Distinct signatures of calcium activity in brain mural cells
- University of Zurich, Switzerland
- Max-Planck-Institute for Experimental Medicine, Germany
- College of Pharmacy, Canada
Abstract
Pericytes have been implicated in various neuropathologies, yet, little is known about their function and signaling pathways in health. Here, we characterized calcium dynamics of cortical mural cells in anesthetized or awake Pdgfrb-CreERT2;Rosa26 mice and in acute brain slices. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and ensheathing pericytes (EPs), also named as terminal vascular SMCs, revealed similar calcium dynamics in vivo. In contrast, calcium signals in capillary pericytes (CPs) were irregular, higher in frequency and occurred in cellular microdomains. In the absence of the vessel constricting agent U46619 in acute slices, SMCs and EPs revealed only sparse calcium signals whereas CPs retained their spontaneous calcium activity. Interestingly, chemogenetic activation of neurons in vivo and acute elevations of extracellular potassium in brain slices strongly decreased calcium activity in CPs. We propose that neuronal activation and an extracellular increase in potassium suppress calcium activity in CPs, likely mediated by Kir2.2 and KATP channels.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files. Source data files have been provided for Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Article and author information
Author details
Ethics
Animal experimentation: All animal experiments were approved by the local Cantonal Veterinary Office inZürich (license ZH 169/17) and conformed to the guidelines of the Swiss Animal Protection Law, Swiss Veterinary Office, Canton of Zürich(Animal Welfare Act of 16 December 2005 and Animal Protection Ordinance of 23 April 2008). Every effort was made to minimize suffering andconform to the 3Rs principles.
Copyright
© 2021, Glück et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
Download links
Further reading
-
- Neuroscience
By influencing calcium homeostasis, local protein synthesis and the endoplasmic reticulum, a small protein called Rab10 emerges as a crucial cytoplasmic regulator of neuropeptide secretion.
-
- Neuroscience
Millions of Americans suffering from Opioid Use Disorders face a high risk of fatal overdose due to opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is a major contributor to the rising rates of overdose deaths. Reversing fentanyl overdoses has proved challenging due to its high potency and the rapid onset of OIRD. We assessed the contributions of central and peripheral mu opioid receptors (MORs) in mediating fentanyl-induced physiological responses. The peripherally restricted MOR antagonist naloxone methiodide (NLXM) both prevented and reversed OIRD to a degree comparable to that of naloxone (NLX), indicating substantial involvement of peripheral MORs to OIRD. Interestingly, NLXM-mediated OIRD reversal did not produce aversive behaviors observed after NLX. We show that neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (nTS), the first central synapse of peripheral afferents, exhibit a biphasic activity profile following fentanyl exposure. NLXM pretreatment attenuates this activity, suggesting that these responses are mediated by peripheral MORs. Together, these findings establish a critical role for peripheral MORs, including ascending inputs to the nTS, as sites of dysfunction during OIRD. Furthermore, selective peripheral MOR antagonism could be a promising therapeutic strategy for managing OIRD by sparing CNS-driven acute opioid-associated withdrawal and aversion observed after NLX.
