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Neural induction in Xenopus requires early FGF signalling in addition to BMP inhibition.

Neural induction constitutes the first step in the generation of the vertebrate nervous system from embryonic ectoderm. Work with Xenopus ectodermal explants has suggested that epidermis is induced by BMP signals, whereas neural fates arise by default following BMP inhibition. In amniotes and ascidians, however, BMP inhibition does not appear to be sufficient for neural fate acquisition, which is initiated by FGF signalling. We decided to re-evaluate in the context of the whole embryo the roles of the BMP and FGF pathways during neural induction in Xenopus. We find that ectopic BMP activity converts the neural plate into epidermis, confirming that this pathway must be inhibited during neural induction in vivo. Conversely, inhibition of BMP, or of its intracellular effector SMAD1 in the non-neural ectoderm leads to epidermis suppression. In no instances, however, is BMP/SMAD1 inhibition sufficient to elicit neural induction in ventral ectoderm. By contrast, we find that neural specification occurs when weak eFGF or low ras signalling are combined with BMP inhibition. Using all available antimorphic FGF receptors (FGFR), as well as the pharmacological FGFR inhibitor SU5402, we demonstrate that pre-gastrula FGF signalling is required in the ectoderm for the emergence of neural fates. Finally, we show that although the FGF pathway contributes to BMP inhibition, as in other model systems, it is also essential for neural induction in vivo and in animal caps in a manner that cannot be accounted for by simple BMP inhibition. Taken together, our results reveal that in contrast to predictions from the default model, BMP inhibition is required but not sufficient for neural induction in vivo. This work contributes to the emergence of a model whereby FGF functions as a conserved initiator of neural specification among chordates.

Animals↗

Age-dependent inhibition of neural crest migration by the notochord correlates with alterations in the S103L chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan.

In avian embryos, the notochord inhibits neural crest migration, resulting in the absence of neural crest cells from the perinotochordal space. Here, we test whether temporal changes in the ability of the notochord to inhibit neural crest migration correlate with alterations in the S1O3L chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG). Because CSPGs are abundant in the perinotochordal space and the inhibitory effects of the notochord are chondroitinase sensitive both in vivo and in vitro, we examined the distribution and biochemical nature of a large CSPG whose core protein is recognized by the S103L antibody. The S103L CSPG is specific to the perinotochordal space during the course of neural crest migration and codistributes with the HNK-1 carbohydrate. Biochemical characterization reveals that the S103L CSPG bears the HNK-1 epitope and is the only HNK-l immunoreactive proteoglycan present around the notochord at these stages. Following neural crest migration, the S103L CSPG staining is maintained in the perinotochordal region and also is expressed later in cartilage. In 4-day-old embryos, however, the S103L CSPG undergoes a reduction of HNK-1 immunoreactivity. To examine the temporal nature of the notochord's inhibitory ability, we assayed the effects, on neural crest migration of grafting notochords from 2- to 5-day-old donor quail embryos into 2-day-old host chick embryos. Donor notochords from 2- to 3-day-old embryos inhibit neural crest cell migration, whereas the degree of inhibition is reduced or absent when notochords are derived from > or = 4-day-old donors. This suggests that older notochords lose their inhibitory ability. Interestingly, preincubation of younger notochords with the HNK-1 antibody blocks the inhibitory effect, suggesting that glycosylation of the perinotochordal matrix may be important. The time when the notochord loses its inhibitory ability as assessed by our in vivo grafting assay correlates with the biochemical and immunocytochemical changes in the notochordal S103L antigen. These data suggest that a species of S103L CSPG, which is expressed by the early notochord and bears the HNK-1 epitope, may be important for the inhibition of neural crest migration.

Animals↗

Characterization of chronic low-level proteasome inhibition on neural homeostasis.

Increasing evidence suggests that proteasome inhibition plays a causal role in promoting the neurodegeneration and neuron death observed in multiple disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). The ability of severe and acute inhibition of proteasome function to induce neuron death and neuropathology similar to that observed in AD and PD is well documented. However, at present the effects of chronic low-level proteasome inhibition on neural homeostasis has not been elucidated. In order to determine the effects of chronic low-level proteasome inhibition on neural homeostasis, we conducted studies in individual colonies of neural SH-SY5Y cells that were isolated following continual exposure to low concentrations (100 nm) of the proteasome inhibitor MG115. Clonal cell lines appeared morphologically similar to control cultures but exhibited significantly different rates of both proliferation and differentiation. Elevated levels of protein oxidation and protein insolubility were observed in clonal cell lines, with all clonal cell lines being more resistant to neural death induced by serum withdrawal and oxidative stress. Interestingly, clonal cell lines demonstrated evidence for increased macroautophagy, suggesting that chronic low-level proteasome inhibition may cause an excessive activation of the lysosomal system. Taken together, these data indicate that chronic low-level proteasome inhibition has multiple effects on neural homeostasis, and suggests that studying the effects of chronic low-level proteasome inhibition may be useful in understanding the relationship between protein oxidation, protein insolubility, proteasome function, macroautophagy and neural viability in AD and PD.

Autophagy↗

Proteasome inhibition alters neural mitochondrial homeostasis and mitochondria turnover.

Inhibition of proteasome activity occurs in normal aging and in a wide variety of neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Although each of these conditions is also associated with mitochondrial dysfunction potentially mediated by proteasome inhibition, the relationship between proteasome inhibition and the loss of mitochondrial homeostasis in each of these conditions has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we conducted experimentation in order to begin to develop a more complete understanding of the effects proteasome inhibition has on neural mitochondrial homeostasis. Mitochondria within neural SH-SY5Y cells exposed to low level proteasome inhibition possessed similar morphological features and similar rates of electron transport chain activity under basal conditions as compared with untreated neural cultures of equal passage number. Despite such similarities, maximal complex I and complex II activities were dramatically reduced in neural cells subject to proteasome inhibition. Proteasome inhibition also increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production, reduced intramitochondrial protein translation, and increased cellular dependence on glycolysis. Finally, whereas proteasome inhibition generated cells that consistently possessed mitochondria located in close proximity to lysosomes with mitochondria present in the cellular debris located within autophagosomes, increased levels of lipofuscin suggest that impairments in mitochondrial turnover may occur following proteasome inhibition. Taken together, these data demonstrate that proteasome inhibition dramatically alters specific aspects of neural mitochondrial homeostasis and alters lysosomal-mediated degradation of mitochondria with both of these alterations potentially contributing to aging and age-related disease in the nervous system.

Animals↗

Homocysteine inhibits cardiac neural crest cell formation and morphogenesis in vivo.

Elevated homocysteine increases the risk of neurocristopathies. Here, we determined whether elevating homocysteine altered the proliferation or number of chick neural crest cells that form between the midotic and third somite in vivo. Homocysteine increased the number of neural tube cells but decreased neural crest cell number. However, the sum total of cells was not different from controls. In controls, the 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-labeling index was higher in newly formed neural crest cells than in their progenitors, paralleling reports showing these progenitors must pass the restriction point before undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Homocysteine decreased the labeling index of newly formed neural crest cells, suggesting that it inhibited cell cycle progression of neural crest progenitors or the S-phase entry of newly formed neural crest cells. Homocysteine also inhibited neural crest dispersal and decreased the distance they migrated from the neural tube. These results show neural crest morphogenesis is directly altered by elevated homocysteine in vivo. Developmental Dynamics 229:63-73, 2004.

Animals↗

Evidence for the existence and development of visual inhibition in humans.

Neural inhibition forms a major mechanism by which the nervous system refines and elaborates its input. Several recent experiments have demonstrated the existence of inhibition between orientation-selective cells of the primary visual cortex of the cat and although the precise function of this inhibition is uncertain, there is evidence that it enhances orientation tuning and that it is involved in pattern recognition. Here we report a series of experiments which, on the basis of evoked potential responses to oriented stimuli, suggest that similar processes may exist in humans. Recordings from young infants further suggest that the machinery which mediates orientation-specific interactions may not be functional at birth, but develops only after 6-8 months.

Adult↗

Induction of epidermis and inhibition of neural fate by Bmp-4.

During gastrulation in vertebrates, ectodermal cells choose between two fates, neural and epidermal. The nervous system forms in response to signals from the Spemann organizer; ectoderm that does not receive these signals becomes epidermis. Unexpectedly, however, in Xenopus, neural tissue also forms when cell-cell communication within the ectoderm is disrupted by cell dissociation or by antagonists of the growth factor activin. These observations suggest that epidermal specification depends on local signalling, by activin or a close relative, and that neural tissue forms when this communication is blocked. Here we report that bone morphogenesis protein 4 (Bmp-4), a relative of activin that is expressed in the embryo at the time of ectodermal fate determination, is a potent epidermal inducer and neural inhibitor, the first reported in any vertebrate. Activin can inhibit neuralization by inducing mesoderm, but does not induce epidermis. Moreover, the dominant-negative activin receptor, which stimulates neuralization when expressed in the embryo, blocks Bmp-4 in our assay. Our findings demonstrate that epidermal fate can be induced, and thus provide further evidence that neural specification is under inhibitory control in vertebrates.

Activin Receptors↗

Dendritic inhibition enhances neural coding properties.

The presence of a large number of inhibitory contacts at the soma and axon initial segment of cortical pyramidal cells has inspired a large and influential class of neural network model that use post-integration lateral inhibition as a mechanism for competition between nodes. However, inhibitory synapses also target the dendrites of pyramidal cells. The role of this dendritic inhibition in competition between neurons has not previously been addressed. We demonstrate, using a simple computational model, that such pre-integration lateral inhibition provides networks of neurons with useful representational and computational properties that are not provided by post-integration inhibition.

Algorithms↗

The effects of hyperphenylalaninaemia on the concentrations of aminoacyl-transfer ribonucleic acid in vivo. A mechanism for the inhibition of neural protein synthesis by phenylalanine.

An acute administration of phenylalanine to neonatal animals has been reported to result in large decreases in the intracellular concentrations of several essential amino acids in neural tissue, as well as an inhibition of neural protein synthesis. The present report evaluates the effects of the loss of amino acids on the concentrations of aminoacyl-tRNA in vivo, with the view that an alteration in the concentrations of specific aminoacyl-tRNA molecules could be the rate-limiting step in brain protein metabolism during hyperphenylalaninaemia. tRNA was isolated from saline- and phenylalanine-injected mice 30-45 min after injection, by using a procedure designed to maintain the concentrations of aminoacyl-tRNA present in vivo. Periodate oxidation of the non-acylated tRNA and aminoacylation with radioactively labelled amino acids was used to determine the proportion of tRNA that was present in vivo as aminoacyl-tRNA. Although decreases in the intracellular concentrations of alanine, lysine and leucine were observed after phenylalanine administration, the concentrations of alanyl-tRNA, lysyl-tRNA and leucyl-tRNA actually increased by 15%. Although tryptophan has been suggested to be rate-limiting during hyperphenylalaninaemia, the proportion of tryptophan tRNA that was acylated was maximal in both normal and hyperphenylalaninaemic animals. This unexpected increase in aminoacyl-tRNA concentration is discussed as perhaps a secondary effect resulting from the phenylalanine-induced inhibition of protein synthesis. In contrast, the proportion of methionine tRNA that was acylated in vivo after phenylalanine administration was demonstrated to be decreased by approx. 17%. When the isoaccepting species of methionine tRNA were separated by reverse-phase column chromatography, three species were separated, one of which was demonstrated to be the initiator species, tRNAfMet, by the selective aminoacylation and formylation with Escherichia coli enzymes. After the administration of phenylalanine, the acylation of each of the three methionine tRNA species was decreased, with the initiator species being lowered by 10%. This effect on aminoacylation of tRNAfMet may be the primary step by which phenylalanine affects neural protein synthesis, and this is consistent with previous reports that re-initiation may be inhibited during hyperphenylalaninaemia.

Acylation↗

Inhibition of neural crest cell attachment by integrin antisense oligonucleotides.

Neural crest cell interactions with extracellular matrix molecules were analyzed with the use of antisense oligonucleotides to block synthesis of integrin subunits. When added to the culture medium of quail neural crest cells, selected antisense phosphorothiol oligonucleotides reduced the amounts of cell surface alpha 1 or beta 1 integrin subunits by up to 95 percent and inhibited neural crest cell attachment to laminin or fibronectin substrata. Differential effects on specific alpha integrins were noted after treatment with alpha-specific oligonucleotides. Cells recovered the ability to bind to substrata 8 to 16 hours after treatment with inhibitory oligonucleotides. The operation of at least three distinct alpha integrin subunits is indicated by substratum-selective inhibition of cell attachment.

Animals↗

How inhibitory oscillations can train neural networks and punish competitors.

We present a new learning algorithm that leverages oscillations in the strength of neural inhibition to train neural networks. Raising inhibition can be used to identify weak parts of target memories, which are then strengthened. Conversely, lowering inhibition can be used to identify competitors, which are then weakened. To update weights, we apply the Contrastive Hebbian Learning equation to successive time steps of the network. The sign of the weight change equation varies as a function of the phase of the inhibitory oscillation. We show that the learning algorithm can memorize large numbers of correlated input patterns without collapsing and that it shows good generalization to test patterns that do not exactly match studied patterns.

Algorithms↗

Nucleus accumbens, entorhinal cortex and latent inhibition: a neural network model.

A neural network model of classical conditioning (Schmajuk, Lam, and Gray, J. Exp. Psychol.: Anim. Behav. Process, 22, 1996, 321-349) is applied to the description of the neural substrates of latent inhibition. Experimental data suggest that latent inhibition might be controlled by a circuit that involves the hippocampus, the entorhinal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, and the mesolimbic dopaminergic projection from the ventral tegmental area to the accumbens. By mapping different nodes and connections in the model onto this brain circuit, computer simulations demonstrate that, in most cases, the model provides a good quantitative description of: (1) the impairment of latent inhibition by lesions of the shell of the nucleus accumbens; (2) the restoration of latent inhibition by haloperidol following lesions of the shell; (3) the preservation of latent inhibition by lesions of the core of the nucleus accumbens; (4) the facilitation of latent inhibition by combined shell core lesions and by core lesions with extended conditioning; (5) the impairment of latent inhibition following lesions of the entorhinal cortex or the hippocampus; and (6) the restoration of latent inhibition by haloperidol following lesions of the entorhinal cortex and ventral subiculum. In addition, the model is able to describe neural activity in the nucleus accumbens.

Animals↗

Inhibition of neural ATP release by atrial natriuretic peptide in guinea-pig vas deferens.

Effects of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and 8-bromoguanosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-BrcGMP) on contraction, overflow of tritium (after [3H]noradrenaline labelling) and overflow of ATP elicited by electrical field stimulation (210 pulses/7 Hz) were studied in guinea-pig vas deferens. ANP (1-100 nM) slightly increased contractions, did not alter the overflow of tritium but decreased the overflow of ATP by up to 50%. 8-BrcGMP (3-300 mu M) markedly reduced contractions and ATP overflow with no effect on tritium overflow. Contractions were suppressed in the presence of prazosin plus suramin, and evoked overflow of ATP declined to 11%. ANP now gradually increased tritium overflow but again decreased the overflow of ATP. 8-BrcGMP did not change tritium overflow, as before, but increased ATP overflow. The results indicate that ANP inhibits neural release of ATP by a mechanism independent of guanylyl cyclase activation with no major effect on noradrenaline release.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

P300 and allocation of attention in dual-tasks.

P300 in dual-tasks has been reported to be distributed reciprocally across the tasks, i.e. larger P300 associated with one task implies smaller P300 associated with the other (Wickens et al., 1983; Sirevääg et al., 1989). In these studies, however, the dual-tasks stimuli were either presented simultaneously, precluding a direct, within-trial assessment of relative magnitudes of P300, or they were separated by intervals of 1 s or more, thereby minimizing overlap of the ERP epochs, but at the cost of reduced competition for shared processing resources. The present experiment used an inter-stimulus interval of 400 ms between the auditory (tones) and visual (colored LEDs) stimuli that defined the dual-task and found that, when deviant tones elicited a prominent auditory P300, they were followed by a greatly reduced P300 for the deviant LED. The findings were interpreted from viewpoints that considered the effects of neural inhibition versus neural recovery cycles on the amplitude of P300.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

A pharmacological analysis of neurally induced inhibition of carotid body chemoreceptor activity in cats.

Experiments were performed to determine the mechanism by which centrifugal impulses in the carotid sinus nerve (CSN) reduce the frequency of impulse traffic in afferent chemoreceptor fibers from the carotid body in cats. Recordings of chemoreceptor activity were made from single- or few-fiber preparations dissected off the CSN, while the remainder of the CSN was stimulated electrically to produce neurally induced inhibition of chemoreceptor activity. Various drugs were injected either intravenously or directly into the arterial blood supply to the carotid body. We found that catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine) inhibited spontaneous chemoreceptor activity, and that alpha adrenergic antagonists abolished both this inhibition and that produced by electrical stimulation of the CSN in the same preparation. Atropine, but not nicotinic antagonists of acetylcholine, consistently blocked neurally induced inhibition but not that produced by catecholamines. Muscarinic agonists had no effect on spontaneous chemoreceptor activity. We conclude that centrifugal activity in the CSN causes release of endogenous catecholamines in the carotid body, and that these catecholamines mediate neurally induced inhibition of chemoreceptor activity is due to the vasomotor effects of acetylcholine.

Acetylcholine↗

Site-specific enhancement of gamma-aminobutyric acid-mediated inhibition of neural activity by ethanol in the rat medial septal area.

Because of uncertainty concerning the interaction of ethanol with gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-mediated events, the present work was designed to investigate the effect of ethanol on GABA transmission in the rat septal area using behavioral and electrophysiological techniques. Microinjection of the GABAA agonist muscimol into the medial septal area (MSA) enhanced, and bicuculline administration antagonized, ethanol-induced impairment of the aerial righting reflex. Microinjection of these drugs into the lateral septum (LSi) did not influence this measure of ethanol-induced sedation. Furthermore, intraseptal injections of muscimol or bicuculline in saline-treated rats had no effect on the aerial righting reflex. These data suggest that the MSA plays a critical modulatory role in the sedative actions of ethanol. To assess the effect of ethanol on muscimol responses in the MSA and LSi at the cellular level, GABA was applied by iontophoresis to rhythmically bursting neurons of the MSA and to cells in the LSi. The magnitude of the resultant inhibition by GABA on these cells was assessed before and after systemic administration of ethanol. Ethanol enhanced GABA-mediated inhibition of MSA neural activity, but did not alter GABA-mediated inhibition of cellular activity in the LSi. In contrast, the inhibition of cellular activity in the MSA, caused by a maximally effective concentration of the benzodiazepine flurazepam, was not altered by ethanol. Other work in the MSA demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the fimbria caused an inhibition of ongoing single unit activity that was reduced by concurrent application of bicuculline. The duration of this electrically elicited inhibition in the MSA was enhanced after ethanol injection and then recovered to base-line levels. In addition, ethanol (1.5 mg/kg) caused an enhancement of the inhibition induced by nipecotic acid, a GABA uptake inhibitor. These findings demonstrate that GABA-mediated neural inhibition is enhanced by ethanol in the MSA but not the LSi, indicating that the actions of ethanol on GABA-induced inhibition can be site specific. It is proposed that the cellular action of ethanol may depend upon a specific molecular composition of the GABA receptor complex which may vary at selected sites in the brain.

Animals↗

HIV-1 promotes quiescence in human neural progenitor cells.

The exact mechanism by which human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) produces dementia remains obscure. We have recently found that chemokines can inhibit neural progenitor cell proliferation. We hypothesized that HIV-1 could also inhibit neural progenitor cell proliferation by chemokine receptor signaling. We found that HIV-1 coat proteins that used C-C chemokine receptor 3 or C-X-C chemokine receptor 4 as coreceptors inhibited proliferation of neural progenitor cells in isolated cultures, as well as in hippocampal slices. The cerebrospinal fluid from patients with dementia also inhibited neural progenitor cell proliferation in these culture systems. To obtain an in vivo correlation, we examined hippocampus tissue obtained from patients with dementia at autopsy and found reduced numbers of neural progenitor cells in patients with dementia, compared with patients without dementia. Apolipoprotein E3, but not E4, antagonized the effects of coat proteins. We found reduced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase in neural progenitor cells treated with coat proteins, which may explain the protein's mechanism of action. We conclude that HIV-1 inhibits neural progenitor cell proliferation, which may result in impaired ability to form new memories and learn new tasks.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗