Expression of EphA5 during development of the olfactory nerve pathway in rat

The role of the odorant receptors in the formation of the sensory map

In the olfactory system, odorant receptors (ORs) expressed at the cell membrane of olfactory sensory neurons detect odorants and direct sensory axons toward precise target locations in the brain, reflected in the presence of olfactory sensory maps. This dual role of ORs is corroborated by their subcellular expression both in cilia, where they bind odorants, and at axon terminals, a location suitable for axon guidance cues. Here, we provide an overview and discuss previous work on the role of ORs in establishing the topographic organization of the olfactory system and recent findings on the mechanisms of activation and function of axonal ORs.

c-Fos downregulation positively regulates EphA5 expression in a congenital hypothyroidism rat model

The EphA5 receptor is well established as an axon guidance molecule during neural system development and plays an important role in dendritic spine formation and synaptogenesis. Our previous study has showed that EphA5 is decreased in the developing brain of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) and the EphA5 promoter methylation modification participates in its decrease. c-Fos, a well-kown transcription factor, has been considered in association with brain development. Bioinformatics analysis showed that the EphA5 promoter region contained five putative c-fos binding sites. The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays were used to assess the direct binding of c-fos to the EphA5 promoter. Furthermore, dual-luciferase assays showed that these three c-fos protein binding sites were positive regulatory elements for EphA5 expression in PC12 cells. Moreover, We verified c-fos positively regulation for EphA5 expression in CH model. Q-PCR and Western blot showed that c-fos overexpression could upregulate EphA5 expression in hippocampal neurons of rats with CH. Our results suggest that c-fos positively regulates EphA5 expression in CH rat model.

EphA5 protein, a potential marker for distinguishing histological grade and prognosis in ovarian serous carcinoma

Background

Ovarian serous carcinoma (OSC) is the most common ovarian epithelial malignancy. Disregulation of Eph/ephrin signaling has been implicated in oncogenesis and tumor progression. EphA5 receptor is one of large families of Eph tyrosine kinase receptor and is documented in the development of nervous system. Till now, there is no published data about the role of EphA5 in ovarian epithelial neoplasmas.

Methods

This study aims to investigate the expression of EphA5 protein in ovarian serous carcinoma, and its relationship to clinical pathological characteristics. Sixty-one cases of ovarian serous carcinoma, 24 cases of benign ovarian serous tumors, 42 cases of serous borderline tumors and 20 cases of normal fallopian tubes were examined using immunohistochemical staining. The relationship between EphA5 expression and pathological parameters was analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival function was used to analyze prognosis of patients.

Results

Immunostaining analysis demonstrated that the EphA5 protein was highly expressed in 100% (20/20) of normal fallopian tube samples, 100% (24/24) of benign epithelial ovarian tumors, 76% (32/42) of ovarian serous borderline tumors, and 31% (19/61) of ovarian serous carcinomas. Loss of EphA5expression was associated with tumor grade (P < 0.001) and FIGO stage (P = 0.005). The survival analysis showed that patients with negative or weak expression of EphA5 protein had a poor outcome than those with positive expression (P = 0.004).

Conclusions

Our results show that EphA5 may be a potential biomarker for distinguishing high-and low-grade ovarian serous carcinoma and a potential prognostic marker.

EphrinA5 protein distribution in the developing mouse brain

Background

EphrinA5 is one of the best-studied members of the Eph-ephrin family of guidance molecules, known to be involved in brain developmental processes. Using in situ hybridization, ephrinA5 mRNA expression has been detected in the retinotectal, the thalamocortical, and the olfactory systems; however, no study focused on the distribution of the protein. Considering that this membrane-anchored molecule may act far from the neuron soma expressing the transcript, it is of a crucial interest to localize ephrinA5 protein to better understand its function.

Results

Using immunohistochemistry, we found that ephrinA5 protein is highly expressed in the developing mouse brain from E12.5 to E16.5. The olfactory bulb, the cortex, the striatum, the thalamus, and the colliculi showed high intensity of labelling, suggesting its implication in topographic mapping of olfactory, retinocollicular, thalamocortical, corticothalamic and mesostriatal systems. In the olfactory nerve, we found an early ephrinA5 protein expression at E12.5 suggesting its implication in the guidance of primary olfactory neurons into the olfactory bulb. In the thalamus, we detected a dynamic graduated protein expression, suggesting its role in the corticothalamic patterning, whereas ephrinA5 protein expression in the target region of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurones indicated its involvement in the mesostriatal topographic mapping. Following E16.5, the signal faded gradually and was barely detectable at P0, suggesting a main role for ephrinA5 in primary molecular events in topographic map formation.

Conclusion

Our work shows that ephrinA5 protein is expressed in restrictive regions of the developing mouse brain. This expression pattern points out the potential sites of action of this molecule in the olfactory, retinotectal, thalamocortical, corticothalamic and mesostriatal systems, during development. This study is essential to better understand the role of ephrinA5 during developmental topographic mapping of connections and to further characterise the mechanisms involved in pathway restoration following cell transplantation in the damaged brain.

Distribution of EphA5 receptor protein in the developing and adult mouse nervous system

The EphA5 receptor tyrosine kinase plays key roles in axon guidance during development. However, the presence of EphA5 protein in the nervous system has not been fully characterized. To examine EphA5 localization better, mutant mice, in which the EphA5 cytoplasmic domain was replaced with beta-galactosidase, were analyzed for both temporal and regional changes in the distribution of EphA5 protein in the developing and adult nervous system. During embryonic development, high levels of EphA5 protein were found in the retina, olfactory bulb, cerebral neocortex, hippocampus, pretectum, tectum, cranial nerve nuclei, and spinal cord. Variations in intensity were observed as development proceeded. Staining of pretectal nuclei, tectal nuclei, and other areas of the mesencephalon became more diffuse after maturity, whereas the cerebral neocortex gained more robust intensity. In the adult, receptor protein continued to be detected in many areas including the olfactory nuclei, neocortex, piriform cortex, induseum griseum, hippocampus, thalamus, amygdala, hypothalamus, and septum. In addition, EphA5 protein was found in the claustrum, stria terminalis, barrel cortex, and striatal patches, and along discrete axon tracts within the corpus callosum of the adult. We conclude that EphA5 function is not limited to the developing mouse brain and may play a role in synaptic plasticity in the adult.

Reverse signaling via a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-linked ephrin prevents midline crossing by migratory neurons during embryonic development in Manduca

We have investigated whether reverse signaling via a glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked ephrin controls the behavior of migratory neurons in vivo. During the formation of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in the moth Manduca, approximately 300 neurons [enteric plexus (EP) cells] migrate onto the midgut via bilaterally paired muscle bands but avoid adjacent midline regions. As they migrate, the EP cells express a single ephrin ligand (MsEphrin; a GPI-linked ligand), whereas the midline cells express the corresponding Eph receptor (MsEph). Blocking endogenous MsEphrin-MsEph receptor interactions in cultured embryos resulted in aberrant midline crossing by the neurons and their processes. In contrast, activating endogenous MsEphrin on the EP cells with dimeric MsEph-Fc constructs inhibited their migration and outgrowth, supporting a role for MsEphrin-dependent reverse signaling in this system. In short-term cultures, blocking endogenous MsEph receptors allowed filopodia from the growth cones of the neurons to invade the midline, whereas activating neuronal MsEphrin led to filopodial retraction. MsEphrin-dependent signaling may therefore guide the migratory enteric neurons by restricting the orientation of their leading processes. Knocking down MsEphrin expression in the EP cells with morpholino antisense oligonucleotides also induced aberrant midline crossing, consistent with the effects of blocking endogenous MsEphrin-MsEph interactions. Unexpectedly, this treatment enhanced the overall extent of migration, indicating that MsEphrin-dependent signaling may also modulate the general motility of the EP cells. These results demonstrate that MsEphrin-MsEph receptor interactions normally prevent midline crossing by migratory neurons within the developing ENS, an effect that is most likely mediated by reverse signaling through this GPI-linked ephrin ligand.

Coral disease diagnostics: what's between a plague and a band?

Recently, reports of coral disease have increased significantly across the world's tropical oceans. Despite increasing efforts to understand the changing incidence of coral disease, very few primary pathogens have been identified, and most studies remain dependent on the external appearance of corals for diagnosis. Given this situation, our current understanding of coral disease and the progression and underlying causes thereof is very limited. In the present study, we use structural and microbial studies to differentiate different forms of black band disease: atypical black band disease and typical black band disease. Atypical black band diseased corals were infected with the black band disease microbial consortium yet did not show any of the typical external signs of black band disease based on macroscopic observations. In previous studies, these examples, here referred to as atypical black band disease, would have not been correctly diagnosed. We also differentiate white syndrome from white diseases on the basis of tissue structure and the presence/absence of microbial associates. White diseases are those with dense bacterial communities associated with lesions of symbiont loss and/or extensive necrosis of tissues, while white syndromes are characteristically bacterium free, with evidence for extensive programmed cell death/apoptosis associated with the lesion and the adjacent tissues. The pathology of coral disease as a whole requires further investigation. This study emphasizes the importance of going beyond the external macroscopic signs of coral disease for accurate disease diagnosis.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization and spectral imaging of coral-associated bacterial communities

Microbial communities play important roles in the functioning of coral reef communities. However, extensive autofluorescence of coral tissues and endosymbionts limits the application of standard fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques for the identification of the coral-associated bacterial communities. This study overcomes these limitations by combining FISH and spectral imaging.

Cholecystokinin modulates migration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone-1 neurons

Expression of the brain-gut peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) in the developing olfactory-gonadotropin-releasing hormone-1 (GnRH-1) neuroendocrine systems was characterized, and the function of CCK in these systems was analyzed both in vivo and in vitro. We present novel data demonstrating that CCK transcript and protein are expressed in sensory cells in the developing olfactory epithelium and vomeronasal organ, with both ligand and receptors (CCK-1R and CCK-2R) found on olfactory axons throughout prenatal development. In addition, migrating GnRH-1 neurons in nasal regions express CCK-1R but not CCK-2R receptors. The role of CCK in olfactory-GnRH-1 system development was evaluated using nasal explants, after assessing that the in vivo expression of both CCK and CCK receptors was mimicked in this in vitro model. Exogenous application of CCK (10(-7) m) reduced both olfactory axon outgrowth and migration of GnRH-1 cells. This inhibition was mediated by CCK-1R receptors. Moreover, CCK-1R but not CCK-2R antagonism caused a shift in the location of GnRH-1 neurons, increasing the distance that the cells migrated. GnRH-1 neuronal migration in mice carrying a genetic deletion of either CCK-1R or CCK-2R receptor genes was also analyzed. At embryonic day 14.5, the total number of GnRH-1 cells was identical in wild-type and mutant mice; however, the number of GnRH-1 neurons within forebrain was significantly greater in CCK-1R-/- embryos, consistent with an accelerated migratory process. These results indicate that CCK provides an inhibitory influence on GnRH-1 neuronal migration, contributing to the appropriate entrance of these neuroendocrine cells into the brain, and thus represent the first report of a developmental role for CCK.

Interaxonal Eph-ephrin signaling may mediate sorting of olfactory sensory axons in Manduca sexta

We have investigated possible roles of the Eph family receptor tyrosine kinases and their ligand ephrins in the developing primary olfactory nerve pathway in the moth Manduca sexta. The Manduca homologs of the Eph receptor (MsEph) and ephrin ligand (MsEphrin) are most closely related to Drosophila Eph and ephrin, respectively. In situ labeling with Fc-fusion probes, in which IgG Fc was linked to the extracellular domain of MsEph (Eph-Fc) or MsEphrin (ephrin-Fc), reveals that both Eph receptors and ephrins are expressed on axons of olfactory receptor cells (ORCs) during their ingrowth to the primary center, the antennal lobe (AL). Interestingly, Eph receptors and ephrins are differentially distributed among identifiable glomeruli such that glomeruli with high receptor staining show little or no ligand staining, and vice versa, suggesting a complementary Eph-ephrin expression by subsets of ORC axons innervating a particular set of glomeruli. In contrast, neither Eph receptors nor ephrins are detectable in intrinsic components of the AL. In vitro, ephrin-Fc and Eph-Fc, when present homogeneously in the substratum, inhibit neurite outgrowth from olfactory epithelial explants. Moreover, in patterned substratum, neurites growing on the standard substratum turn or stop after encountering the test substratum containing ephrin-Fc. These in vitro observations indicate that MsEphrin can act as an inhibitor/repulsive cue for ORC axons. Based on results from in situ and in vitro experiments, we hypothesize that Eph receptors and ephrins mediate axon sorting and fasciculation through repulsive axon-axon interactions.

Specificity of glomerular targeting by olfactory sensory axons

Axons from olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) expressing a specific odorant receptor (OR) project to specific subsets of glomeruli in the olfactory bulb (for review, see Mombaerts, 1999, 2001). The aim of this study was to examine the trajectories that subsets of axons from OSNs expressing the same OR follow within the olfactory nerve and olfactory nerve layer (ONL) of adult mice. Using confocal microscopy, we generated serial reconstructions of axons from M72-IRES-tauGFP-expressing OSNs as they coursed within the ONL and into glomeruli. GFP-expressing axons were loosely aggregated in the outer ONL; however, as they entered the inner ONL, the majority fasciculated with other GFP-expressing axons before entering the glomerular neuropil. Although the vast majority of axons entered the glomerulus from the directly apposed ONL, some followed tortuous courses through and/or around adjacent glomeruli before terminating in the target glomerulus. Similar observations were made on subpopulations of axons in M71-IRES-tauGFP and P2-IRES-tauGFP mice. Ultrastructural analyses of labeled M72 glomeruli showed no evidence of axodendritic synapses other than those with GFP-labeled axon terminals. These data are consistent with the notion that OSN axons are highly precise in targeting glomeruli and that glomeruli, in turn, are highly homogeneous with regard to the OR expressed by the innervating OSNs. Because some single axons could follow idiosyncratic trajectories to the target glomerulus, it appears that stable homotypic fasciculation is not a prerequisite for correct targeting.