5-HT3 receptors are membrane ion channels

The neurohormone 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT or serotonin) exerts its effects by binding to several distinct receptors. One of these is the M-receptor of Gaddum and Picarelli, now called the 5-HT3 receptor, through which 5-HT acts to excite enteric neurons. Ligand-binding and functional studies have shown that the 5-HT3 receptor is widely distributed in peripheral and central nervous tissue and evidence suggests that the receptor might incorporate an ion channel permeable to cations. We now report the first recordings of currents through single ion channels activated by 5-HT3 receptors, in excised (outside-out) membrane patches from neurons of the guinea pig submucous plexus. Whereas application of acetylcholine activated predominantly a 40-pS channel, 5-HT caused unitary currents apparently through two channels of conductances of 15 and 9 pS, which were reversibly blocked by antagonists of the 5-HT3 receptor. Receptors for amine neurotransmitters, including 5-HT1 and 5-HT2, have previously been thought to transduce their effects through GTP-binding proteins: the direct demonstration that 5-HT3 receptors are ligand-gated ion channels implies a role for 5-HT, and perhaps other amines, as a 'fast' synaptic transmitter.     

Excitatory glycine receptors containing the NR3 family of NMDA receptor subunits

The N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptor (NMDAR) serves critical functions in physiological and pathological processes in the central nervous system, including neuronal development, plasticity and neurodegeneration. Conventional heteromeric NMDARs composed of NR1 and NR2A-D subunits require dual agonists, glutamate and glycine, for activation. They are also highly permeable to Ca2+, and exhibit voltage-dependent inhibition by Mg2+. Coexpression of NR3A with NR1 and NR2 subunits modulates NMDAR activity. Here we report the cloning and characterization of the final member of the NMDAR family, NR3B, which shares high sequence homology with NR3A. From in situ and immunocytochemical analyses, NR3B is expressed predominantly in motor neurons, whereas NR3A is more widely distributed. Remarkably, when co-expressed in Xenopus oocytes, NR3A or NR3B co-assembles with NR1 to form excitatory glycine receptors that are unaffected by glutamate or NMDA, and inhibited by D-serine, a co-activator of conventional NMDARs. Moreover, NR1/NR3A or -3B receptors form relatively Ca2+-impermeable cation channels that are resistant to Mg2+, MK-801, memantine and competitive antagonists. In cerebrocortical neurons containing NR3 family members, glycine triggers a burst of firing, and membrane patches manifest glycine-responsive single channels that are suppressible by D-serine. By itself, glycine is normally thought of as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. In contrast, these NR1/NR3A or -3B 'NMDARs' constitute a type of excitatory glycine receptor.     

动物精子发生及成熟过程中凝集素受体的分布与变化

对各种动物精子发生与成熟过程中生精细胞表面凝集素受体的变化做了综述 .精子发生过程伴随着不同凝集素受体的出现和变化 ,这些受体是由生精细胞自身合成的 ;精子在成熟过程中 ,质膜凝集素受体的合成、修饰及分布会进一步发生变化 ,这些变化与精子获得与卵子进行识别、粘附、结合等受精能力密切相关 .     

Imaging of Rab5 activity identifies essential regulators for phagosome maturation

Efficient phagocytosis of apoptotic cells is crucial for tissue homeostasis and the immune response. Rab5 is known as a key regulator of the early endocytic pathway and we have recently shown that Rab5 is also implicated in apoptotic cell engulfment; however, the precise spatio-temporal dynamics of Rab5 activity remain unknown. Here, using a newly developed fluorescence resonance energy transfer biosensor, we describe a change in Rab5 activity during the engulfment of apoptotic thymocytes. Rab5 activity on phagosome membranes began to increase on disassembly of the actin coat encapsulating phagosomes. Rab5 activation was either continuous or repetitive for up to 10 min, but it ended before the collapse of engulfed apoptotic cells. Expression of a dominant-negative mutant of Rab5 delayed this collapse of apoptotic thymocytes, showing a role for Rab5 in phagosome maturation. Disruption of microtubules with nocodazole inhibited Rab5 activation on the phagosome membrane without perturbing the engulfment of apoptotic cells. Furthermore, we found that Gapex-5 is the guanine nucleotide exchange factor essential for Rab5 activation during the engulfment of apoptotic cells. Gapex-5 was bound to a microtubule-tip-associating protein, EB1, whose depletion inhibited Rab5 activation during phagocytosis. We therefore propose a mechanistic model in which the recruitment of Gapex-5 to phagosomes through the microtubule network induces the transient Rab5 activation.     

Effect of cell history on response to helix-loop-helix family of myogenic regulators

In multinucleated heterokaryons formed from the fusion of differentiated muscle cells to either hepatocytes or fibroblasts, muscle-specific gene expression is activated, liver-specific gene expression is repressed, and there are changes in the location of the Golgi apparatus. An understanding of the regulatory mechanisms that underlie this plasticity is of particular interest given the stability of the differentiated state in vivo. We have now investigated whether MyoD or myogenin, regulators of muscle-specific gene expression that have a helix-loop-helix motif, can induce the phenotypic conversion observed in heterokaryons. When these regulators were stably or transiently introduced into fibroblasts or hepatocytes by microinjection, transfection or retroviral infection with complementary DNA in expression vectors, fibroblasts expressed muscle-specific genes, whereas hepatocytes did not. However, fusion of hepatocytes stably expressing MyoD to fibroblasts resulted in activation in the heterokaryon of muscle-specific genes of both cell types. These results imply that other regulators, present in fibroblasts but not in hepatocytes, are necessary for the activation of muscle-specific genes, and indicate that the differentiated state of a cell is dictated by its history and a dynamic interaction among the proteins that it contains.     

以人为本－－家庭变化的实质

当前我国正经历着由传统家庭到现代家庭的变化。这种变化的实质是由“家庭至上”转变为“以人为本”。在现代家庭中,人们可以更多地享受平等、自主权力和个性自由,更多享受爱情、亲情的滋润,这标志着人们生活质量的提高。但是,也应防止过分强调个人需求与自由,放弃家庭责任的趋向。     

A family of mammalian Na+-dependent L-ascorbic acid transporters.

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is essential for many enzymatic reactions, in which it serves to maintain prosthetic metal ions in their reduced forms (for example, Fe2+, Cu+), and for scavenging free radicals in order to protect tissues from oxidative damage. The facilitative sugar transporters of the GLUT type can transport the oxidized form of the vitamin, dehydroascorbic acid, but these transporters are unlikely to allow significant physiological amounts of vitamin C to be taken up in the presence of normal glucose concentrations, because the vitamin is present in plasma essentially only in its reduced form. Here we describe the isolation of two L-ascorbic acid transporters, SVCT1 and SVCT2, from rat complementary DNA libraries, as the first step in investigating the importance of L-ascorbic acid transport in regulating the supply and metabolism of vitamin C. We find that SVCT1 and SVCT2 each mediate concentrative, high-affinity L-ascorbic acid transport that is stereospecific and is driven by the Na+ electrochemical gradient. Despite their close sequence homology and similar functions, the two isoforms of the transporter are discretely distributed: SVCT1 is mainly confined to epithelial systems (intestine, kidney, liver), whereas SVCT2 serves a host of metabolically active cells and specialized tissues in the brain, eye and other organs.     

Transient cells of the developing mammalian telencephalon are peptide-immunoreactive neurons

In the development of the mammalian telencephalon, the genesis of neurons destined for the various layers of the cerebral cortex is preceded by the generation of a population of cells that comes to reside in the subplate and marginal zones (see ref. 2 for nomenclature). In the cat, these cells are present in large numbers during development, when their location is correlated with the arrival and accumulation of ingrowing axonal systems and with synapses. However, as the brain matures, the cells disappear and the white matter and layer 1 of the adult emerge. Their disappearance occurs in concert with the invasion of the cortical plate by the axonal systems and with the elimination of the synapses from the subplate. Here we report that the subplate cells have properties typical of mature neurons. They have the ultrastructural appearance of neurons and receive synaptic contacts. They also have long projections and are immunoreactive for MAP2 (microtubule associated protein 2). Further, subpopulations are immunoreactive for one of several neuropeptides. These observations suggest that during the fetal and early postnatal development of the mammalian telencephalon the subplate cells function as neurons in synaptic circuitry that disappears by adulthood.     

A family of candidate taste receptors in human and mouse

The gustatory system of mammals can sense four basic taste qualities, bitter, sweet, salty and sour, as well as umami, the taste of glutamate. Previous studies suggested that the detection of bitter and sweet tastants by taste receptor cells in the mouth is likely to involve G-protein-coupled receptors. Although two putative G-protein-coupled bitter/sweet taste receptors have been identified, the chemical diversity of bitter and sweet compounds leads one to expect that there is a larger number of different receptors. Here we report the identification of a family of candidate taste receptors (the TRBs) that are members of the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily and that are specifically expressed by taste receptor cells. A cluster of genes encoding human TRBs is located adjacent to a Prp gene locus, which in mouse is tightly linked to the SOA genetic locus that is involved in detecting the bitter compound sucrose octaacetate. Another TRB gene is found on a human contig assigned to chromosome 5p15, the location of a genetic locus (PROP) that controls the detection of the bitter compound 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil in humans.     

Insect olfactory receptors are heteromeric ligand-gated ion channels

In insects, each olfactory sensory neuron expresses between one and three ligand-binding members of the olfactory receptor (OR) gene family, along with the highly conserved and broadly expressed Or83b co-receptor. The functional insect OR consists of a heteromeric complex of unknown stoichiometry but comprising at least one variable odorant-binding subunit and one constant Or83b family subunit. Insect ORs lack homology to G-protein-coupled chemosensory receptors in vertebrates and possess a distinct seven-transmembrane topology with the amino terminus located intracellularly. Here we provide evidence that heteromeric insect ORs comprise a new class of ligand-activated non-selective cation channels. Heterologous cells expressing silkmoth, fruitfly or mosquito heteromeric OR complexes showed extracellular Ca2+ influx and cation-non-selective ion conductance on stimulation with odorant. Odour-evoked OR currents are independent of known G-protein-coupled second messenger pathways. The fast response kinetics and OR-subunit-dependent K+ ion selectivity of the insect OR complex support the hypothesis that the complex between OR and Or83b itself confers channel activity. Direct evidence for odorant-gated channels was obtained by outside-out patch-clamp recording of Xenopus oocyte and HEK293T cell membranes expressing insect OR complexes. The ligand-gated ion channel formed by an insect OR complex seems to be the basis for a unique strategy that insects have acquired to respond to the olfactory environment.     

Mys, a family of mammalian transposable elements isolated by phylogenetic screening

It has recently been demonstrated both emperically and mathematically that transposable elements may spread rapidly throughout a population once introduced even when they dramatically reduce the fitness of individuals that carry them. Such events result in pronounced differences in the phylogenetic distribution of genetic elements capable of rapid genome invasion. Using a simple and general procedure to screen the genome of the white-footed mouse Peromyscus leucopus, we have isolated a family of retrovirus-like elements which is apparently absent from the genome of the house mouse Mus domesticus. Here, we report this procedure and an analysis of the organization, phylogenetic distribution and sequence of this family of transposable elements.     

Oligopotent stem cells are distributed throughout the mammalian ocular surface

The integrity of the cornea, the most anterior part of the eye, is indispensable for vision. Forty-five million individuals worldwide are bilaterally blind and another 135 million have severely impaired vision in both eyes because of loss of corneal transparency; treatments range from local medications to corneal transplants, and more recently to stem cell therapy. The corneal epithelium is a squamous epithelium that is constantly renewing, with a vertical turnover of 7 to 14 days in many mammals. Identification of slow cycling cells (label-retaining cells) in the limbus of the mouse has led to the notion that the limbus is the niche for the stem cells responsible for the long-term renewal of the cornea; hence, the corneal epithelium is supposedly renewed by cells generated at and migrating from the limbus, in marked opposition to other squamous epithelia in which each resident stem cell has in charge a limited area of epithelium. Here we show that the corneal epithelium of the mouse can be serially transplanted, is self-maintained and contains oligopotent stem cells with the capacity to generate goblet cells if provided with a conjunctival environment. Furthermore, the entire ocular surface of the pig, including the cornea, contains oligopotent stem cells (holoclones) with the capacity to generate individual colonies of corneal and conjunctival cells. Therefore, the limbus is not the only niche for corneal stem cells and corneal renewal is not different from other squamous epithelia. We propose a model that unifies our observations with the literature and explains why the limbal region is enriched in stem cells.     

Presynaptic glycine receptors enhance transmitter release at a mammalian central synapse

Glycine and GABAA (gamma-aminobutyric acid A) receptors are inhibitory neurotransmitter-gated Cl- channels localized in postsynaptic membranes. In some cases, GABAA receptors are also found presynaptically, but they retain their inhibitory effect as their activation reduces excitatory transmitter release. Here we report evidence for presynaptic ionotropic glycine receptors, using pre- and postsynaptic recordings of a calyceal synapse in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB). Unlike the classical action of glycine, presynaptic glycine receptors triggered a weakly depolarizing Cl- current in the nerve terminal. The depolarization enhanced transmitter release by activating Ca2+ channels and increasing resting intraterminal Ca2+ concentrations. Repetitive activation of glycinergic synapses on MNTB neurons also enhanced glutamatergic synaptic currents, indicating that presynaptic glycine receptors are activated by glycine spillover. These results reveal a novel site of action of the transmitter glycine, and indicate that under certain conditions presynaptic Cl- channels may increase transmitter release.     

Dihydropyridine receptors in muscle are voltage-dependent but most are not functional calcium channels

1,4-Dihydropyridines are a new class of compounds believed to bind specifically and with high affinity to voltage-dependent calcium channels. They may be the first example of a ligand of use in the extraction and purification of the Ca channel. Although Ca channels and dihydropyridine receptors are found in many tissues, the richest and most convenient source is skeletal muscle. Functionally, 1,4-dihydropyridines such as nifedipine and nitrendipine block Ca channels; this effect is believed to form the basis for their clinical importance as Ca antagonists in relaxing vascular smooth muscle. But where currents through Ca channels can be measured directly, the block has required 100-1,000 times higher concentrations of dihydropyridine than necessary for the saturation of dihydropyridine binding sites. This discrepancy has remained unresolved because the study of pharmacological effects on Ca channels has required intact cells, while it has been difficult to investigate binding in other than cell-free preparations. Here we describe a method for measuring dihydropyridine binding to intact skeletal muscle and we compare our results with voltage-clamp measurements of Ca-channel block. We conclude that less than a few per cent of the binding sites in skeletal muscle represent functional Ca channels, contrary to general belief.     

Hair cell synaptic ribbons are essential for synchronous auditory signalling

Hearing relies on faithful synaptic transmission at the ribbon synapse of cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs). At present, the function of presynaptic ribbons at these synapses is still largely unknown. Here we show that anchoring of IHC ribbons is impaired in mouse mutants for the presynaptic scaffolding protein Bassoon. The lack of active-zone-anchored synaptic ribbons reduced the presynaptic readily releasable vesicle pool, and impaired synchronous auditory signalling as revealed by recordings of exocytic IHC capacitance changes and sound-evoked activation of spiral ganglion neurons. Both exocytosis of the hair cell releasable vesicle pool and the number of synchronously activated spiral ganglion neurons co-varied with the number of anchored ribbons during development. Interestingly, ribbon-deficient IHCs were still capable of sustained exocytosis with normal Ca2+-dependence. Endocytic membrane retrieval was intact, but an accumulation of tubular and cisternal membrane profiles was observed in ribbon-deficient IHCs. We conclude that ribbon-dependent synchronous release of multiple vesicles at the hair cell afferent synapse is essential for normal hearing.