1
|
Yamada A, Ling J, Yamada AI, Furue H, Gu JG. ASICs mediate fast excitatory synaptic transmission for tactile discrimination. Neuron 2024; 112:1286-1301.e8. [PMID: 38359825 PMCID: PMC11031316 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Tactile discrimination, the ability to differentiate objects' physical properties such as texture, shape, and edges, is essential for environmental exploration, social interaction, and early childhood development. This ability heavily relies on Merkel cell-neurite complexes (MNCs), the tactile end-organs enriched in the fingertips of humans and the whisker hair follicles of non-primate mammals. Although recent studies have advanced our knowledge on mechanical transduction in MNCs, it remains unknown how tactile signals are encoded at MNCs. Here, using rodent whisker hair follicles, we show that tactile signals are encoded at MNCs as fast excitatory synaptic transmission. This synaptic transmission is mediated by acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) located on the neurites of MNCs, with protons as the principal transmitters. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic deletion of ASICs diminishes the tactile encoding at MNCs and impairs tactile discrimination in animals. Together, ASICs are required for tactile encoding at MNCs to enable tactile discrimination in mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Yamada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jennifer Ling
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Ayaka I Yamada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Hidemasa Furue
- Department of Neurophysiology, Hyogo Medical University, Nishinomiya 663-8501, Japan
| | - Jianguo G Gu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liu L, Zhao Y, An W, Zhao M, Ding N, Liu H, Ge N, Wen J, Zhang X, Zu S, Sun W. Piezo2 Channel Upregulation is Involved in Mechanical Allodynia in CYP-Induced Cystitis Rats. Mol Neurobiol 2023; 60:5000-5012. [PMID: 37227654 PMCID: PMC10415424 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03386-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical sensing Piezo2 channel in primary sensory neurons has been shown contribute to mechanical allodynia in somatic chronic pain conditions. Interstitial cystitis (IC)-associated pain is often triggered by bladder filling, a presentation that mimics the mechanical allodynia. In the present study, we aimed to examine the involvement of sensory Piezo2 channel in IC-associated mechanical allodynia using a commonly employed cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced IC model rat. Piezo2 channels in dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) was knocked down by intrathecal injections of Piezo2 anti-sense oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) in CYP-induced cystitis rats, and mechanical stimulation-evoked referred bladder pain was measured in the lower abdomen overlying the bladder using von Frey filaments. Piezo2 expression at the mRNA, protein, and functional levels in DRG neurons innervating the bladder was detected by RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization, western blotting, immunofluorescence, and Ca2+ imaging, respectively. We found that Piezo2 channels were expressed on most (> 90%) of the bladder primary afferents, including afferents that express CGRP, TRPV1 and stained with isolectin B4. CYP-induced cystitis was associated with Piezo2 upregulation in bladder afferent neurons at the mRNA, protein, and functional levels. Knockdown of Piezo2 expression in DRG neurons significantly suppressed mechanical stimulation-evoked referred bladder pain as well as bladder hyperactivity in CYP rats compared to CYP rats treated with mismatched ODNs. Our results suggest upregulation of Piezo2 channels is involved in the development of bladder mechanical allodynia and bladder hyperactivity in CYP-induced cystitis. Targeting Piezo2 might be an attractive therapeutic approach for IC-related bladder pain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China
| | - Yan Zhao
- Department of Radiology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China
| | - Wenhan An
- Department of Rehabilitation, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, P. R. China
| | - Mengmeng Zhao
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China
| | - Ning Ding
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China
| | - Hanwen Liu
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China
| | - Nan Ge
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China
| | - Jiliang Wen
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China
| | - Xiulin Zhang
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China
| | - Shulu Zu
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China
| | - Wendong Sun
- Department of Urology, The Second Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250032, P. R. China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tian S, Cai Z, Sen P, van Uden D, van de Kamp E, Thuillet R, Tu L, Guignabert C, Boomars K, Van der Heiden K, Brandt MM, Merkus D. Loss of lung microvascular endothelial Piezo2 expression impairs NO synthesis, induces EndMT, and is associated with pulmonary hypertension. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2022; 323:H958-H974. [PMID: 36149769 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00220.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Mechanical forces are translated into biochemical stimuli by mechanotransduction channels, such as the mechanically activated cation channel Piezo2. Lung Piezo2 expression has recently been shown to be restricted to endothelial cells. Hence, we aimed to investigate the role of Piezo2 in regulation of pulmonary vascular function and structure, as well as its contribution to development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The expression of Piezo2 was significantly reduced in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) from patients with PAH, in lung tissue from mice with a Bmpr2+/R899X knock-in mutation commonly found in patients with pulmonary hypertension, and in lung tissue of monocrotaline (MCT) and sugen-hypoxia-induced PH (SuHx) PAH rat models, as well as from a swine model with pulmonary vein banding. In MVECs, Piezo2 expression was reduced in response to abnormal shear stress, hypoxia, and TGFβ stimulation. Functional studies in MVECs exposed to shear stress illustrated that siRNA-mediated Piezo2 knockdown impaired endothelial alignment, calcium influx, phosphorylation of AKT, and nitric oxide production. In addition, siPiezo2 reduced the expression of the endothelial marker PECAM-1 and increased the expression of vascular smooth muscle markers ACTA2, SM22a, and calponin. Thus, Piezo2 acts as a mechanotransduction channel in pulmonary MVECs, stimulating shear-induced production of nitric oxide and is essentially involved in preventing endothelial to mesenchymal transition. Its blunted expression in pulmonary hypertension could impair the vasodilator capacity and stimulate vascular remodeling, indicating that Piezo2 might be an interesting therapeutic target to attenuate progression of the disease.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The mechanosensory ion channel Piezo2 is exclusively expressed in lung microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs). Patient MVECs as well as animal models of pulmonary (arterial) hypertension showed lower expression of Piezo2 in the lung. Mechanistically, Piezo2 is required for calcium influx and NO production in response to shear stress, whereas stimuli known to induce endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) reduce Piezo2 expression in MVECs, and Piezo2 knockdown induces a gene and protein expression pattern consistent with EndMT.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siyu Tian
- Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Zongye Cai
- Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Payel Sen
- Walter Brendel Center of Experimental Medicine, University Clinic Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Munich, Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Denise van Uden
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Esther van de Kamp
- Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Raphael Thuillet
- INSERM UMR_S 999, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Le Plessis-Robinson, France.,School of Medicine, Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Ly Tu
- INSERM UMR_S 999, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Le Plessis-Robinson, France.,School of Medicine, Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Christophe Guignabert
- INSERM UMR_S 999, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Le Plessis-Robinson, France.,School of Medicine, Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Karin Boomars
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kim Van der Heiden
- Biomedical Engineering, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten M Brandt
- Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Daphne Merkus
- Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Walter Brendel Center of Experimental Medicine, University Clinic Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Munich, Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Heyburn L, Abutarboush R, Goodrich S, Urioste R, Batuure A, Wheel J, Wilder DM, Arun P, Ahlers ST, Long JB, Sajja VS. Repeated Low-Level Blast Acutely Alters Brain Cytokines, Neurovascular Proteins, Mechanotransduction, and Neurodegenerative Markers in a Rat Model. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:636707. [PMID: 33679327 PMCID: PMC7933446 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.636707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to the repeated low-level blast overpressure (BOP) periodically experienced by military personnel in operational and training environments can lead to deficits in behavior and cognition. While these low-intensity blasts do not cause overt changes acutely, repeated exposures may lead to cumulative effects in the brain that include acute inflammation, vascular disruption, and other molecular changes, which may eventually contribute to neurodegenerative processes. To identify these acute changes in the brain following repeated BOP, an advanced blast simulator was used to expose rats to 8.5 or 10 psi BOP once per day for 14 days. At 24 h after the final BOP, brain tissue was collected and analyzed for inflammatory markers, astrogliosis (GFAP), tight junction proteins (claudin-5 and occludin), and neurodegeneration-related proteins (Aβ40/42, pTau, TDP-43). After repeated exposure to 8.5 psi BOP, the change in cytokine profile was relatively modest compared to the changes observed following 10 psi BOP, which included a significant reduction in several inflammatory markers. Reduction in the tight junction protein occludin was observed in both groups when compared to controls, suggesting cerebrovascular disruption. While repeated exposure to 8.5 psi BOP led to a reduction in the Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related proteins amyloid-β (Aβ)40 and Aβ42, these changes were not observed in the 10 psi group, which had a significant reduction in phosphorylated tau. Finally, repeated 10 psi BOP exposures led to an increase in GFAP, indicating alterations in astrocytes, and an increase in the mechanosensitive ion channel receptor protein, Piezo2, which may increase brain sensitivity to injury from pressure changes from BOP exposure. Overall, cumulative effects of repeated low-level BOP may increase the vulnerability to injury of the brain by disrupting neurovascular architecture, which may lead to downstream deleterious effects on behavior and cognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lanier Heyburn
- Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Rania Abutarboush
- Neurotrauma Department, Operational and Undersea Medicine Directorate, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Samantha Goodrich
- Neurotrauma Department, Operational and Undersea Medicine Directorate, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Rodrigo Urioste
- Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Andrew Batuure
- Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Jaimena Wheel
- Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Donna M Wilder
- Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Peethambaran Arun
- Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Stephen T Ahlers
- Neurotrauma Department, Operational and Undersea Medicine Directorate, Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Joseph B Long
- Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Venkatasivasai Sujith Sajja
- Blast-Induced Neurotrauma Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| |
Collapse
|