Suguru Kobayashi

Dual role of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in neuritogenesis and synaptogenesis during neuronal differentiation.

To create precise neural circuits in the nervous system, neuritogenesis and synaptogenesis are the critical cellular processes during neuronal differentiation. We examined the cyclic AMP (cAMP)‐responsible signaling pathways for regulating neuritogenesis and synaptogenesis in NG108‐15 cells. A rise in intracellular cAMP concentration by a membrane‐permeable cAMP analog, dibutyryl cAMP (DBcAMP), led to an increase in the number of neurites and varicosities. Inhibition of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA) activity by a PKA inhibitor (H89) accelerated this neuritogenesis and neurite outgrowth rate. Treatment with H89, however, decreased the number of varicosities and the frequency of postsynaptic miniature current recorded in the cultured cells, resulting in suppression of synaptogenesis. Immunoblot analyses revealed that PKA activity mediates phosphorylation of a gene transcription factor, cAMP‐response element binding protein (CREB). On the other hand, inhibition of a mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) pathway by a MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitor (PD98059) suppressed both neuritogenesis and neurite outgrowth without CREB phosphorylation. These results suggest strongly that PKA simultaneously plays two different roles in neuronal differentiation: inhibition of neuritogenesis and stimulation of synaptogenesis, via CREB‐mediated gene expression.

Nitric oxide suppresses fictive feeding response in Lymnaea stagnalis

Fictive feeding activity was monitored in the buccal ganglia of semi-intact preparations of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, to examine the effects of nitric oxide (NO) released from motoneurons innervating the esophagus on the feeding response. The present results suggest that first; even the low concentration of constitutive NO precisely regulates the feeding rhythm by suppressing high frequency feeding responses; second, that the high concentration of NO released after activation of the feeding central pattern generator following appetitive stimulation of the lips suppresses the feeding rate, resulting in recurrent inhibition. This is the first direct evidence that NO can function to suppress rhythmic activity in the brain.

PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF LIP AND TENTACLE NERVES IN LYMNAEA STAGNALIS

The lip and tentacle nerves of the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, were characterized using electrophysiological techniques. When the activity of those nerves was induced in lip-tentacle preparations, aversive taste signals were transmitted through all the lip and tentacle nerves, but appetitive signals could be recorded only through the superior lip nerve. In the CNS immersed in high Mg2+ -high Ca2+ saline, electrical stimuli applied to any of the nerves failed to induce action potentials in one of the regulatory neurons (cerebral giant cell: CGC) involved in feeding responses, implying that the signals are polysynaptically transmitted to the CGC. Intracellular recordings revealed that the CGCs in semi-intact half-body preparations received both appetitive and aversive taste signals not only through the superior lip nerve but also through the median lip nerve. In addition, an osphradium was ruled out as a candidate for appetitive reception. The present results, together with our preceding data arrived at by the histochemical analyses, indicate that the appetitive taste transduction responsible for generating feeding responses is performed through the superior lip nerve with some contribution of the median lip nerve. The data showing that the CGC can receive various taste signals suggests that it may play a crucial role in feeding behavior as demonstrated in the study of conditioned taste-aversion.

Involvement of Insulin-Like Peptide in Long-Term Synaptic Plasticity and Long-Term Memory of the Pond Snail Lymnaea stagnalis

The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis is capable of learning taste aversion and consolidating this learning into long-term memory (LTM) that is called conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Previous studies showed that some molluscan insulin-related peptides (MIPs) were upregulated in snails exhibiting CTA. We thus hypothesized that MIPs play an important role in neurons underlying the CTA–LTM consolidation process. To examine this hypothesis, we first observed the distribution of MIP II, a major peptide of MIPs, and MIP receptor and determined the amounts of their mRNAs in the CNS. MIP II was only observed in the light green cells in the cerebral ganglia, but the MIP receptor was distributed throughout the entire CNS, including the buccal ganglia. Next, when we applied exogenous mammalian insulin, secretions from MIP-containing cells or partially purified MIPs, to the isolated CNS, we observed a long-term change in synaptic efficacy (i.e., enhancement) of the synaptic connection between the cerebral giant cell (a key interneuron for CTA) and the B1 motor neuron (a buccal motor neuron). This synaptic enhancement was blocked by application of an insulin receptor antibody to the isolated CNS. Finally, injection of the insulin receptor antibody into the snail before CTA training, while not blocking the acquisition of taste aversion learning, blocked the memory consolidation process; thus, LTM was not observed. These data suggest that MIPs trigger changes in synaptic connectivity that may be correlated with the consolidation of taste aversion learning into CTA–LTM in the Lymnaea CNS.

PKA-Dependent Regulation of Synaptic Enhancement between a Buccal Motor Neuron and Its Regulatory Interneuron in Lymnaea stagnalis

Abstract The cerebral giant cell (CGC) is known to play a crucial role in the regulation of feeding response in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. However, the mechanisms of signal transduction from the CGC to the following buccal motor neurons are not clear. In the present study, we examined whether cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase (PKA) contributes to enhancement of a monosynaptic connection between the presynaptic CGC and the postsynaptic buccal motor neuron 1 (B1 cell). Injection of cAMP into the CGC or inhibition of phosphodiesterase by isobutylmethylxanthine in the CGC increased the amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) in the B1 cell, whereas no changes were detected in the electrical properties of the CGC. The synaptic enhancement in the B1 cell was completely blocked by inhibition of PKA in the CGC but did not require a de novo protein synthesis due to a PKA phosphorylation. The increase in the EPSP amplitude of B1 cell was associated with the increase in the amount of serotonin release from the CGC. These results hence provided the physiological evidence of the direct regulation of a synaptic enhancement by PKA in the CNS of L. stagnalis, indicating the completely different mechanism from that in the well-studied siphon- and gill-withdrawal reflex in Aplysia.

Sensory preconditioning for feeding response in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis

We demonstrated a sensory preconditioning in the pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis. An appetitive sucrose solution (a conditioned stimulus: CS1) and weak vibration (another conditioned stimulus: CS2) were first associated, and then the CS2 and an aversive KCl solution (an unconditioned stimulus: UCS) were done. To build the conditioning, two different training procedures, spaced and massed, were examined. After the both training, the sensory preconditioning was built: significantly fewer feeding response to the CS1 became elicited; slower latency to the first bite to the CS1 was induced. No significant differences on the memory retention between these training procedures were found in the sensory preconditioning.

Neuromodulatory effects of gonadotropin-releasing hormone on retinotectal synaptic transmission in the optic tectum of rainbow trout

Gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) is a hypophysiotropic decapeptide that stimulates the release of gonadotropins from the pituitary. In addition, there are extra‐hypothalamic GnRH neurons that project to all regions of the brain and whose function remains unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of GnRH on retinotectal synaptic transmission, the synapses of which are formed between retinal fibers and tectal periventricular neurons that express GnRH receptor mRNA. We used rainbow trout as our study model. The excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), which were evoked by electrical stimulation of the retinal fibers and recorded in periventricular neurons, were suppressed by antagonists of ionotropic glutamate receptors. EPSCs were increased by application of each of two types of GnRH (GnRH2 and GnRH3) in the trout tectum. Such facilitation lasted for at least 10 min after application of the GnRH. To our knowledge, this is the first report of GnRH modulating conventional synaptic transmission in the brain, suggesting that tectal GnRH enhances tectal sensitivity for retinal inputs. Furthermore, such long‐lasting facilitation might occur across all the brain regions innervated by GnRH neurons, and GnRH might simultaneously switch neuronal activities in the brain regions relevant to reproductive behaviors.

Glutamatergic neurotransmission in the procerebrum (Olfactory Center) of a terrestrial mollusk

The terrestrial slug Limax has the ability to learn odor associations. This ability depends on the function of the procerebrum, the secondary olfactory center in the brain. Among the various neurotransmitters that are thought to be involved in the function of the procerebrum, glutamate is one of the most important molecules. However, the existence and function of glutamate in this system have been proposed solely on the basis of a few lines of indirect evidence from pharmacological experiments. In the present study, we demonstrated the existence and release of glutamate as a neurotransmitter in the procerebrum of Limax, by using three different techniques: 1) immunohistochemistry of glutamate, 2) in situ hybridization to mRNA of the vesicular glutamate transporter, and 3) real‐time imaging of glutamate release within the procerebrum using the glutamate optical sensor EOS2. The release of glutamate within the cell mass layer of the procerebrum was synchronized with oscillation of the local field potential and had the same physiological properties as this oscillation; both were blocked by a serotonin antagonist and were propagated in an apical to basal direction in the procerebrum. Our observations suggest strongly that the oscillation of the local field potential is driven by the glutamate released by bursting neurons in the procerebrum.

Multiple Subtypes of Serotonin Receptors in the Feeding Circuit of a Pond Snail

In the central nervous system of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis, serotonergic transmission plays an important role in controlling feeding behavior. Recent electrophysiological studies have claimed that only metabotropic serotonin (5-HT2) receptors, and not ionotropic (5-HT3) receptors, are used in synapses between serotonergic neurons (the cerebral giant cells, CGCs) and the follower buccal motoneurons (the B1 cells). However, these data are inconsistent with previous results. In the present study, we therefore reexamined the serotonin receptors to identify the receptor subtypes functioning in the synapses between the CGCs and the B1 cells by recording the compound excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) of the B1 cells evoked by a train of stimulation to the CGC in the presence of antagonists: cinanserin for 5-HT2 and/or MDL72222 for 5-HT3. The compound EPSP amplitude was partially suppressed by the application of these antagonists. The rise time of the compound EPSP was longer in the presence of MDL72222 than in that of cinanserin. These results suggest that these two subtypes of serotonin receptors are involved in the CGC-B1 synapses, and that these receptors contribute to compound EPSP. That is, the fast component of compound EPSP is mediated by 5-HT3-like receptors, and the slow component is generated via 5-HT2-like receptors.

FMRFamide regulates oscillatory activity of the olfactory center in the slug

In the olfactory center of terrestrial animals, changes in the oscillatory frequency of the local field potential (LFP) are thought to be involved in olfaction‐based behavior and olfactory memory. The terrestrial slug Limax has a highly developed olfactory center, the procerebrum, in which the LFP spontaneously oscillates. Although changes in the oscillatory frequency are thought to correspond to the preference for specific odors, our knowledge about the mechanism of this frequency regulation is limited. To clarify the mechanism of the bidirectional frequency changes in the procerebrum, we focused on the neuropeptide Phe‐Met‐Arg‐Phe‐NH2 (FMRFamide), which is known to have neuromodulatory functions in invertebrate nervous systems. Application of FMRFamide decreased the oscillatory frequency via G‐protein‐mediated cascades. Immunohistochemistry showed that FMRFamide‐like‐immunoreactive neuronal cell bodies are located in the cell mass layer of the procerebrum, projecting their neurites to the neuropile layers. The procerebrum was shown to also receive innervation from other regions of the cerebral ganglion. Furthermore, according to their morphological and projection characteristics, FMRFamide‐containing neurons belong to the subpopulations of both bursting and nonbursting neurons in the procerebrum. The mRNA splice variant encoding multiple copies of canonical FMRFamide was specifically expressed in the procerebrum. Taking into account previous results showing that serotonin increases the oscillatory frequency, our results indicate that FMRFamide and serotonin both regulate the LFP frequency but in exactly the opposite direction in the olfactory center of the terrestrial slug.