Optogenetic Control of Airway Cholinergic Neurons In Vivo.

ABSTRACT: Dysregulation of airway nerves leads to airway hyperreactivity, a hallmark of asthma. Although changes to nerve density and phenotype have been described in asthma, the relevance of these changes to nerve function has not been investigated due to anatomical limitations where afferent and efferent nerves run in the same nerve trunk, making it difficult to assess their independent contributions. We developed a unique and accessible system to activate specific airway nerves to investigate their function in mouse models of airway disease. We describe a method to specifically activate cholinergic neurons using light, resulting in immediate, measurable increases in airway inflation pressure and decreases in heart rate. Expression of light-activated channelrhodopsin 2 in these neurons is governed

SUBMITTER: Pincus AB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7110977 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature