scholarly journals Selective control of synaptically-connected circuit elements by all-optical synapses

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansi Prakash ◽  
Jeremy Murphy ◽  
Robyn St Laurent ◽  
Nina Friedman ◽  
Emmanuel L. Crespo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Axon Terminal ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Synaptic Cleft ◽  
Light Production ◽  
Electrode Recording ◽  
Powerful Approach ◽  
All Optical ◽  
Activity Dependent ◽  
Postsynaptic Target

AbstractUnderstanding percepts, engrams and actions requires methods for selectively modulating synaptic communication between specific subsets of interconnected cells. Here, we develop an approach to control synaptically connected elements using bioluminescent light: Luciferase-generated light, originating from a presynaptic axon terminal, modulates an opsin in its postsynaptic target. Vesicular-localized luciferase is released into the synaptic cleft in response to presynaptic activity, creating a real-time Optical Synapse. Light production is under experimenter-control by introduction of the small molecule luciferin. Signal transmission across this optical synapse is temporally defined by the presence of both the luciferin and presynaptic activity. We validate synaptic Interluminescence by multi-electrode recording in cultured neurons and in mice in vivo. Interluminescence represents a powerful approach to achieve synapse-specific and activity-dependent circuit control in vivo.

scholarly journals Selective Control of Synaptically-Connected Circuit Elements by All-Optical Synapses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansi Prakash ◽  
Jeremy Murphy ◽  
Robyn St Laurent ◽  
Nina Friedman ◽  
Emmanual Crespo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Axon Terminal ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Synaptic Cleft ◽  
Light Production ◽  
Electrode Recording ◽  
Powerful Approach ◽  
All Optical ◽  
Activity Dependent ◽  
Postsynaptic Target

Understanding percepts, engrams and actions requires methods for selectively modulating synaptic communication between specific subsets of interconnected cells. Here, we develop an approach to control synaptically connected elements using bioluminescent light: Luciferase-generated light, originating from a presynaptic axon terminal, modulates an opsin in its postsynaptic target. Vesicular-localized luciferase is released into the synaptic cleft in response to presynaptic activity, creating a real-time Optical Synapse. Light production is under experimenter-control by introduction of the small molecule luciferin. Signal transmission across this optical synapse is temporally defined by the presence of both the luciferin and presynaptic activity. We validate synaptic Interluminescence by multi-electrode recording in cultured neurons and in mice in vivo. Interluminescence represents a powerful approach to achieve synapse-specific and activity-dependent circuit control during behavior in vivo.

scholarly journals Synaptic transmission and plasticity require AMPA receptor anchoring via its N-terminal domain

eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake F Watson ◽  
Hinze Ho ◽  
Ingo H Greger
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Transmission ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Synaptic Cleft ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Terminal Domain ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
A Subunit ◽  
Excitatory Neurotransmission ◽  
Activity Dependent

AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) mediate fast excitatory neurotransmission and are selectively recruited during activity-dependent plasticity to increase synaptic strength. A prerequisite for faithful signal transmission is the positioning and clustering of AMPARs at postsynaptic sites. The mechanisms underlying this positioning have largely been ascribed to the receptor cytoplasmic C-termini and to AMPAR-associated auxiliary subunits, both interacting with the postsynaptic scaffold. Here, using mouse organotypic hippocampal slices, we show that the extracellular AMPAR N-terminal domain (NTD), which projects midway into the synaptic cleft, plays a fundamental role in this process. This highly sequence-diverse domain mediates synaptic anchoring in a subunit-selective manner. Receptors lacking the NTD exhibit increased mobility in synapses, depress synaptic transmission and are unable to sustain long-term potentiation (LTP). Thus, synaptic transmission and the expression of LTP are dependent upon an AMPAR anchoring mechanism that is driven by the NTD.

Pharmacological treatment with L-DOPA may reduce striatal dopamine transporter binding in in vivo imaging studies

2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (01) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Antke ◽  
H. Hautzel ◽  
H.-W. Mueller ◽  
S. Nikolaus
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Synaptic Cleft ◽  
Presynaptic Terminal ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
Da Release

SummaryNumerous neurologic and psychiatric conditions are treated with pharmacological compounds, which lead to an increase of synaptic dopamine (DA) levels. One example is the DA precursor L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), which is converted to DA in the presynaptic terminal. If the increase of DA concentrations in the synaptic cleft leads to competition with exogenous radioligands for presynaptic binding sites, this may have implications for DA transporter (DAT) imaging studies in patients under DAergic medication.This paper gives an overview on those findings, which, so far, have been obtained on DAT binding in human Parkinson’s disease after treatment with L-DOPA. Findings, moreover, are related to results obtained on rats, mice or non-human primates. Results indicate that DAT imaging may be reduced in the striata of healthy animals, in the unlesioned striata of animal models of unilateral Parkinson’s disease and in less severly impaired striata of Parkinsonian patients, if animal or human subjects are under acute or subchronic treatment with L-DOPA. If also striatal DAT binding is susceptible to alterations of synaptic DA levels, this may allow to quantify DA reuptake in analogy to DA release by assessing the competition between endogenous DA and the administered exogenous DAT radioligand.

scholarly journals Interhelical H-Bonds Modulate the Activity of a Polytopic Transmembrane Kinase

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 938
Author(s):  
Juan Cruz Almada ◽  
Ana Bortolotti ◽  
Jean Marie Ruysschaert ◽  
Diego de Mendoza ◽  
María Eugenia Inda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Histidine Kinase ◽  
Adaptive Response ◽  
Catalytic Domain ◽  
Membrane Lipids ◽  
Signal Transmission ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Lipid Homeostasis ◽  
Transmembrane Helices ◽  
Transmembrane Region

DesK is a Histidine Kinase that allows Bacillus subtilis to maintain lipid homeostasis in response to changes in the environment. It is located in the membrane, and has five transmembrane helices and a cytoplasmic catalytic domain. The transmembrane region triggers the phosphorylation of the catalytic domain as soon as the membrane lipids rigidify. In this research, we study how transmembrane inter-helical interactions contribute to signal transmission; we designed a co-expression system that allows studying in vivo interactions between transmembrane helices. By Alanine-replacements, we identified a group of polar uncharged residues, whose side chains contain hydrogen-bond donors or acceptors, which are required for the interaction with other DesK transmembrane helices; a particular array of H-bond- residues plays a key role in signaling, transmitting information detected at the membrane level into the cell to finally trigger an adaptive response.

scholarly journals Improved in vivo imaging method for individual islets across the mouse pancreas reveals a heterogeneous insulin secretion response to glucose

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Henriette Frikke-Schmidt ◽  
Peter Arvan ◽  
Randy J. Seeley ◽  
Corentin Cras-Méneur
Keyword(s):  
Insulin Secretion ◽  
In Vivo Imaging ◽  
Motion Blur ◽  
Isolated Islets ◽  
Imaging Method ◽  
Glucose Stimulation ◽  
Powerful Approach ◽  
Glucose Challenge ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWhile numerous techniques can be used to measure and analyze insulin secretion in isolated islets in culture, assessments of insulin secretion in vivo are typically indirect and only semiquantitative. The CpepSfGFP reporter mouse line allows the in vivo imaging of insulin secretion from individual islets after a glucose stimulation, in live, anesthetized mice. Imaging the whole pancreas at high resolution in live mice to track the response of each individual islet over time includes numerous technical challenges and previous reports were only limited in scope and non-quantitative. Elaborating on this previous model—through the development of an improved methodology addressing anesthesia, temperature control and motion blur—we were able to track and quantify longitudinally insulin content throughout a glucose challenge in up to two hundred individual islets simultaneously. Through this approach we demonstrate quantitatively for the first time that while isolated islets respond homogeneously to glucose in culture, their profiles differ significantly in vivo. Independent of size or location, some islets respond sharply to a glucose stimulation while others barely secrete at all. This platform therefore provides a powerful approach to study the impact of disease, diet, surgery or pharmacological treatments on insulin secretion in the intact pancreas in vivo.

scholarly journals Gran1: A Granulysin-Derived Peptide with Potent Activity against Intracellular Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8392
Author(s):  
Reiner Noschka ◽  
Fanny Wondany ◽  
Gönül Kizilsavas ◽  
Tanja Weil ◽  
Gilbert Weidinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Developmental Toxicity ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
In Vivo Models ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Acid Fragment ◽  
Powerful Approach ◽  
Target Effects

Granulysin is an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) expressed by human T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Despite a remarkably broad antimicrobial spectrum, its implementation into clinical practice has been hampered by its large size and off-target effects. To circumvent these limitations, we synthesized a 29 amino acid fragment within the putative cytolytic site of Granulysin (termed “Gran1”). We evaluated the antimicrobial activity of Gran1 against the major human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and a panel of clinically relevant non-tuberculous mycobacteria which are notoriously difficult to treat. Gran1 efficiently inhibited the mycobacterial proliferation in the low micro molar range. Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy indicated that Gran1 interacts with the surface of Mtb, causing lethal distortions of the cell wall. Importantly, Gran1 showed no off-target effects (cytokine release, chemotaxis, cell death) in primary human cells or zebrafish embryos (cytotoxicity, developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, cardiotoxicity). Gran1 was selectively internalized by macrophages, the major host cell of Mtb, and restricted the proliferation of the pathogen. Our results demonstrate that the hypothesis-driven design of AMPs is a powerful approach for the identification of small bioactive compounds with specific antimicrobial activity. Gran1 is a promising component for the design of AMP-containing nanoparticles with selective activity and favorable pharmacokinetics to be pushed forward into experimental in vivo models of infectious diseases, most notably tuberculosis.

Extracellular Release of ILEI/FAM3C and Amyloid-β Is Associated with the Activation of Distinct Synapse Subpopulations

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Masaki Nakano ◽  
Yachiyo Mitsuishi ◽  
Lei Liu ◽  
Naoki Watanabe ◽  
Emi Hibino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Surrogate Marker ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Mesenchymal Transition ◽  
Extracellular Release ◽  
Activity Dependent ◽  
Aβ Production

Background: Brain amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide is released into the interstitial fluid (ISF) in a neuronal activity-dependent manner, and Aβ deposition in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is linked to baseline neuronal activity. Although the intrinsic mechanism for Aβ generation remains to be elucidated, interleukin-like epithelial-mesenchymal transition inducer (ILEI) is a candidate for an endogenous Aβ suppressor. Objective: This study aimed to access the mechanism underlying ILEI secretion and its effect on Aβ production in the brain. Methods: ILEI and Aβ levels in the cerebral cortex were monitored using a newly developed ILEI-specific ELISA and in vivo microdialysis in mutant human Aβ precursor protein-knockin mice. ILEI levels in autopsied brains and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured using ELISA. Results: Extracellular release of ILEI and Aβ was dependent on neuronal activation and specifically on tetanus toxin-sensitive exocytosis of synaptic vesicles. However, simultaneous monitoring of extracellular ILEI and Aβ revealed that a spontaneous fluctuation of ILEI levels appeared to inversely mirror that of Aβ levels. Selective activation and inhibition of synaptic receptors differentially altered these levels. The evoked activation of AMPA-type receptors resulted in opposing changes to ILEI and Aβ levels. Brain ILEI levels were selectively decreased in AD. CSF ILEI concentration correlated with that of Aβ and were reduced in AD and mild cognitive impairment. Conclusion: ILEI and Aβ are released from distinct subpopulations of synaptic terminals in an activity-dependent manner, and ILEI negatively regulates Aβ production in specific synapse types. CSF ILEI might represent a surrogate marker for the accumulation of brain Aβ.

scholarly journals Syncrip/hnRNP Q is required for activity-induced Msp300/Nesprin-1 expression and new synapse formation

2020 ◽  
Vol 219 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Titlow ◽  
Francesca Robertson ◽  
Aino Järvelin ◽  
David Ish-Horowicz ◽  
Carlas Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Posttranscriptional Regulation ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Synapse Formation ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Larval Neuromuscular Junction ◽  
Rnp Granules ◽  
Activity Dependent

Memory and learning involve activity-driven expression of proteins and cytoskeletal reorganization at new synapses, requiring posttranscriptional regulation of localized mRNA a long distance from corresponding nuclei. A key factor expressed early in synapse formation is Msp300/Nesprin-1, which organizes actin filaments around the new synapse. How Msp300 expression is regulated during synaptic plasticity is poorly understood. Here, we show that activity-dependent accumulation of Msp300 in the postsynaptic compartment of the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction is regulated by the conserved RNA binding protein Syncrip/hnRNP Q. Syncrip (Syp) binds to msp300 transcripts and is essential for plasticity. Single-molecule imaging shows that msp300 is associated with Syp in vivo and forms ribosome-rich granules that contain the translation factor eIF4E. Elevated neural activity alters the dynamics of Syp and the number of msp300:Syp:eIF4E RNP granules at the synapse, suggesting that these particles facilitate translation. These results introduce Syp as an important early acting activity-dependent regulator of a plasticity gene that is strongly associated with human ataxias.

scholarly journals All-optical electrophysiology with improved genetically encoded voltage indicators reveals interneuron network dynamics in vivo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
He Tian ◽  
Hunter C. Davis ◽  
J. David Wong-Campos ◽  
Linlin Z. Fan ◽  
Benjamin Gmeiner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gap Junction ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Voltage Imaging ◽  
All Optical ◽  
Precision Voltage ◽  
Coupling Strengths ◽  
Junction Coupling ◽  
Multiple Cells ◽  
Voltage Indicator

All-optical electrophysiology can be a powerful tool for studying neural dynamics in vivo, as it offers the ability to image and perturb membrane voltage in multiple cells simultaneously. The "Optopatch" constructs combine a red-shifted archaerhodopsin (Arch)-derived genetically encoded voltage indicator (GEVI) with a blue-shifted channelrhodopsin actuator (ChR). We used a video-based pooled screen to evolve Arch-derived GEVIs with improved signal-to-noise ratio (QuasAr6a) and kinetics (QuasAr6b). By combining optogenetic stimulation of individual cells with high-precision voltage imaging in neighboring cells, we mapped inhibitory and gap junction-mediated connections, in vivo. Optogenetic activation of a single NDNF-expressing neuron in visual cortex Layer 1 significantly suppressed the spike rate in some neighboring NDNF interneurons. Hippocampal PV cells showed near-synchronous spikes across multiple cells at a frequency significantly above what one would expect from independent spiking, suggesting that collective inhibitory spikes may play an important signaling role in vivo. By stimulating individual cells and recording from neighbors, we quantified gap junction coupling strengths. Together, these results demonstrate powerful new tools for all-optical microcircuit dissection in live mice.

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