Masatoshi Nagano

NGF and GDNF differentially regulate TRPV1 expression that contributes to development of inflammatory thermal hyperalgesia

The transient receptor potential ion channel, TRPV1 plays an essential role in the development of inflammatory thermal hyperalgesia. We investigated the dependence of inflammatory TRPV1 induction on neurotrophic factor. Rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons were classified according to immunostaining for trk‐A and IB4 and the effects of antibodies against NGF or GDNF on TRPV1 expression within the groups were then analysed by immunohistochemical means. The data were compared with the time course of trophic factor expression and the effects of their antibodies on thermal hyperalgesia against radiant heat after inflammation. Although the levels of both NGF and GDNF were increased by inflammation, NGF rapidly and transiently increased whereas GDNF increased gradually over a period of approximately one week. TRPV1 expression was increased within both trk‐A positive and IB4 positive neurons after inflammation. Increased TRPV1 expression within trk‐A positive neurons was prevented by anti‐NGF but not by anti‐GDNF, whereas TRPV1 induction within the IB4 positive group was blocked by anti‐GDNF but not by anti‐NGF. Both antibodies prevented the short latency of withdrawing an inflamed paw from radiant heat. These results suggest that inflammation differentially increases both NGF and GDNF, which facilitate TRPV1 expression within distinctive neurons to induce thermal hyperalgesia.

Low serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and epidermal growth factor in patients with chronic schizophrenia

Neurotrophic factors (NFs) play a pivotal role in the development of the central nervous system. They are thus also suspected of being involved in the etiology of schizophrenia. Previous studies reported a decreased level of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in schizophrenia, whereas the association of epidermal growth factor (EGF) with this illness remains controversial. Using a two-site enzyme immunoassay, we conducted the simultaneous measurement of serum BDNF and EGF levels in a group of patients with chronic schizophrenia (N=74) and a group of normal controls matched in age, body mass index, smoking habit and sex (N=87). We found that, compared to normal controls, patients with chronic schizophrenia exhibited lower serum levels of both BDNF and EGF across all ages examined (21-59 years). The serum levels of BDNF and EGF were negatively correlated in the controls (r=-0.387, P=0.0002) but not in the patients. Clinical parameters such as duration of illness and psychiatric rating scale also showed no robust correlations with the NF levels. Collectively, these results suggest that pervasive, abnormal signaling of NFs underlies the pathophysiology of chronic schizophrenia.

Prenatal dexamethasone exposure affects anxiety-like behaviour and neuroendocrine systems in an age-dependent manner

Prenatal stress has been reported to alter the development of the central nervous system functions. This alteration is thought to be partly caused by increased fetal exposure to glucocorticoid. To clarify how prenatal stress affects neuroendocrine systems and behaviour in an age-dependent manner, we administered a synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone, as a stressor to pregnant rats at gestational days 16-21 and examined the developmental changes in behaviour, hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor mRNA expression, corticosterone response and glucocorticoid receptor expression in male offspring. Prenatal dexamethasone exposure decreased corticotropin-releasing factor mRNA in the hypothalamus and disturbed the plasma corticosterone response to restraint stress in the offspring at postnatal week 4 (PW4). In contrast, it was not until PW10 that increased anxiety-like behaviour emerged in the dexamethasone-exposed offspring. In association with the acquisition of increased anxiety-like behaviour at PW10, glucocorticoid receptor expression was decreased in the amygdala in dexamethasone-exposed offspring at PW7 and PW10. Thus, our longitudinal analysis suggests that prenatal exposure to glucocorticoid hampers neuroendocrinological development in the offspring during early life, and that this disturbance results in the induction of increased anxiety-like behaviour in adulthood.

Decreased expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in rat models of neuropathic pain

In an attempt to clarify whether glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a survival factor for subpopulations of primary afferent neurons, is involved in the states of neuropathic pain, we observed changes in the expressions of GDNF and its signal‐transducing receptor Ret after nerve injury in two rat models of neuropathic pain. In the rats treated with sciatic nerve ligation (chronic constrictive injury (CCI) model) or spinal nerve ligation at L5 (SNL model), the thresholds of paw withdrawal in response to mechanical or heat stimuli began to decrease on the injured side within the first week after the operation and the decreases in the thresholds persisted for more than 2 weeks. In CCI‐treated rats, the GDNF contents in L4 and L5 dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) on the injured side were markedly decreased at day 7 after the operation and stayed at low levels at day 14. In SNL‐treated rats, comparable reductions of GDNF levels in L4 and L5 DRGs on the injured side were observed at 14 postoperative days. Significant decreases of the percentages of DRG neurons expressing Ret were also observed at L4 DRGs in CCI‐treated rats at 7 and 14 postoperative days and in SNL‐treated rats at 14 days. In CCI‐ or SNL‐treated rats, continuous intrathecal administration of GDNF (12 μg day−1) using an osmotic pump suppressed the increased sensitivities to nociceptive stimuli to control levels. The present results suggested that the dysfunction of GDNF signaling in the nociceptive afferent system may contribute to the development and/or maintenance of neuropathic pain states.

Quantitative analyses of expression of GDNF and neurotrophins during postnatal development in rat skeletal muscles.

Neurotrophic factors are thought to be critically involved in formation and maintenance of the neuromuscular system. To know precise expression levels of these factors in the muscles during the postnatal period, we developed competitive RT-PCR and two-site enzyme immunoassay and quantitatively measured neurotrophic factors in the rat gastrocnemius and soleus muscles during the postnatal development. mRNAs of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in the gastrocnemius and the soleus muscles were expressed in the highest amount among the neurotrophic factors at birth and dramatically decreased in the first 3 months, while GDNF proteins substantially existed at 3 months of age. Neurotrophin-3 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the gastrocnemius muscle kept constant expression in mRNA and protein during the postnatal period. In contrast, mRNA of neurotrophin-4 increased in the first 2 weeks. In the soleus muscles all the neurotrophic factor proteins increased with age for the first month, contrasting with their expressions in the gastrocnemius. The present results showed that GDNF is constitutively supplied to the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) during postnatal development and into adulthood, suggesting its importance in maintenance of the NMJ. Expression of other neurotrophins was also regulated independently during development possibly according to their own roles in the neuromuscular circuit.

Expression changes of cation chloride cotransporters in the rat spinal cord following intraplantar formalin.

Cation chloride cotransporters, K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter 2 (KCC2) and Na(+)-K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) are reported to be expressed in the neurons in the spinal cord and regulate intracellular Cl(-) concentration. Evidence has been accumulating that the expression of cation chloride cotransporters changes in inflammatory or neuropathic pain, and such changes take a part in pathophysiology of the persistent pain states. However, it is largely unknown how these cotransporters contribute to hyperalgesia in the acute pain state. We, therefore, investigated expression changes of KCC2 and NKCC1 in the spinal dorsal horn of the rat after the intraplantar injection of formalin as an acute nociceptive stimulus. The rats showed two phases (phases 1 and 2) of increase in pain-related behavior in response to formalin. We found that expression of KCC2-like immunoreactivity (IR) was reduced in lamina I and II in the lumbar spinal cord on the stimulated side in phase 1, and then recovered gradually. In contrast, the number of NKCC1-like IR-positive cells was unchanged over the period examined. These results suggest that KCC2, rather than NKCC1, mainly contributes to modulating excitability of the dorsal spinal cord neurons in the initial stage of formalin-evoked hyperalgesia.

Early intervention with fluoxetine reverses abnormalities in the serotonergic system and behavior of rats exposed prenatally to dexamethasone.

Many psychiatric disorders emerge after adolescence. Among a variety of predisposing factors, prenatal stress has been thought to cause the symptoms of anxiety disorders. We recently reported that prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) exposure, which mimics some aspects of prenatal stress, induced anxiety-related behaviors in male offspring when they reached adulthood. Before the emergence of behavioral changes, abnormalities occurred in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis during postnatal development. In the present study, we found abnormalities in serotonin (5-HT) signaling, including decreased expression of 5-HT(1A) receptor (5-HT(1A)-R) mRNA in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and 5-HT content in the hippocampus at postnatal week (PW) 4. These results support using early therapeutic interventions with serotonergic drugs to prevent late-emerging anxiety symptoms. To test this hypothesis, we treated rat pups born to DEX-administered mothers with fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor commonly used as an anti-anxiety medication, via breast milk from postnatal day (PD) 2-21. Anxiety-related behaviors examined at PW11-13 were not observed in the prenatally DEX-exposed offspring that were treated with FLX. Likewise, FLX increased 5-HT concentrations in the mPFC and ventral hippocampus at PW3 and normalized 5-HT(1A)-R mRNA concentrations in the mPFC at PW4. The decrease in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein in the mPFC and dorsal hippocampus was also restored at PW4. Furthermore, administration of the 5-HT(1A)-R full agonist (R)-(+)-8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin from PD2 to 21 also prevented the emergence of behavioral abnormalities in the prenatally DEX-exposed offspring, implicating the involvement of 5-HT(1A)-Rs in the neonatal FLX effect. Collectively, an early pharmacological intervention to normalize serotonergic transmission effectively suppressed the emergence of symptoms induced by prenatal DEX exposure in rats.

Antioxidant enzyme, 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase-knockout mice exhibit increased anxiety-like behaviors: A model for human mercaptolactate- cysteine disulfiduria

Human mercaptolactate-cysteine disulfiduria (MCDU) was first recognized and reported in 1968. Most cases of MCDU are associated with mental retardation, while the pathogenesis remains unknown. To investigate it, we generated homozygous 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MST: EC 2.8.1.2) knockout (KO) mice using C57BL/6 embryonic stem cells as an animal model. The MST-KO mice showed significantly increased anxiety-like behaviors with an increase in serotonin level in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), but not with abnormal morphological changes in the brain. MCDU can be caused by loss in the functional diversity of MST; first, MST functions as an antioxidant protein. MST possessing 2 redox-sensing molecular switches maintains cellular redox homeostasis. Second, MST can produce H2S (or HS−). Third, MST can also produce SOx. It is concluded that behavioral abnormality in MST-KO mice is caused by MST function defects such as an antioxidant insufficiency or a new transducer, H2S (or HS−) and/or SOx deficiency.

Chronic stress enhances synaptic plasticity due to disinhibition in the anterior cingulate cortex and induces hyper-locomotion in mice.

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in the pathophysiology of a variety of mental disorders, many of which are exacerbated by stress. There are few studies, however, of stress-induced modification of synaptic function in the ACC that is relevant to emotional behavior. We investigated the effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on behavior and synaptic function in layers II/III of the ACC in mice. The duration of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) was longer in CRS mice than in control mice. The frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) recorded by whole-cell patch-clamping was reduced in CRS mice, while miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) remained unchanged. Paired-pulse ratios (PPRs) of the fEPSP and evoked EPSC were larger in CRS. There was no difference in NMDA component of evoked EPSCs between the groups. Both long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression of fEPSP were larger in CRS mice than in control mice. The differences between the groups in fEPSP duration, PPRs and LTP level were not observed when the GABA(A) receptor was blocked by bicuculline. Compared to control mice, CRS mice exhibited hyper-locomotive activity in an open field test, while no difference was observed between the groups in anxiety-like behavior in a light/dark choice test. CRS mice displayed decreased freezing behavior in fear conditioning tests compared to control mice. These findings suggest that CRS facilitates synaptic plasticity in the ACC via increased excitability due to disinhibition of GABA(A) receptor signalling, which may underlie induction of behavioral hyper-locomotive activity after CRS.

Distribution and pharmacological characterization of primate NK‐1 and NK‐3 tachykinin receptors in the central nervous system of the rhesus monkey

Much attention has focused on tachykinin receptors as therapeutic targets for neuropsychiatric disorders, although their expressional distributions in the primate central nervous system (CNS) remain unclear. We cloned the genes encoding the NK‐1 and NK‐3 tachykinin receptors (referred to as rmNK‐1 and rmNK‐3) from the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) brain and examined their pharmacological profiles and regional distributions in the CNS. The deduced rmNK‐1 amino‐acid sequence differed by only two amino acids from the human NK‐1 (hNK‐1). The deduced rmNK‐3 amino‐acid sequence was two amino acids shorter than human NK‐3 (hNK‐3), with a seven‐amino‐acid difference in sequence. Ligand binding studies revealed that the affinity of rmNK‐1 to substance P (SP) was comparable to that of hNK‐1 in cell lines that expressed individual receptors stably. Nonpeptide antagonists had similar effects on the binding of rmNK‐1 and hNK‐1. Affinity of rmNK‐3 for NKB was stronger than for SP and the IC50 value was comparable with that of hNK‐3. Ca2+ imaging showed that activations of both rmNK‐1 and rmNK‐3 by specific ligands, SP and senktide, induced increased intracellular Ca2+ in cell lines that stably expressed individual primate tachykinin receptors. The amounts of rmNK‐1 and rmNK‐3 mRNAs were quantitatively determined in the monkey CNS. The expression of rmNK‐1 was observed in all of the cortical and subcortical regions, including the hippocampus and the amygdala. The putamen contained the most NK‐1 mRNA in the brain, with less rmNK‐3 mRNA found in the cortex compared to rmNK‐1 mRNA. In the monkey hippocampus and amygdala, rmNK‐1 mRNA was present at markedly higher concentrations than rmNK‐3 mRNA. The present results provide an insight into the distinct physiological nature and significance of the NK‐1 and NK‐3 tachykinin systems in the primate CNS. These findings are indispensable for establishing model systems in the search for a subtype‐specific tachykinin receptor agonist and antagonist for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.