scholarly journals The GluN2A subunit of the NMDA receptor modulates the rate of functional maturation in parvalbumin-positive interneurons

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad R Camp ◽  
Lindsey Shapiro ◽  
Anna Vlachos ◽  
Riley E Perszyk ◽  
Nima Shariatzadeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Expression Pattern ◽  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Neuronal Development ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Gabaergic Interneuron ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Action Potential Firing ◽  
Potential Firing

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are excitatory glutamate-gated ion channels that are expressed throughout the central nervous system. NMDARs mediate calcium entry into cells, and are involved in a host of neurological functions, including neuronal development and maturation. The GluN2A subunit, encoded by the GRIN2A gene, has a slightly delayed expression pattern, with low transcript levels during embryonic development that peak in the early neonatal period. Given its unique expression pattern and ability to speed up the synaptic time course after incorporation into the postsynaptic density compared to other GluN2 subunits, the GluN2A subunit is well positioned to participate in synaptic maturation and circuit refinement. By using Grin2a knockout mice, we show that the loss of GluN2A signaling impacts parvalbumin-positive GABAergic interneuron development in the hippocampal CA1 subfield. Specifically, Grin2a knockout mice have 33% more parvalbumin-positive cells in CA1 compared to wild type controls, with no impact on cholecystokinin-positive cell density. By using immunohistochemical colocalization staining and electrophysiological recordings, we demonstrate that these excess parvalbumin cells do eventually incorporate into the hippocampal network and participate in phasic inhibition, although their presynaptic release probability may be dampened. Moreover, we show that although the morphology of Grin2a knockout parvalbumin-positive cells is unaffected, key measures of intrinsic excitability and action-potential firing properties show age-dependent alterations. Preadolescent (P20-25) parvalbumin-positive cells have an increased input resistance, longer membrane time constant, longer action-potential half-width, a lower current threshold for depolarization-induced block of action-potential firing, and a decrease in peak action-potential firing rate. Each of these electrophysiological measures becomes corrected in adulthood, reaching wild type levels, suggesting a delay of electrophysiological maturation. The circuit and behavioral implications of delayed parvalbumin-positive interneuron maturation are not known; however, we find that neonatal Grin2a knockout mice are more susceptible to lipopolysaccharide and febrile-induced seizures, consistent with a critical role for early GluN2A signaling in neuronal development and maintenance of excitatory-inhibitory balance. These results could provide insights into how loss-of-function GRIN2A human variants can generate an epileptic phenotype.

scholarly journals pigkMutation underliesmachobehavior and affects Rohon-Beard cell excitability

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (2) ◽  
pp. 1146-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Carmean ◽  
M. A. Yonkers ◽  
M. B. Tellez ◽  
J. R. Willer ◽  
G. B. Willer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Sensory Neurons ◽  
Sodium Current ◽  
Genetic Defect ◽  
Sensory Cells ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Action Potential Firing ◽  
Potential Firing ◽  
Touch Response

The study of touch-evoked behavior allows investigation of both the cells and circuits that generate a response to tactile stimulation. We investigate a touch-insensitive zebrafish mutant, macho (maco), previously shown to have reduced sodium current amplitude and lack of action potential firing in sensory neurons. In the genomes of mutant but not wild-type embryos, we identify a mutation in the pigk gene. The encoded protein, PigK, functions in attachment of glycophosphatidylinositol anchors to precursor proteins. In wild-type embryos, pigk mRNA is present at times when mutant embryos display behavioral phenotypes. Consistent with the predicted loss of function induced by the mutation, knock-down of PigK phenocopies maco touch insensitivity and leads to reduced sodium current (INa) amplitudes in sensory neurons. We further test whether the genetic defect in pigk underlies the maco phenotype by overexpressing wild-type pigk in mutant embryos. We find that ubiquitous expression of wild-type pigk rescues the touch response in maco mutants. In addition, for maco mutants, expression of wild-type pigk restricted to sensory neurons rescues sodium current amplitudes and action potential firing in sensory neurons. However, expression of wild-type pigk limited to sensory cells of mutant embryos does not allow rescue of the behavioral touch response. Our results demonstrate an essential role for pigk in generation of the touch response beyond that required for maintenance of proper INa density and action potential firing in sensory neurons.

scholarly journals Interneuron dysfunction in a new knock-in mouse model of SCN1A GEFS+

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antara Das ◽  
Bingyao Zhu ◽  
Yunyao Xie ◽  
Lisha Zeng ◽  
An T. Pham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Pyramidal Neurons ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Inhibitory Interneurons ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Action Potential Firing ◽  
Potential Firing ◽  
Acute Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Firing Properties ◽  
Genetic Epilepsies

AbstractAdvances in genome sequencing have identified over 1300 mutations in the SCN1A sodium channel gene that result in genetic epilepsies. However, how individual mutations within SCN1A produce seizures remains elusive for most mutations. Previous work from our lab has shown that the K1270T (KT) mutation, which is linked to GEFS+ (Genetic Epilepsy with Febrile Seizure plus) in humans, causes reduced firing of GABAergic neurons in a Drosophila knock-in model. To examine the effect of this mutation in mammals, we introduced the equivalent KT mutation into the mouse Scn1a (Scn1aKT) gene using CRISPR/Cas9. Mouse lines carrying this mutation were examined in two widely used genetic backgrounds, C57BL/6NJ and 129×1/SvJ. In both backgrounds, homozygous mutants had spontaneous seizures and died by postnatal day 23. There was no difference in the lifespan of mice heterozygous for the mutation in either background when compared to wild-type littermates up to 6 months. Heterozygous mutants had heat-induced seizures at ~42 deg. Celsius, a temperature that did not induce seizures in wild-type littermates. In acute hippocampal slices, current-clamp recordings revealed a significant depolarized shift in action potential threshold and reduced action potential amplitude in parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons in Scn1aKT/+ mice. There was no change in the firing properties of excitatory CA1 pyramidal neurons. Our results indicate that Scn1aKT/+ mice develop seizures, and impaired action potential firing of inhibitory interneurons in Scn1aKT/+ mice may produce hyperexcitability in the hippocampus.

Light-Induced Depolarization of Neurons Using a Modified Shaker K+ Channel and a Molecular Photoswitch

2006 ◽  
Vol 96 (5) ◽  
pp. 2792-2796 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Chambers ◽  
Matthew R. Banghart ◽  
Dirk Trauner ◽  
Richard H. Kramer
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Light Stimulus ◽  
K Channel ◽  
Nonselective Cation Channel ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Action Potential Firing ◽  
Potential Firing ◽  
Stimulation Method ◽  
Trigger Action

To trigger action potentials in neurons, most investigators use electrical or chemical stimulation. Here we describe an optical stimulation method based on semi-synthetic light-activated ion channels. These SPARK (synthetic photoisomerizable azobenzene-regulated K+) channels consist of a synthetic azobenzene-containing photoswitch and a genetically modified Shaker K+ channel protein. SPARK channels with a wild-type selectivity filter elicit hyperpolarization and suppress action potential firing when activated by 390 nm light. A mutation in the pore converts the K+-selective Shaker channel into a nonselective cation channel. Activation of this modified channel with the same wavelength of light elicits depolarization of the membrane potential. Expression of these depolarizing SPARK channels in neurons allows light to rapidly and reversibly trigger action potential firing. Hence, hyper- and depolarizing SPARK channels provide a means for eliciting opposite effects on neurons in response to the same light stimulus.

scholarly journals Zinc Enhances the Inhibitory Effects of Strychnine-Sensitive Glycine Receptors in Mouse Hippocampal Neurons

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (6) ◽  
pp. 3666-3676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai Xia Zhang ◽  
Liu Lin Thio
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Action Potentials ◽  
Hippocampal Neurons ◽  
Neuronal Excitability ◽  
Hippocampal Slices ◽  
Glycine Receptors ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Action Potential Firing ◽  
Embryonic Mouse ◽  
Potential Firing

Although extracellular Zn2+ is an endogenous biphasic modulator of strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors (GlyRs), the physiological significance of this modulation remains poorly understood. Zn2+ modulation of GlyR may be especially important in the hippocampus where presynaptic Zn2+ is abundant. Using cultured embryonic mouse hippocampal neurons, we examined whether 1 μM Zn2+, a potentiating concentration, enhances the inhibitory effects of GlyRs activated by sustained glycine applications. Sustained 20 μM glycine (EC25) applications alone did not decrease the number of action potentials evoked by depolarizing steps, but they did in 1 μM Zn2+. At least part of this effect resulted from Zn2+ enhancing the GlyR-induced decrease in input resistance. Sustained 20 μM glycine applications alone did not alter neuronal bursting, a form of hyperexcitability induced by omitting extracellular Mg2+. However, sustained 20 μM glycine applications depressed neuronal bursting in 1 μM Zn2+. Zn2+ did not enhance the inhibitory effects of sustained 60 μM glycine (EC70) applications in these paradigms. These results suggest that tonic GlyR activation could decrease neuronal excitability. To test this possibility, we examined the effect of the GlyR antagonist strychnine and the Zn2+ chelator tricine on action potential firing by CA1 pyramidal neurons in mouse hippocampal slices. Co-applying strychnine and tricine slightly but significantly increased the number of action potentials fired during a depolarizing current step and decreased the rheobase for action potential firing. Thus Zn2+ may modulate neuronal excitability normally and in pathological conditions such as seizures by potentiating GlyRs tonically activated by low agonist concentrations.

scholarly journals The thalamic low-threshold Ca 2+ potential: a key determinant of the local and global dynamics of the slow (<1 Hz) sleep oscillation in thalamocortical networks

2011 ◽  
Vol 369 (1952) ◽  
pp. 3820-3839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Crunelli ◽  
Adam C. Errington ◽  
Stuart W. Hughes ◽  
Tibor I. Tóth
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
Slow Oscillation ◽  
Global Dynamics ◽  
Action Potential Firing ◽  
Local And Global Dynamics ◽  
Up States ◽  
Potential Firing ◽  
Low Threshold

During non-rapid eye movement sleep and certain types of anaesthesia, neurons in the neocortex and thalamus exhibit a distinctive slow (<1 Hz) oscillation that consists of alternating UP and DOWN membrane potential states and which correlates with a pronounced slow (<1 Hz) rhythm in the electroencephalogram. While several studies have claimed that the slow oscillation is generated exclusively in neocortical networks and then transmitted to other brain areas, substantial evidence exists to suggest that the full expression of the slow oscillation in an intact thalamocortical (TC) network requires the balanced interaction of oscillator systems in both the neocortex and thalamus. Within such a scenario, we have previously argued that the powerful low-threshold Ca 2+ potential (LTCP)-mediated burst of action potentials that initiates the UP states in individual TC neurons may be a vital signal for instigating UP states in related cortical areas. To investigate these issues we constructed a computational model of the TC network which encompasses the important known aspects of the slow oscillation that have been garnered from earlier in vivo and in vitro experiments. Using this model we confirm that the overall expression of the slow oscillation is intricately reliant on intact connections between the thalamus and the cortex. In particular, we demonstrate that UP state-related LTCP-mediated bursts in TC neurons are proficient in triggering synchronous UP states in cortical networks, thereby bringing about a synchronous slow oscillation in the whole network. The importance of LTCP-mediated action potential bursts in the slow oscillation is also underlined by the observation that their associated dendritic Ca 2+ signals are the only ones that inform corticothalamic synapses of the TC neuron output, since they, but not those elicited by tonic action potential firing, reach the distal dendritic sites where these synapses are located.

scholarly journals Regulation of the cognitive aging process by the transcriptional repressor RP58

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoko Tanaka ◽  
Shinobu Hirai ◽  
Hiroyuki Manabe ◽  
Kentaro Endo ◽  
Hiroko Shimbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Dna Repair ◽  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Harmful Effect ◽  
Transcriptional Repressor ◽  
Repair Pathway ◽  
Wild Type

Aging involves a decline in physiology which is a natural event in all living organisms. An accumulation of DNA damage contributes to the progression of aging. DNA is continually damaged by exogenous sources and endogenous sources. If the DNA repair pathway operates normally, DNA damage is not life threatening. However, impairments of the DNA repair pathway may result in an accumulation of DNA damage, which has a harmful effect on health and causes an onset of pathology. RP58, a zinc-finger transcriptional repressor, plays a critical role in cerebral cortex formation. Recently, it has been reported that the expression level of RP58 decreases in the aged human cortex. Furthermore, the role of RP58 in DNA damage is inferred by the involvement of DNMT3, which acts as a co-repressor for RP58, in DNA damage. Therefore, RP58 may play a crucial role in the DNA damage associated with aging. In the present study, we investigated the role of RP58 in aging. We used RP58 hetero-knockout and wild-type mice in adolescence, adulthood, or old age. We performed immunohistochemistry to determine whether microglia and DNA damage markers responded to the decline in RP58 levels. Furthermore, we performed an object location test to measure cognitive function, which decline with age. We found that the wild-type mice showed an increase in single-stranded DNA and gamma-H2AX foci. These results indicate an increase in DNA damage or dysfunction of DNA repair mechanisms in the hippocampus as age-related changes. Furthermore, we found that, with advancing age, both the wild-type and hetero-knockout mice showed an impairment of spatial memory for the object and increase in reactive microglia in the hippocampus. However, the RP58 hetero-knockout mice showed these symptoms earlier than the wild-type mice did. These results suggest that a decline in RP58 level may lead to the progression of aging.

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