Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Oct 2011
Priming of hypoxia-inducible factor by neuronal nitric oxide synthase is essential for adaptive responses to severe anemia.
Cells sense and respond to changes in oxygen concentration through gene regulatory processes that are fundamental to survival. Surprisingly, little is known about how anemia affects hypoxia signaling. Because nitric oxide synthases (NOSs) figure prominently in the cellular responses to acute hypoxia, we defined the effects of NOS deficiency in acute anemia. ⋯ S-nitrosylation effects the functional interaction between HIF and pVHL. We found that anemia led to nNOS-dependent S-nitrosylation of pVHL in vivo and, of interest, led to decreased expression of GSNO reductase. These findings identify nNOS effects on the HIF/pVHL signaling pathway as critically important in the physiological responses to anemia in vivo and provide essential mechanistic insight into the differences between anemia and hypoxia.
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Oct 2011
Impaired phosphorylation of Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter by oxidative stress-responsive kinase-1 deficiency manifests hypotension and Bartter-like syndrome.
Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporters (NKCCs), including NKCC1 and renal-specific NKCC2, and the Na(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter (NCC) play pivotal roles in the regulation of blood pressure (BP) and renal NaCl reabsorption. Oxidative stress-responsive kinase-1 (OSR1) is a known upstream regulator of N(K)CCs. We generated and analyzed global and kidney tubule-specific (KSP) OSR1 KO mice to elucidate the physiological role of OSR1 in vivo, particularly on BP and kidney function. ⋯ The expression of total SPAK and p-SPAK was significantly increased in parallel to that of total NCC and p-NCC despite unchanged total NKCC2 expression. These results suggest that, globally, OSR1 is involved in the regulation of BP and renal tubular Na(+) reabsorption mainly via the activation of NKCC1 and NKCC2. In the kidneys, NKCC2 but not NCC is the main target of OSR1 and the reduced p-NKCC2 in KSP-OSR1(-/-) mice may lead to a Bartter-like syndrome.
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Oct 2011
TrkB signaling in parvalbumin-positive interneurons is critical for gamma-band network synchronization in hippocampus.
Although brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is known to regulate circuit development and synaptic plasticity, its exact role in neuronal network activity remains elusive. Using mutant mice (TrkB-PV(-/-)) in which the gene for the BDNF receptor, tyrosine kinase B receptor (trkB), has been specifically deleted in parvalbumin-expressing, fast-spiking GABAergic (PV+) interneurons, we show that TrkB is structurally and functionally important for the integrity of the hippocampal network. ⋯ This decrease was caused by a desynchronization and overall reduction in frequency of action potentials generated in PV+ interneurons of TrkB-PV(-/-) mice. Our results show that the integration of PV+ interneurons into the hippocampal microcircuit is impaired in TrkB-PV(-/-) mice, resulting in decreased rhythmic network activity in the gamma-frequency band.
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Sep 2011
Glucocorticoids are critical regulators of dendritic spine development and plasticity in vivo.
Glucocorticoids are a family of hormones that coordinate diverse physiological processes in responding to stress. Prolonged glucocorticoid exposure over weeks has been linked to dendritic atrophy and spine loss in fixed tissue studies of adult brains, but it is unclear how glucocorticoids may affect the dynamic processes of dendritic spine formation and elimination in vivo. Furthermore, relatively few studies have examined the effects of stress and glucocorticoids on spines during the postnatal and adolescent period, which is characterized by rapid synaptogenesis followed by protracted synaptic pruning. ⋯ However, reducing endogenous glucocorticoid activity by dexamethasone suppression or corticosteroid receptor antagonists caused a substantial reduction in spine turnover rates, and the former was reversed by corticosterone replacement. Notably, we found that chronic glucocorticoid excess led to an abnormal loss of stable spines that were established early in life. Together, these findings establish a critical role for glucocorticoids in the development and maintenance of dendritic spines in the living cortex.
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. · Sep 2011
Oxygen-coupled redox regulation of the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor-Ca2+ release channel by NADPH oxidase 4.
Physiological sensing of O(2) tension (partial O(2) pressure, pO(2)) plays an important role in some mammalian cellular systems, but striated muscle generally is not considered to be among them. Here we describe a molecular mechanism in skeletal muscle that acutely couples changes in pO(2) to altered calcium release through the ryanodine receptor-Ca(2+)-release channel (RyR1). ⋯ Thus, Nox4 is an O(2) sensor in skeletal muscle, and O(2)-coupled hydrogen peroxide production by Nox4 governs the redox state of regulatory RyR1 thiols and thereby governs muscle performance. These findings reveal a molecular mechanism for O(2)-based signaling by an NADPH oxidase and demonstrate a physiological role for oxidative modification of RyR1.