Retraction and degeneration of sympathetic neurites in response to locally elevated potassium

A multielectrode microcompartment culture platform for studying signal transduction in the nervous system

This paper describes the design, fabrication, and characterization of a microfabricated compartmented culture system (micro-CCS) useful for electrophysiological signaling studies in cultured neurons. The focus of the paper is the process of interfacing the micro-CCS with cultured neurons and to demonstrate the applicability of the system for biochemical-mediated electrophysiological studies. Moreover, we show that we can record action potentials from cultured neurons through the extracellular compartmented application of elevated levels of K(+) ions. Finally, we show that we can isolate the electrophysiological effects of the sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin in one of the compartments of a two compartment culture while recording electrophysiological data from both compartments.

Axonal degeneration and regeneration in rat uterus during the estrous cycle

Uterine innervation of the adult virgin rat changes throughout the estrous cycle. Nerves immunoreactive for the pan-neuronal marker protein gene product 9.5 and the sympathetic marker dopamine beta-hydroxylase are maximal at diestrus and minimal at estrus, whereas presumptive sensory and parasympathetic axons are unchanged. In the present study, we used quantitative electron microscopy to determine if depletion of immunoreactive nerves from the myometrium is due to loss of structurally intact axons, and whether this occurs through degeneration or retraction. Numbers of intact myometrial axons per unit sectional area were greatest at diestrus and least at estrus, while myometrial area was smallest at diestrus and greatest at estrus. However, depletion of intact axons at estrus was evident even after correcting for changes in uterine size. Varicosities adjacent to smooth muscle cells did not vary significantly with respect to their ultrastructural features or distance to the nearest smooth muscle target cell. Because retracting axons show increases in organelle content and distances to target cells, retraction probably does not play a major role in reducing uterine innervation. In contrast, axons with ultrastructural features consistent with degeneration (organelle and axolemmal disintegration, abnormal electron opacity, dense inclusion bodies) were significantly increased at proestrus and estrus. Growth cones were observed only at metestrus and diestrus. We conclude that cyclical degeneration and regeneration of myometrial innervation is a normal feature of the virgin adult rat.

Beta-amyloid induces local neurite degeneration in cultured hippocampal neurons: evidence for neuritic apoptosis

Many apoptotic insults, including beta-amyloid, cause neuritic degeneration. The possibility that apoptotic insults act directly on neurites was investigated in experiments using compartmented cultures of hippocampal neurons. Neurites in modified Campenot chambers displayed morphological signs of degeneration, including beading or blebbing, when exposed to beta-amyloid. At short time points neurite degeneration was limited to the distal portions of neurites directly exposed to beta-amyloid. Furthermore, annexin V binding detected extracellular exposure of phosphatidylserine in portions of neurites directly exposed to apoptotic insults. Pretreatment of the cultures with zVAD-fmk blocked annexin V binding induced by beta-amyloid and concanavalin A, suggesting that caspase activity was required. Caspase activation was also visualized in neurites locally exposed to apoptotic insults. Together these results show that apoptotic insults cause local neurite degeneration which displays morphological and biochemical characteristics of apoptosis and suggest that neurite degeneration may use mechanisms common to apoptosis.

Rapid regulation of neurite outgrowth and retraction by phospholipase A2-derived arachidonic acid and its metabolites

Arachidonic acid and lipoxygenase metabolites have been proposed to act as retrograde synaptic messengers and as early mediators of neuronal injury, but few studies have analyzed their roles in controlling neurite behavior within a time window of minutes to hours. Phospholipase A2 inhibitors (BPB, ONO-RS-082, quinacrine and AACOCF3) and the lipoxygenase inhibitor AA861 delayed the initial outgrowth of NG108-15 cell neurites on laminin. Inhibitors of diacylglycerol lipase (RHC 80267), cyclooxygenase (indomethacin) and free radicals (N-acetyl cysteine and vitamin E) did not produce similar effects. Phospholipase A2 and lipoxygenase inhibitors also prevented acute neurite retraction in response to lysophosphatidic acid and eight other agents tested, and decreased F-actin staining at cell margins. Conversely, exogenous arachidonic acid (1 microM) enhanced the responses of neurites in outgrowth and retraction assays. Phospholipase A2 and lipoxygenase pathways appear to have a general role in maintaining the ability of neurites to respond rapidly to external stimuli, possibly via regulating the ability of the cytoskeleton to remodel.

Axosomatic synapses of the rat ciliary ganglion

We have identified four different types of axosomatic synapses within the rat ciliary ganglion, and present the three-dimensional relationships of both pre- and postsynaptic elements. The majority of axosomatic synapses are situated on small postsynaptic spines that simply appose the axon (termed somatic spine), or are situated within an axonal invagination (termed invaginating somatic spine). The somatic spine synapse predominates, composing 70% of the population, which may be due to simplicity of construction as it usually forms only one active zone. In contrast, the invaginating somatic spine forms multiple active zones and accounts for only 22% of the population. Synapses involving a regular nonspinous portion of the cell membrane were rarely encountered (6%; termed somatic), as were those of axon branches situated within tubular invaginations of the cell body (2%; termed tunnelling). Synapses were differentially distributed, occurring four times more frequently on that portion of neuronal cell body membrane adjacent to the glial cell perinuclear area. However, there was no preferred location by synapse type, suggesting that this unequal distribution was the result of a general mechanism. The neuronal cells of the rat ciliary ganglion apparently constitute a single population, at least on the basis of cell size, shape, and organelle content.

Peptidergic neurons of the crab, Cardisoma carnifex, in defined culture maintain characteristic morphologies under a variety of conditions

Peptidergic neurons dissociated from the neurosecretory cell group, the X-organ, of adult crabs (Cardisoma carnifex) show immediate outgrowth on unconditioned plastic dishes in defined medium. Most of the neurons can be categorized as small cells, branchers or veilers. A fourth type, "superlarge," found occasionally, has a soma diameter greater than 40 microns and multipolar outgrowth. We report here the effects on morphology that follow alterations of the standard defined culturing conditions. The three common types of neurons are present when cells are grown in crab saline or saline with L-glutamine and glucose (saline medium). Changes of pH between 7.0 to 7.9 have no effect. Osmolarity changes cause transient varicosities in small cells. In some veilers, pits rapidly appear in the veil and then disappear within 35 min. In cultures at 26 degrees C instead of 22 degrees C, veilers extend processes from the initial veil in a pattern similar to branchers, and the processes of adjacent veilers sometimes form appositions. Culturing in higher [K+]o medium ([K+]o = 15-110 mM; standard = 11 mM) has no long-term effect, but growth is arrested by [K+]o greater than 30 mM. Cultures were also grown in media in which [Ca2+]o ranged from 0.1 microM to 26 mM (standard = 13 mM). Outgrowth occurred from all neuronal types in all [Ca2+]o tested. Thus, the expression of different outgrowth morphologies occurs under a wide variety of culturing conditions.

Ca2+ transients are not required as signals for long-term neurite outgrowth from cultured sympathetic neurons

A method for clamping cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in cultures of rat sympathetic neurons at or below resting levels for several days was devised to determine whether Ca2+ signals are required for neurite outgrowth from neurons that depend on Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) for their growth and survival. To control [Ca2+]i, normal Ca2+ influx was eliminated by titration of extracellular Ca2+ with EGTA and reinstated through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels. The rate of neurite outgrowth and the number of neurites thus became dependent on the extent of depolarization by KCl, and withdrawal of KCl caused an immediate cessation of growth. Neurite outgrowth was completely blocked by the L type Ca2+ channel antagonists nifedipine, nitrendipine, D600, or diltiazem at sub- or micromolar concentrations. Measurement of [Ca2+]i in cell bodies using the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fura-2 established that optimal growth, similar to that seen in normal medium, was obtained when [Ca2+]i was clamped at resting levels. These levels of [Ca2+]i were set by serum, which elevated [Ca2+]i by integral of 30 nM, whereas the addition of NGF had no effect on [Ca2+]i. The reduction of [Ca2+]o prevented neurite fasciculation but this had no effect on the rate of neurite elongation or on the number of extending neurites. These results show that neurite outgrowth from NGF-dependent neurons occurs over long periods in the complete absence of Ca2+ signals, suggesting that Ca2+ signals are not necessary for operating the basic machinery of neurite outgrowth.

Role of the growth cone in neuronal differentiation

Nerve growth cones are motile, exploring organelles at the tip of a growing neurite. The growth cone is a highly specialized structure, equipped with a complex machinery for reversible membrane expansion and rapid cytoskeletal reorganization, a machinery required for growth cone motility and neurite elongation. It also contains perception systems that enable the growth cone to respond to external signals, thereby steering the trailing neurite to the correct target. Soluble and substrate bound guidance molecules in the environment modulate growth cone behavior either through direct interaction or classical receptor activation coupled to second messengers. A prominent phosphoprotein of the growth cone is B-50. We propose a role for this growth-associated protein kinase C substrate in signal transduction processes in the growth cone.

Activity-dependent and -independent synaptic interactions during reinnervation of partially denervated rat muscle

1. Reinnervation of adult rat fourth deep lumbrical muscles was studied, following extensive partial denervation of the hindfoot by crushing the lateral plantar nerve (LPN). Most muscles remained innervated by between one and five motor axons supplied by the sural nerve (SN). Intact SN motor units expanded as a result of collateral sprouting. Virtually complete collateral reinnervation occurred in muscles containing more than two SN motor units. Twitch tension measurements from isolated muscles suggested that most of the sprouts evoked suprathreshold responses from the muscle fibres they innervated. Intracellular recordings suggested that only a small percentage of sprouts evoked subthreshold end-plate potentials. 2. Lateral plantar nerve motor axons returned to the lumbrical muscles within 15-18 days and subsequently reinnervated muscle fibres already innervated by SN motor nerve terminals. Nerve conduction in the regenerating axons was then blocked for 7-15 days by chronic superfusion with tetrodotoxin. In both LPN-blocked and control (LPN crushed but not blocked) animals, isometric tetanic tension overlap and intracellular recordings showed that some lumbrical muscle fibres became innervated exclusively by regenerating LPN motor axons. 3. With time, the tension evoked by stimulating regenerating motor axons increased and there was a parallel fall in the tension produced by stimulating the intact motor units. The extent of reinnervation by LPN motor axons was inversely related to the number of remaining SN motor units. In comparable muscles, regenerated LPN-blocked motor units produced only about half the tension of the controls. Selective glycogen depletion of motor units and intracellular recordings of end-plate potentials indicated that this was due to reduced numbers of muscle fibres innervated by the blocked motor axons. 4. Nerve conduction block prolonged the time course of the isometric twitch in regenerated motor units, and increased the duration of the end-plate potential in muscle fibres innervated only by the regenerating axons. LPN block did not affect the recovery of the latency of the end-plate potential. The regenerated motor units were more resistant to fatigue caused by continuous 4 Hz nerve stimulation than intact SN units, but the resistance to fatigue of LPN-blocked motor units was no different from the controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Molecules that make axons grow

The study of neurite growth in tissue culture has been a productive way to identify substances that may control the behavior of axons in vivo. Molecules that promote the outgrowth of neurites include nerve growth factor, laminin, fibronectin, and a protease inhibitor derived from glia. Evidence that these molecules may influence axon growth and guidance in vivo is discussed. The effects these molecules have at the cellular level are compared, in an attempt to identify common mechanisms of action. Several less well-characterized molecules that influence the behavior of neurites are also discussed.