Functional myelin in cognition and neurodevelopmental disorders

In vertebrates, oligodendrocytes (OLs) are glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS) responsible for the formation of the myelin sheath that surrounds the axons of neurons. The myelin sheath plays a crucial role in the transmission of neuronal information by promoting the rapid saltatory conduction of action potentials and providing neurons with structural and metabolic support. Saltatory conduction, first described in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), is now generally recognized as a universal evolutionary innovation to respond quickly to the environment: myelin helps us think and act fast. Nevertheless, the role of myelin in the central nervous system, especially in the brain, may not be primarily focused on accelerating conduction speed but rather on ensuring precision. Its principal function could be to coordinate various neuronal networks, promoting their synchronization through oscillations (or rhythms) relevant for specific information processing tasks. Interestingly, myelin has been directly involved in different types of cognitive processes relying on brain oscillations, and myelin plasticity is currently considered to be part of the fundamental mechanisms for memory formation and maintenance. However, despite ample evidence showing the involvement of myelin in cognition and neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by cognitive impairments, the link between myelin, brain oscillations, cognition and disease is not yet fully understood. In this review, we aim to highlight what is known and what remains to be explored to understand the role of myelin in high order brain processes.

Vasopressin/V2 receptor stimulates renin synthesis in the collecting duct

Renin is synthesized in the principal cells of the collecting duct (CD), and its production is increased via cAMP in angiotensin (ANG) II-dependent hypertension, despite suppression of juxtaglomerular (JG) renin. Vasopressin, one of the effector hormones of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) via the type 2-receptor (V2R), activates the cAMP/PKA/cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) pathway and aquaporin-2 expression in principal cells of the CD. Accordingly, we hypothesized that activation of V2R increases renin synthesis via PKA/CREB, independently of ANG II type 1 (AT1) receptor activation in CD cells. Desmopressin (DDAVP; 10(-6) M), a selective V2R agonist, increased renin mRNA (∼3-fold), prorenin (∼1.5-fold), and renin (∼2-fold) in cell lysates and cell culture media in the M-1 CD cell line. Cotreatment with DDAVP+H89 (PKA inhibitor) or CREB short hairpin (sh) RNA prevented this response. H89 also blunted DDAVP-induced CREB phosphorylation and nuclear localization. In 48-h water-deprived (WD) mice, prorenin-renin protein levels were increased in the renal inner medulla (∼1.4- and 1.8-fold). In WD mice treated with an ACE inhibitor plus AT1 receptor blockade, renin mRNA and prorenin protein levels were still higher than controls, while renin protein content was not changed. In M-1 cells, ANG II or DDAVP increased prorenin-renin protein levels; however, there were no further increases by combined treatment. These results indicate that in the CD the activation of the V2R stimulates renin synthesis via the PKA/CREB pathway independently of RAS, suggesting a critical role for vasopressin in the regulation of renin in the CD.

PKC-α-dependent augmentation of cAMP and CREB phosphorylation mediates the angiotensin II stimulation of renin in the collecting duct

In contrast to the negative feedback of angiotensin II (ANG II) on juxtaglomerular renin, ANG II stimulates renin in the principal cells of the collecting duct (CD) in rats and mice via ANG II type 1 (AT1R) receptor, independently of blood pressure. In vitro data indicate that CD renin is augmented by AT1R activation through protein kinase C (PKC), but the exact mechanisms are unknown. We hypothesize that ANG II stimulates CD renin synthesis through AT1R via PKC and the subsequent activation of cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway. In M-1 cells, ANG II increased cAMP, renin mRNA (3.5-fold), prorenin, and renin proteins, as well as renin activity in culture media (2-fold). These effects were prevented by PKC inhibition with calphostin C, PKC-α dominant negative, and by PKA inhibition. Forskolin-induced increases in cAMP and renin expression were prevented by calphostin C. PKC inhibition and Ca2+ depletion impaired ANG II-mediated CREB phosphorylation and upregulation of renin. Adenylate cyclase 6 (AC) siRNA remarkably attenuated the ANG II-dependent upregulation of renin mRNA. Physiological activation of AC with vasopressin increased renin expression in M-1 cells. The results suggest that the ANG II-dependent upregulation of renin in the CD depends on PKC-α, which allows the augmentation of cAMP production and activation of PKA/CREB pathway via AC6. This study defines the intracellular signaling pathway involved in the ANG II-mediated stimulation of renin in the CD. This is a novel mechanism responsible for the regulation of local renin-angiotensin system in the distal nephron.