Activation of 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors in the rat nucleus tractus solitarius: opposing action on neurones that receive an excitatory vagal C-fibre afferent input.
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ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Central 5-HT-containing pathways are known to be important in cardiovascular regulation and a crucial area for this regulation is the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), which contains many of the known 5-HT receptor subtypes. In this study the role of 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(1D) receptors, targets for the antimigraine drugs known collectively as triptans, was examined in the NTS. EXPERIMENT APPROACH: Extracellular recordings were made, in anaesthetized rats, from 109 NTS neurones that were excited by electrical stimulation of the vagus and drugs were applied ionophoretically to these neurones. KEY RESULTS: The 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor agonist sumatriptan applied to 64 neurones produced a 64% reduction in the firing rate of 54 of these neurones. Ketanserin, a 5-HT(1D/2A) receptor antagonist, alone had little effect, but co-applied with sumatriptan significantly attenuated this inhibition, whilst co-application of the 5-HT(1B) receptor antagonist GR55562 resulted in potentiation of this inhibition. Sumatriptan also caused a 25% reduction in vagal afferent evoked activity as well as that caused by stimulation of cardiopulmonary afferents. In another 41 neurones the 5-HT(1B) receptor agonist CP-93 129 produced a doubling of the background firing rate in 31 of these neurones and a significant increase in both vagal afferent evoked activity and that evoked by cardiopulmonary afferent activation. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Activation of 5-HT(1B) and 5-HT(1D) receptors have opposing actions on NTS neurones of excitation and inhibition, respectively. As both receptors are negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase this would indicate that they have different anatomical locations within NTS.
Project description:Endogenous nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in the regulation of neuronal activity which mediates cardiovascular reflexes. However, there is controversy concerning the role of NO in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS). The present study aims to elucidate the possible physiological role of endogenous NO in modulating the excitatory vagal afferent input to NTS neurons.All the experiments in the rat were conducted under anaesthetic conditions. Ionophoresis method was used for the application of NO donor or nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, and single unit recording method was employed to detect the effects of these applications on vagal afferent- or cardio-pulmonary C-fibre reflex-evoked neuronal excitation in NTS.Ionophoresis applications of L-arginine (L-Arg), a substrate of NOS, and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, both attenuated the vagal afferent-evoked discharge by (51.5+/-7.6)% (n = 17) and (68.3+/-7.1)% (n = 9), respectively. In contrast, application of D-Arg at the same current exerted no overall effect on this input. Also, both L-Arg and SNP inhibited spontaneous firing of most of the recorded neurons. In contrast, ionophoresis application of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) enhanced vagal afferent-evoked excitation by (66.3+/-11.4)% (n = 7). In addition, ionophoresis application of L-Arg and SNP significantly attenuated cardio-pulmonary C-fibre reflex-induced excitation in the tested NTS neurons.Activation of local NO pathway in the NTS could suppress vagal afferent-evoked excitation, suggesting that NO is an important neuromodulator of visceral sensory input in the NTS.
Project description:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is characterized by extensive local tumor invasion, metastasis and early systemic dissemination. The vast majority of pancreatic cancer (PaCa) patients already have metastatic complications at the time of diagnosis, and the death rate of this lethal type of cancer has increased over the past decades. Thus, efforts at identifying novel molecularly targeted therapies are priorities. Recent studies have suggested that serotonin (5-HT) contributes to the tumor growth in a variety of cancers including prostate, colon, bladder and liver cancer. However, there is lack of evidence about the impact of 5-HT receptors on promoting pancreatic cancer. Having considered the role of 5-HT-1 receptors, especially 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D subtypes in different types of malignancies, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors in PaCa growth and progression and analyze their potential as cytotoxic targets. We found that knockdown of 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors expression, using specific small interfering RNA (siRNA), induced significant inhibition of proliferation and clonogenicity of PaCa cells. Also, it significantly suppressed PaCa cells invasion and reduced the activity of uPAR/MMP-2 signaling and Integrin/Src/Fak-mediated signaling, as integral tumor cell pathways associated with invasion, migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Moreover, targeting 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors down-regulates zinc finger ZEB1 and Snail proteins, the hallmarks transcription factors regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), concomitantly with up-regulating of claudin-1 and E-Cadherin. In conclusion, our data suggests that 5-HT1B- and 5-HT1D-mediated signaling play an important role in the regulation of the proliferative and invasive phenotype of PaCa. It also highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting of 5-HT1B/1D receptors in the treatment of PaCa, and opens a new avenue for biomarkers identification, and valuable new therapeutic targets for managing pancreatic cancer.
Project description:Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is characterized by extensive local tumor invasion, metastasis and early systemic dissemination. The vast majority of pancreatic cancer (PaCa) patients already have metastatic complications at the time of diagnosis, and the death rate of this lethal type of cancer has increased over the past decades. Thus, efforts at identifying novel molecularly targeted therapies are priorities. Recent studies have suggested that serotonin (5-HT) contributes to the tumor growth in a variety of cancers including prostate, colon, bladder and liver cancer. However, there is lack of evidence about the impact of 5-HT receptors on promoting pancreatic cancer. Having considered the role of 5-HT-1 receptors, especially 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D subtypes in different types of malignancies, the aim of this study was to investigate the role of 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors in PaCa growth and progression and analyze their potential as cytotoxic targets. We found that knockdown of 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors expression, using specific small interfering RNA (siRNA), induced significant inhibition of proliferation and clonogenicity of PaCa cells. Also, it significantly suppressed PaCa cells invasion and reduced the activity of uPAR/MMP-2 signaling and Integrin/Src/Fak-mediated signaling, as integral tumor cell pathways associated with invasion, migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Moreover, targeting 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors down-regulates zinc finger ZEB1 and Snail proteins, the hallmarks transcription factors regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), concomitantly with up-regulating of claudin-1 and E-Cadherin. In conclusion, our data suggests that 5-HT1B- and 5-HT1D- mediated signaling play an important role in the regulation of the proliferative and invasive phenotype of PaCa. It also highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting of 5-HT1B/1D receptors in the treatment of PaCa, and opens a new avenue for biomarkers identification, and valuable new therapeutic targets for managing pancreatic cancer.
Project description:Processing in cortical circuits is driven by combinations of cortical and subcortical inputs. These inputs are often conceptually categorized as bottom-up, conveying sensory information, and top-down, conveying contextual information. Using intracellular recordings in mouse primary visual cortex, we measured neuronal responses to visual input, locomotion, and visuomotor mismatches. We show that layer 2/3 (L2/3) neurons compute a difference between top-down motor-related input and bottom-up visual flow input. Most L2/3 neurons responded to visuomotor mismatch with either hyperpolarization or depolarization, and the size of this response was correlated with distinct physiological properties. Consistent with a subtraction of bottom-up and top-down input, visual and motor-related inputs had opposing influence on L2/3 neurons. In infragranular neurons, we found no evidence of a difference computation and responses were consistent with positive integration of visuomotor inputs. Our results provide evidence that L2/3 functions as a bidirectional comparator of top-down and bottom-up input.
Project description:The gut-brain axis embodies the bi-directional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system (CNS), where vagal afferent neurons (VANs) serve as sensors for a variety of gut-derived signals. The gut is colonized by a large and diverse population of microorganisms that communicate via small (effector) molecules, which also act on the VAN terminals situated in the gut viscera and consequently influence many CNS processes. However, the convoluted in vivo environment makes it difficult to study the causative impact of the effector molecules on VAN activation or desensitization. Here, we report on a VAN culture and its proof-of-principle demonstration as a cell-based sensor to monitor the influence of gastrointestinal effector molecules on neuronal behavior. We initially compared the effect of surface coatings (poly-L-lysine vs. Matrigel) and culture media composition (serum vs. growth factor supplement) on neurite growth as a surrogate of VAN regeneration following tissue harvesting, where the Matrigel coating, but not the media composition, played a significant role in the increased neurite growth. We then used both live-cell calcium imaging and extracellular electrophysiological recordings to show that the VANs responded to classical effector molecules of endogenous and exogenous origin (cholecystokinin serotonin and capsaicin) in a complex fashion. We expect this study to enable platforms for screening various effector molecules and their influence on VAN activity, assessed by their information-rich electrophysiological fingerprints.
Project description:The aim of this study was to elucidate the role and the pathways used by bile acid receptor TGR5 in transmitting satiety signals. We showed TGR5 colocalized with cholecystokinin type A (CCK-A) receptors in a subpopulation of rat nodose ganglia (NG) neurons. Intra-arterial injection of deoxycholic acid (DCA) dose-dependently increased firing rate in NG while a subthreshold dose of DCA and CCK-8 increased firing rates synergistically. TGR5-specific agonist oleanolic acid induced NG neuronal firing in a dose-dependent manner. However, the same units did not respond to GW4064, a nuclear receptor-specific agonist. Quantity of DCA-activated neurons in the hypothalamus was determined by c-Fos expression. Combining DCA and CCK-8 caused a 4-fold increase in c-Fos activation. In the arcuate nucleus, c-Fos-positive neurons coexpressed cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript and proopiomelanocortin. DCA-induced c-Fos expression was eliminated following truncal vagotomy or silencing of TGR5 in the NG. Feeding studies showed intravenous injection of 1 μg/kg of DCA reduced food intake by 12% ± 3%, 24% ± 5%, and 32% ± 6% in the first 3 hours, respectively. Silencing of TGR5 or CCK-A receptor in the NG enhanced spontaneous feeding by 18% ± 2% and 13.5% ± 2.4%, respectively. When both TGR5 and CCK-A receptor were silenced, spontaneous feeding was enhanced by 37% ± 4% in the first 3 hours, suggesting that bile acid may have a physiological role in regulating satiety. Working in concert with CCK, bile acid synergistically enhanced satiety signals to reduce spontaneous feeding.
Project description:BackgroundVagal afferent neurons represent the key neurosensory branch of the gut-brain axis, which describes the bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal system and the brain. These neurons are important for detecting and relaying sensory information from the periphery to the central nervous system to modulate feeding behavior, metabolism, and inflammation. Confounding variables complicate the process of isolating the role of the vagal afferents in mediating these physiological processes. Therefore, we developed a microfluidic model of the sensory branch of the gut-brain axis. We show that this microfluidic model successfully compartmentalizes the cell body and neurite terminals of the neurons, thereby simulates the anatomical layout of these neurons to more accurately study physiologically-relevant processes.MethodsWe implemented a primary rat vagal afferent neuron culture into a microfluidic platform consisting of two concentric chambers interconnected with radial microchannels. The microfluidic platform separated cell bodies from neurite terminals of vagal afferent neurons. We then introduced physiologically-relevant gastrointestinal effector molecules at the nerve terminals and assessed their retrograde transport along the neurite or capacity to elicit an electrophysiological response using live cell calcium imaging.ResultsThe angle of microchannel outlets dictated the probability of neurites growing into a chamber versus tracking along chamber walls. When the neurite terminals were exposed to fluorescently-labeled cholera toxin subunit B, the proteins were taken up and retrogradely transported along the neurites over the course of 24 h. Additionally, mechanical perturbation (e.g., rinsing) of the neurite terminals significantly increased intracellular calcium concentration in the distal soma. Finally, membrane-displayed receptor for capsaicin was expressed and trafficked along newly projected neurites, as revealed by confocal microscopy.ConclusionsIn this work, we developed a microfluidic device that can recapitulate the anatomical layout of vagal afferent neurons in vitro. We demonstrated two physiologically-relevant applications of the platforms: retrograde transport and electrophysiological response. We expect this tool to enable controlled studies on the role of vagal afferent neurons in the gut-brain axis.
Project description:Vagal afferent neurons (VAN), located in the nodose ganglion (NG) innervate the gut and terminate in the nucleus of solitary tract (NTS) in the brainstem. They are the primary sensory neurons integrating gut-derived signals to regulate meal size. Chronic high-fat diet (HFD) consumption impairs vagally mediated satiety, resulting in overfeeding. There is evidence that HFD consumption leads to alterations in both vagal nerve function and structural integrity. HFD also leads to marked gut microbiota dysbiosis; in rodent models, dysbiosis is sufficient to induce weight gain. In this study, we investigated the effect of microbiota dysbiosis on gut-brain vagal innervation independently of diet. To do so, we recolonized microbiota-depleted rats with gastrointestinal (GI) contents isolated from donor animals fed either a HFD (45 or 60% fat) or a low fat diet (LFD, 13% fat). We used two different depletion models while maintaining the animals on LFD: 1) conventionally raised Fischer and Wistar rats that underwent a depletion paradigm using an antibiotic cocktail and 2) germ free (GF) raised Fischer rats. Following recolonization, receiver animals were designated as ConvLF and ConvHF. Fecal samples were collected throughout these studies and analyzed via 16S Illumina sequencing. In both models, bacteria that were identified as characteristic of HFD were successfully transferred to recipient animals. Three weeks post-colonization, ConvHF rats showed significant increases in ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule-1 (Iba1) positive immune cells in the NG compared to ConvLF animals. Additionally, using isolectin B4 (IB4) staining to identify c-fibers, we found that, compared to ConvLF animals, ConvHF rats displayed decreased innervation at the level of the medial NTS; c-fibers at this level are believed to be primarily of vagal origin. This alteration in vagal structure was associated with a loss in satiety induced by the gut peptide cholecystokinin (CCK). Increased presence of immunocompetent Iba1+ cells along the gut-brain axis and alterations in NTS innervation were still evident in ConvHF rats compared to ConvLF animals 12 weeks post-colonization and were associated with increases in food intake and body weight (BW). We conclude from these data that microbiota dysbiosis can alter gut-brain vagal innervation, potentially via recruitment and/or activation of immune cells.
Project description:GPR40/FFAR1 is a Gq protein-coupled receptor expressed in pancreatic β cells and enteroendocrine cells, and mediates insulin and incretin secretion to regulate feeding behavior. Several GPR40 full agonists have been reported to reduce food intake in rodents by regulating gut hormone secretion in addition to their potent glucose-lowering effects; however, detailed mechanisms of feeding suppression are still unknown. In the present study, we characterized T-3601386, a novel compound with potent full agonistic activity for GPR40, by using in vitro Ca2+ mobilization assay in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing FFAR1 and in vivo hormone secretion assay. We also evaluated feeding suppression and weight loss after the administration of T-3601386 and investigated the involvement of the vagal nerve in these effects. T-3601386, but not a partial agonist fasiglifam, increased intracellular Ca2+ levels in CHO cells with low FFAR1 expression, and single dosing of T-3601386 in diet-induced obese (DIO) rats elevated plasma incretin levels, suggesting full agonistic properties of T-3601386 against GPR40. Multiple doses of T-3601386, but not fasiglifam, in DIO rats showed dose-dependent weight loss accompanied by feeding suppression and durable glucagon-like peptide-1 elevation, all of which were completely abolished in Ffar1-/- mice. Immunohistochemical analysis in the nuclei of the solitary tract demonstrated that T-3601386 increased the number of c-Fos positive cells, which also disappeared in Ffar1-/- mice. Surgical vagotomy and drug-induced deafferentation counteracted the feeding suppression and weight loss induced by the administration of T-3601386. These results suggest that T-3601386 exerts incretin release and weight loss in a GPR40-dependent manner, and that afferent vagal nerves are important for the feeding suppression induced by GPR40 full agonism. Our novel findings raise the possibility that GPR40 full agonist can induce periphery-derived weight reduction, which may provide benefits such as less adverse effects in central nervous system compared to centrally-acting anti-obesity drugs.
Project description:Both inhibitory (satiety) and stimulatory (orexigenic) factors from the gastrointestinal tract regulate food intake. In the case of the satiety hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), these effects are mediated via vagal afferent neurons. We now report that vagal afferent neurons expressing the CCK-1 receptor also express cannabinoid CB1 receptors. Retrograde tracing established that these neurons project to the stomach and duodenum. The expression of CB1 receptors determined by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization in rat nodose ganglia was increased by withdrawal of food for > or =12 hr. After refeeding of fasted rats there was a rapid loss of CB1 receptor expression identified by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. These effects were blocked by administration of the CCK-1 receptor antagonist lorglumide and mimicked by administration of CCK to fasted rats. Because CCK is a satiety factor that acts via the vagus nerve and CB1 agonists stimulate food intake, the data suggest a new mechanism modulating the effect on food intake of satiety signals from the gastrointestinal tract.