce two novel experimental manipulations that alter the fate of glutamate molecules following release. First, an enzymatic glutamate scavenger reduces the postsynaptic response as well as presynaptic modulation by metabotropic receptors. At physiological temperature, however, the scavenger is effective only when glutamate uptake is blocked, revealing a role of active transport in both synaptic and extrasynaptic communication. Second, AMPA and kainate receptor-mediated postsynaptic signals are enhanced when extracellular diffusion is retarded by adding dextran to the perfusion solution, as is feedback modulation by metabotropic receptors, suggesting that the receptors are not saturated under baseline conditions. These results show that manipulating the spatiotemporal profile of glutamate following exocytosis can alter the involvement of different receptors in synaptic transmission.

Long-term potentiation and dual-component quantal signaling in the dentate gyrus.

Long-term potentiation (LTP) of excitatory transmission is an important candidate cellular mechanism for the storage of memories in the mammalian brain. The subcellular phenomena that underlie the persistent increase in synaptic strength, however, are incompletely understood. A potentially powerful method to detect a presynaptic increase in glutamate release is to examine the effect of LTP induction on the rate at which the use-dependent blocker MK-801 attenuates successive N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor-mediated synaptic signals. This method, however, has given apparently contradictory results when applied in hippocampal CA1. The inconsistency could be explained if NMDA receptors were opened by glutamate not only released from local presynaptic terminals, but also diffusing from synapses on neighboring cells where LTP was not induced. Here we examine the effect of pairing-induced LTP on the MK-801 blocking rate in two afferent inputs to dentate granule cells. LTP in the medial perforant path is associated with a significant increase in the MK-801 blocking rate, implying a presynaptic increase in glutamate release probability. An enhanced MK-801 blocking rate is not seen, however, in the lateral perforant path. This result still could be compatible with a presynaptic contribution to LTP in the lateral perforant path if intersynaptic cross-talk occurred. In support of this hypothesis, we show that NMDA receptors consistently sense more quanta of glutamate than do alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors. In the medial perforant path, in contrast, there is no significant difference in the number of quanta mediated by the two receptors. These results support a presynaptic contribution to LTP and imply that differences in intersynaptic cross-talk can complicate the interpretation of experiments designed to detect changes in transmitter release.

Glycine-immunoreactive terminals in the rat trigeminal motor nucleus: light- and electron-microscopic analysis of their relationships with motoneurones and with GABA-immunoreactive terminals.

Post-embedding immunolabelling methods were applied to semi-thin and ultrathin resin sections to examine the relationships between glycine- and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-immunoreactive terminals on trigeminal motoneurones, which were identified by the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase injected into the jaw-closer muscles. Serial sections were cut through boutons and alternate sections were incubated with antibodies to glycine and GABA. Light-microscopic analysis of semi-thin sections revealed a similar pattern of glycine and GABA-immunoreactive boutons along the motoneurone soma and proximal dendrites, and of immunoreactive cell bodies in the parvocellular reticular and peritrigeminal areas surrounding the motor nucleus. Immunoreactive synaptic terminals on motoneurones were identified on serial ultrathin sections at electron-microscopic level using a quantitative immunogold method. Three populations of immunolabelled boutons were recognized: boutons immunoreactive for glycine alone (32%), boutons immunoreactive for GABA alone (22%), and boutons showing co-existence of glycine and GABA immunoreactivities (46%). Terminals which were immunoreactive for glycine only contained a higher proportion of flattened synaptic vesicles than those which were immunoreactive for GABA only, which contained predominantly spherical vesicles. Terminals which exhibited both immunoreactivities contained a mixture of vesicle types. All three classes of terminal formed axo-dendritic and axo-somatic contacts onto retrogradely labelled motoneurones. A relatively high proportion (25%) of boutons that were immunoreactive for both transmitters formed synapses on somatic spines. However, only GABA-immunoreactive boutons formed the presynaptic elements at axo-axonic contacts: none of these were found to contain glycine immunoreactivity. These data provide ultrastructural evidence for the role of glycine and GABA as inhibitory neurotransmitters at synapses onto jaw-closer motoneurones, but suggest that presynaptic control of transmission at excitatory (glutamatergic) synapses on motoneurones involves GABAergic, but not glycinergic inhibition.

Multimodal distribution of amplitudes of miniature and spontaneous EPSPs recorded in rat trigeminal motoneurones.

1. The whole-cell variant of the patch recording method has been used to obtain voltage recordings from trigeminal motoneurones in tissue slices (500 microns thick) taken from rats aged 8 days. Membrane properties (input resistance, membrane time constant and rheobase, i.e. threshold current required to elicit an action potential) of the motoneurones were determined and recordings made of the (untriggered) EPSP activity. 2. Untriggered EPSP activity was recorded in standard artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF), ACSF with added tetrodotoxin (TTX) and in nominally Ca(2+)-free ACSF with added TTX. In each case the amplitude distributions of single EPSPs were peaky and could be fitted by a model consisting of the sum of equidistant Gaussians (n = 7/9 cells). In contrast, the amplitude distribution of the noise was always unimodal. 3. All EPSP activity recorded in the presence of TTX was abolished by addition of 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2-3-dione (CNQX; 10 microM), suggesting the activity was all mediated by glutamate acting primarily at AMPA/kainate receptors. 4. In the majority of cases, there was no correlation between the amplitude of EPSPs underlying each Gaussian and the EPSP rise time but there was a positive correlation between the EPSP half-width and EPSP rise time. The rise times of EPSPs underlying the first, and all, fitted Gaussians were similar to that for the total sample of EPSPs in each motoneurone. Taken together, this suggests that the EPSPs underlying each Gaussian arise from inputs to different dendritic compartments, and that the range of compartments is similar for EPSPs underlying successive Gaussians. 5. Two conclusions are drawn. First, EPSPs of different dendritic origin have similar amplitudes at the soma. Second, the multimodal distribution of EPSP amplitudes recorded in the presence of TTX raises the possibility that individual boutons may contain multiple release sites, with each perhaps operating on a separate functional group of postsynaptic receptors.

Effects of cholinergic depletion by medial septal area lesions on synaptic responses in CA1 area of hippocampal slices.

In order to examine the influence of acetylcholine on synaptic transmission and synaptic enhancement after tetanic stimulation in the hippocampal CA1 area, a cholinergic depletion model was used. It was found that bilateral lesions of the medial septal area (MSA) by microinjection of kainic acid produced a dramatic reduction of acetylcholinesterase-positive (AChE(+)) fibers, presumably cholinergic, in most of hippocampal areas. Electrophysiologically, MSA lesions caused a decrease of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) slope and population spike (PS) amplitude at a given stimulus intensity in the hippocampal CA1 area in vitro. Although hippocampal synapses could still be potentiated after tetanic stimulation, a faster decay of synaptic enhancement was found in slices from lesioned animals. Since no apparent tissue damage or ultrastructural abnormality was found in the hippocampal CA1 area, except the loss of cholinergic fibers, after MSA lesions, it was speculated that reduction in synaptic transmission and enhancement may be due to weakening of cholinergic amplification on synaptic responses mediated by excitatory amino acids.