Dense Representation of Natural Odorants in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Dense Representation of Natural Odorants in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS Dense representation of Online Methods), leading to a reduced number of activated glomeruli (n = 6 odorant-mouse pairs, paired t test, P < 0.005; Fig. 1e). natural odorants in the mouse We then applied 40 different natural odorants using the olfactom- eter to minimize the animal’s stress and to have a better temporal olfactory bulb control of the odorant application. In all of the mice that we tested (n = 8), every odorant evoked a specific dense pattern of glomerular Roberto Vincis1,2, Olivier Gschwend1–3, Khaleel Bhaukaurally1–3, activity (Fig. 2a and Supplementary Fig. 1). For each odorant, we Jonathan Beroud1,2 & Alan Carleton1,2 analyzed the image sequence (Online Methods and Supplementary Fig. 2) and quantified the number of activated glomeruli (Fig. 2b In mammals, odorant molecules are thought to activate and Supplementary Fig. 3). We found that the number of activated only a few glomeruli, leading to the hypothesis that odor glomeruli for each stimulus ranged between 10 and 40 glomeruli representation in the olfactory bulb is sparse. However, the (Fig. 2b). For the same set of 30 natural stimuli, the total number of studies supporting this model used anesthetized animals or activated glomeruli per olfactory bulb was 443 ± 15 glomeruli (n = 5 monomolecular odorants at limited concentration ranges. mice; Fig. 2c,d). By merging the glomeruli activated by several odor- Using optical imaging and two-photon microscopy, we found ants (Online Methods), we obtained a map composed of glomeruli that natural odorants at their native concentrations could elicit with a unique identity showing that the natural odorants that we dense representations in the olfactory bulb. Both anesthesia used activated a large portion of the dorsal olfactory bulb (127 ± 3 and odorant concentration were found to modulate the glomeruli; Fig. 2c,d). representation density of natural odorants. We then addressed the issue of the fraction of the total number of glomeruli activated by the odorants. Using two-photon imaging In the olfactory bulb, odorant molecules evoke complex spatio- temporal patterns of activated glomeruli1–10 that substantially vary in density with stimulus concentration1,6,7,10,11. To better under- a Olfactometer application b stand how odorants are normally coded in the glomeruli array, it Direct application Imaging device is important to use concentrations that are behaviorally relevant. Head fixation system Odor delivery Mixed odorants from natural products come, by definition, in system Light fibers behaviorally relevant concentrations and ratios. Such complex odorants activate only a few glomeruli12, providing evidence for a © 2012 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved. America, Inc. © 2012 Nature 12,13 Aspiration general theory of sparse glomerular coding . However, the studies c supporting the model of sparse coding were performed on anesthe- P tized animals or used monomolecular odorants in a limited range Olfactometer Direct 1.5 1.5 ML npg of concentrations. Using intrinsic optical signal imaging, we investigated how natural A –4 –4 odorants are represented in awake mice (Fig. 1a,b). We presented the ∆R/R stimuli either directly to the mouse snout (Fig. 1b) or using an olfacto- (‰) meter (Fig. 1a). In the latter case, the concentrations were reduced at least twofold compared with the concentrations that a mouse would experience when being close to the odor source (Fig. 1c,d and Cloves Cloves 250 µm d e Olfactometer Direct * Figure 1 Intrinsic optical signal imaging of glomerular-evoked activity 2.5 1.5 150 in awake mice. (a,b) Schema showing natural odorants delivered by an olfactometer in a and natural products drawn up to the mouse snout in a –3.5 –3.5 spoon in b. (c,d) Glomeruli maps evoked by two natural odorants presented 100 either by an olfactometer or directly. The blood vessel pattern is shown in c (right image). P, posterior; A, anterior; L, lateral; M, medial. (e) Comparison 50 of the number of glomeruli activated in the two mode of applications. The number of glomeruli activated by the olfactometer application served as a Glomeruli (% of control) control (control, 100%) for each natural odorant-mouse pair (n = 6; 0 Rosemary Rosemary Olfacto. Direct *P < 0.005, paired t test). Data are presented as mean ± s.e.m. 1Department of Basic Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 2Geneva Neuroscience Center, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. 3These authors contributed equally to this work. Correspondence should be addressed to A.C. ([email protected]). Received 28 November 2011; accepted 24 January 2012; published online 11 March 2012; doi:10.1038/nn.3057 NATURE NEUROSCIENCE VOLUME 15 | NUMBER 4 | APRIL 2012 537 B RIEF COMMUNICATIONS Figure 2 Dense representation of natural 2.5 2 2 2 2 a P stimuli in the olfactory bulb of awake mice. ML –5.5 –2.5 –2.5 (a) Glomerular activity patterns evoked by a A –3.5 –2 ∆R/R variety of natural odorants in a single mouse. (‰) The images represent the average of all frames during odor application. (b) Number of glomeruli activated by each natural odorant 500 µm Banana Chocolate Cloves Coffee Ginger tested (number of mice tested in white). 2.5 2 2 1.5 2 (c) Total number (middle image; glomeruli activated by multiple odorants and plotted –2.5 –5 –2.5 –2 –2.5 several times) and individual number (right 40 image; Unique I.D.: that is, each activated b glomerulus is only plotted once) of glomeruli activated by 30 natural odorants presented to 30 Honey Kiwi Mint Oregano Vinegard one mouse and overlaid on the blood vessel pattern (left image) after realignment with the blood vessels. (d) Quantification of the total 20 and unique I.D. numbers of activated glomeruli (n = 5 mice that shared the same 30 natural 10 odorants). Data are presented as mean ± s.e.m. Number of activated glomeruli 8 8 5 5 5 5 5 5 53 5 5 5 5 3 3 58 3 53 55555533 5 3 55553 5 3 55 0 14 Kiwi Mint Basil Pear Milk Lime GarlicOnion Apple of Omp-GFP mice, we estimated the HoneyCoffee ThymeCloves Ginger TomatoOrange Cumin Lemon Banana Oregano Nutmeg Tobacco Olive oil Wine rosé RosemaryPineapple Black tea Strawberry CardamomMouse food Sesame oil dorsal olfactory bulb accessible to imaging Cinnammon Mouse feces Lemon grass MouseBlack urine pepper Italian Cheese Vinegar (white) Sesame seeds contains ~200 glomeruli (Supplementary Swiss chocolate Fig. 4). Thus, natural odorants activated c d 260 10–30% of the total glomeruli number 400 (including the correction factor of 1.5 calcu- lated in Fig. 1e), although this value may have been underestimated (Online Methods). 200 Our observations differ considerably from Glomeruli number a previous report in isoflurane anesthetized 500 µm animals12. We tested the hypothesis that 0 All activated glom. Unique glom. I.D. Total Unique I.D. isoflurane may alter odorant-evoked pat- terns. Used as a regular smell, isoflurane specifically and stereotypically activated glomeruli in the posterior- natural odorant–evoked patterns could represent the summation of lateral portion of the olfactory bulb in awake mice (Fig. 3a,b and multiple monomolecular odorant–evoked patterns12. We compared Supplementary Fig. 5a,b). We then assessed the potential effect of natural odorants with monomolecular odorants at concentrations constant isoflurane application on odorant maps. All the odorants that are perceived by humans to smell the same and as strong as © 2012 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved. America, Inc. © 2012 Nature tested consistently activated more glomeruli in the awake condition the natural odorants (Supplementary Fig. 8a–c). The number of than during isoflurane anesthesia (Fig. 3c–h and Supplementary activated glomeruli was comparable between natural and mono- Fig. 5c–f). The effect was independent of odorant concentration molecular odorants (Supplementary Fig. 8d). Thus, even a mono- npg (Fig. 3i,j), reversible after ending gas anesthesia (Fig. 3i,j) and not molecular odorant can activate a large number of glomeruli in the homogenous across the olfactory bulb surface (Supplementary olfactory bulb at some concentrations. This result differs from the Fig. 5d,f). Thus, gas anesthesia led to previous underestimations12 sparse patterns that have been reported in studies that used weaker of the number of glomeruli normally that are activated by natural concentrations of monomolecular odorants13. However, decreas- odorants (Supplementary Fig. 6). ing the concentrations of odorants (up to similar concentrations We identified two mechanisms that could explain the isoflurane- as those used previously) led to a sparsening of activated glomeru- mediated glomeruli suppression. First, long-term exposure to the lar patterns and a decrease in the glomerular response amplitude anesthetic may alter normal neuronal function (pharmacological (Supplementary Fig. 9). effect). Second, constant application of isoflurane may induce adap- We conclude that the odorant representation can vary in density tation and/or desensitization of a large number of olfactory receptor with concentration and anesthesia. Natural odorants at their native neurons, as could result from constant application of a non-anesthetic concentrations evoke dense patterns of activated glomeruli in awake odorant (odorant effect; Supplementary Fig. 7). Further work will be mice. Given that coactivation of multiple glomeruli is required to fire necessary to identify the exact mechanisms underlying the isoflurane- a pyramidal neuron in the piriform cortex in vivo15, a dense repre- mediated glomeruli suppression. sentation should improve processing of odorants from the olfactory Natural odorants evoked denser patterns than were previously bulb to the olfactory cortex. reported for monomolecular odorants13. In this regard, one impor- tant parameter is the odorant concentration that is used6,7,9–11. METHODS Natural odorants are complex mixtures of monomolecular com- Methods and any associated references are available in the online ponents, each of which can bind different olfactory receptors. version of the paper at http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience/.
Recommended publications
  • Distinct Representations of Olfactory Information in Different Cortical Centres
    LETTER doi:10.1038/nature09868 Distinct representations of olfactory information in different cortical centres Dara L. Sosulski1, Maria Lissitsyna Bloom1{, Tyler Cutforth1{, Richard Axel1 & Sandeep Robert Datta1{ Sensory information is transmitted to the brain where it must be behaviours, but is unlikely to specify innate behaviours. Rather, innate processed to translate stimulus features into appropriate beha- olfactory behaviours are likely to result from the activation of genetically vioural output. In the olfactory system, distributed neural activity determined, stereotyped neural circuits. We have therefore developed a in the nose is converted into a segregated map in the olfactory strategy to trace the projections from identified glomeruli in the olfactory bulb1–3. Here we investigate how this ordered representation is bulb to higher olfactory cortical centres. transformed in higher olfactory centres in mice. We have Mitral and tufted cells that innervate a single glomerulus were developed a tracing strategy to define the neural circuits that labelled by electroporation of tetramethylrhodamine (TMR)-dextran convey information from individual glomeruli in the olfactory under the guidance of a two-photon microscope. This technique labels bulb to the piriform cortex and the cortical amygdala. The spatial mitral and tufted cells that innervate a single glomerulus and is suffi- order in the bulb is discarded in the piriform cortex; axons from ciently robust to allow the identification of axon termini within mul- individual glomeruli project diffusely to the piriform without tiple higher order olfactory centres (Figs 1a–c, 2 and Supplementary apparent spatial preference. In the cortical amygdala, we observe Figs 1–4). Labelling of glomeruli in the olfactory bulbs of mice that broad patches of projections that are spatially stereotyped for indi- express GFP under the control of specific odorant receptor promoters vidual glomeruli.
    [Show full text]
  • Functional Organization of Sensory Input to the Olfactory Bulb Glomerulus Analyzed by Two-Photon Calcium Imaging
    Functional organization of sensory input to the olfactory bulb glomerulus analyzed by two-photon calcium imaging Matt Wachowiak*, Winfried Denk†, and Rainer W. Friedrich†‡ *Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215; and †Department of Biomedical Optics, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany Edited by Charles F. Stevens, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA, and approved May 10, 2004 (received for review January 20, 2004) Glomeruli in the olfactory bulb are anatomically discrete modules OSNs distinguished by histochemical markers terminate in dis- receiving input from idiotypic olfactory sensory neurons. To ex- crete subregions of the axonal compartment (36, 37). These data amine the functional organization of sensory inputs to individual raise the possibility that functionally distinct subdivisions exist .glomeruli, we loaded olfactory sensory neurons with a Ca2؉ within a glomerulus indicator and measured odorant-evoked presynaptic Ca2؉ signals Direct measurements of the activity of glomerular afferents within single glomeruli by using two-photon microscopy in anaes- have been difficult because most functional measures of intra- thetized mice. Odorants evoked patterns of discrete Ca2؉ signals glomerular activity lack sufficient spatial resolution or cellular throughout the neuropil of a glomerulus. Across glomeruli, Ca2؉ specificity. Here, we loaded OSNs with a fluorescent Ca2ϩ signals occurred with equal probability in all glomerular regions. indicator and measured patterns of afferent presynaptic activity ؉ Within single glomeruli, the pattern of intraglomerular Ca2 sig- within glomeruli by two-photon Ca2ϩ imaging in anaesthetized nals was indistinguishable for stimuli of different duration, iden- mice. Our data indicate that OSN input to individual glomeruli tity, and concentration.
    [Show full text]
  • Medial Temporal Lobe (The Limbic System)
    MEDIAL TEMPORAL LOBE (THE LIMBIC SYSTEM) On the medial surface of the temporal lobe are three structures critical for normal human functioning. From rostral to caudal, they are the olfactory cortex, the amygdala, and the hippocampus. We will look at the anatomy and function of each separately, although they are often grouped together as "the limbic system". A. The olfactory system: The olfactory system actually begins in the roof of the nasal cavity. The olfactory receptors are ciliated epithelial cells with an array of receptors capable of detecting thousands of different odors. However, just as with any sensory system, the receptor neurons themselves do not project to the cerebral hemispheres. Their axons project up through the cribiform plate of the skull to synapse on the dendrites of the mitral cells of the olfactory bulb. The axons of the olfactory receptors make up the elusive cranial nerve I. This fragile tract is susceptible to shearing forces in head trauma, and loss of smell is a surprisingly debilitating injury. Here is an example of a section through olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is not a simple relay (something which passively transmits the signal), but is a sophisticated structure in itself. The mitral cell- olfactory neuron synapse is actually within a tangle of axons and dendrites that is called a glomerulus. There is a second cell type tucked around these glomeruli which probably affects how the signal is transmitted. These cells are small and densely packed, which gives them the name "granule cells". However, they bear no relation to the granule cells of the cerebellum or cerebral cortex.
    [Show full text]
  • Taste and Smell Disorders in Clinical Neurology
    TASTE AND SMELL DISORDERS IN CLINICAL NEUROLOGY OUTLINE A. Anatomy and Physiology of the Taste and Smell System B. Quantifying Chemosensory Disturbances C. Common Neurological and Medical Disorders causing Primary Smell Impairment with Secondary Loss of Food Flavors a. Post Traumatic Anosmia b. Medications (prescribed & over the counter) c. Alcohol Abuse d. Neurodegenerative Disorders e. Multiple Sclerosis f. Migraine g. Chronic Medical Disorders (liver and kidney disease, thyroid deficiency, Diabetes). D. Common Neurological and Medical Disorders Causing a Primary Taste disorder with usually Normal Olfactory Function. a. Medications (prescribed and over the counter), b. Toxins (smoking and Radiation Treatments) c. Chronic medical Disorders ( Liver and Kidney Disease, Hypothyroidism, GERD, Diabetes,) d. Neurological Disorders( Bell’s Palsy, Stroke, MS,) e. Intubation during an emergency or for general anesthesia. E. Abnormal Smells and Tastes (Dysosmia and Dysgeusia): Diagnosis and Treatment F. Morbidity of Smell and Taste Impairment. G. Treatment of Smell and Taste Impairment (Education, Counseling ,Changes in Food Preparation) H. Role of Smell Testing in the Diagnosis of Neurodegenerative Disorders 1 BACKGROUND Disorders of taste and smell play a very important role in many neurological conditions such as; head trauma, facial and trigeminal nerve impairment, and many neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson Disorders, Lewy Body Disease and Frontal Temporal Dementia. Impaired smell and taste impairs quality of life such as loss of food enjoyment, weight loss or weight gain, decreased appetite and safety concerns such as inability to smell smoke, gas, spoiled food and one’s body odor. Dysosmia and Dysgeusia are very unpleasant disorders that often accompany smell and taste impairments.
    [Show full text]
  • Asymmetric Neurotransmitter Release Enables Rapid Odour Lateralization in Drosophila
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION doi:10.1038/nature11747 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES Note S1: Light offset produced a precise compensatory turn in the direction opposite to the light-evoked turn (Fig. 1g). As a result, the fly’s net lateral displacement after this compensatory turn was close to zero (Fig. 1i). A train of light pulses produced a larger turn, and the fly’s compensatory turn after light offset was commensurately larger, although less precise (Fig. 1i). This suggests that the fly keeps track of how far it has turned away from its original path, and the accuracy of its estimate depends on how far it has strayed. Note S2: Resting GCaMP fluorescence (F) was not significantly different in the right and left glomeruli (p = 0.67, n = 6, paired t-test). This is expected because each glomerulus contains the axons arising from both the right and left antennae. Although one antenna is removed, the cut axons arising from that antenna are still present in the neuropil. Thus, both right and left glomeruli must contain the same number of GCaMP molecules, and so resting fluorescence is the same. Spontaneous ORN activity evidently makes little contribution to F. What is the mechanistic basis for the significant ipsi/contra difference in F/F? A previous study reported that an ORN plasma membrane marker is two-fold more abundant in the ipsilateral glomerulus as compared to the contralateral glomerulus1. This suggests that the ipsilateral arbor is simply larger than the contralateral arbor of the same ORN. If the properties of ipsi- and contralateral branches are the same, then the ipsi/contra asymmetry in F/F should be roughly proportional to the ipsi/contra asymmetry in arbor size.
    [Show full text]
  • Single Olfactory Receptors Set Odor Detection Thresholds
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Publications and Research Hunter College 2018 Single olfactory receptors set odor detection thresholds Adam Dewan Northwestern University Annika Cichy Northwestern University Jingji Zhang Northwestern University Kayla Miguel Northwestern University Paul Feinstein CUNY Hunter College See next page for additional authors How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_pubs/550 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Authors Adam Dewan, Annika Cichy, Jingji Zhang, Kayla Miguel, Paul Feinstein, Dmitry Rinberg, and Thomas Bozza This article is available at CUNY Academic Works: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_pubs/550 ARTICLE DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05129-0 OPEN Single olfactory receptors set odor detection thresholds Adam Dewan1, Annika Cichy1, Jingji Zhang1, Kayla Miguel1, Paul Feinstein2, Dmitry Rinberg3 & Thomas Bozza 1 In many species, survival depends on olfaction, yet the mechanisms that underlie olfactory sensitivity are not well understood. Here we examine how a conserved subset of olfactory receptors, the trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs), determine odor detection fi 1234567890():,; thresholds of mice to amines. We nd that deleting all TAARs, or even single TAARs, results in significant odor detection deficits. This finding is not limited to TAARs, as the deletion of a canonical odorant receptor reduced behavioral sensitivity to its preferred ligand. Remarkably, behavioral threshold is set solely by the most sensitive receptor, with no contribution from other highly sensitive receptors.
    [Show full text]
  • Olfactory Bulb Glomeruli: External Tufted Cells Intrinsically Burst at Theta Frequency and Are Entrained by Patterned Olfactory Input
    1190 • The Journal of Neuroscience, February 4, 2004 • 24(5):1190–1199 Cellular/Molecular Olfactory Bulb Glomeruli: External Tufted Cells Intrinsically Burst at Theta Frequency and Are Entrained by Patterned Olfactory Input Abdallah Hayar, Sergei Karnup, Michael T. Shipley, and Matthew Ennis Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland 21201 Glomeruli, the initial sites of synaptic processing in the olfactory system, contain at least three types of neurons collectively referred to as juxtaglomerular (JG) neurons. The role of JG neurons in odor processing is poorly understood. We investigated the morphology, spon- taneous, and sensory-evoked activity of one class of JG neurons, external tufted (ET) cells, using whole-cell patch-clamp and extracellular recordings in rat olfactory bulb slices. ET cells have extensive dendrites that ramify within a single glomerulus or, rarely, in two adjacent glomeruli. All ET neurons exhibit spontaneous rhythmic bursts of action potentials (ϳ1–8 bursts/sec). Bursting is intrinsically gener- ated; bursting persisted and became more regular in the presence of ionotropic glutamate and GABA receptor antagonists. Burst fre- quency is voltage dependent; frequency increased at membrane potentials depolarized relative to rest and decreased during membrane potential hyperpolarization. Spontaneous bursting persisted in blockers of calcium channels that eliminated low-threshold calcium spikes (LTS) in ET cells. ET cells have a persistent sodium current available at membrane potentials that generate spontaneous bursting. Internal perfusion with a fast sodium channel blocker eliminated spontaneous bursting but did not block the LTS. These results suggest that persistent sodium channels are essential for spontaneous burst generation in ET cells.
    [Show full text]
  • Tuning and Topography in an Odor Map on the Rat Olfactory Bulb
    The Journal of Neuroscience, February 15, 2001, 21(4):1351–1360 Tuning and Topography in an Odor Map on the Rat Olfactory Bulb Markus Meister1,2 and Tobias Bonhoeffer2 1Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, and 2Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, D-82152 Munich- Martinsried, Germany The sense of smell originates in a diverse array of receptor centration dependence and yields the effective affinity with neurons, comprising up to 1000 different types. To understand which a glomerulus responds to an odorant. When tested with how these parallel channels encode chemical stimuli, we re- aliphatic molecules of increasing carbon chain length, many corded the responses of glomeruli in the olfactory bulbs of the glomeruli were sharply tuned for one or two adjacent chain anesthetized rat, by optical imaging of intrinsic signals. Odor lengths. Glomeruli with similar tuning properties were located stimulation produced two kinds of optical responses at the near each other, producing a systematic map of molecular surface of the bulb: a broad diffuse component superposed by chain length on the surface of the olfactory bulb. Given local discrete small spots. Histology showed that the spots corre- inhibitory circuits within the olfactory bulb, this can account for spond to individual glomeruli, and that ϳ400 of them can be the observed functional inhibition between related odors. We monitored in this way. Based on its wavelength-dependence, explore several parallels to the function and architecture of the this optical signal appears to derive from changes in light visual system that help interpret the neural representation of scattering during neural activity. Pure odorants generally acti- odors.
    [Show full text]
  • Phagocytic Glia Are Obligatory Intermediates in Transmission Of
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Phagocytic glia are obligatory intermediates in transmission of mutant huntingtin aggregates across neuronal synapses Kirby M Donnelly1, Olivia R DeLorenzo2, Aprem DA Zaya1, Gabrielle E Pisano1, Wint M Thu1, Liqun Luo3,4, Ron R Kopito3, Margaret M Panning Pearce1,2* 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, United States; 2Program in Neuroscience, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, United States; 3Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, United States; 4Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, United States Abstract Emerging evidence supports the hypothesis that pathogenic protein aggregates associated with neurodegenerative diseases spread from cell to cell through the brain in a manner akin to infectious prions. Here, we show that mutant huntingtin (mHtt) aggregates associated with Huntington disease transfer anterogradely from presynaptic to postsynaptic neurons in the adult Drosophila olfactory system. Trans-synaptic transmission of mHtt aggregates is inversely correlated with neuronal activity and blocked by inhibiting caspases in presynaptic neurons, implicating synaptic dysfunction and cell death in aggregate spreading. Remarkably, mHtt aggregate transmission across synapses requires the glial scavenger receptor Draper and involves a transient visit to the glial cytoplasm, indicating that phagocytic glia act as obligatory intermediates in aggregate spreading between synaptically-connected neurons. These findings expand our understanding
    [Show full text]
  • Prion-Like Transmission of Neuronal Huntingtin Aggregates to Phagocytic Glia in the Drosophila Brain
    ARTICLE Received 12 Jan 2014 | Accepted 24 Feb 2015 | Published 13 Apr 2015 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7768 Prion-like transmission of neuronal huntingtin aggregates to phagocytic glia in the Drosophila brain Margaret M.P. Pearce1, Ellen J. Spartz1, Weizhe Hong1,2,w, Liqun Luo1,2 & Ron R. Kopito1 The brain has a limited capacity to self-protect against protein aggregate-associated pathology, and mounting evidence supports a role for phagocytic glia in this process. We have established a Drosophila model to investigate the role of phagocytic glia in clearance of neuronal mutant huntingtin (Htt) aggregates associated with Huntington disease. We find that glia regulate steady-state numbers of Htt aggregates expressed in neurons through a clearance mechanism that requires the glial scavenger receptor Draper and downstream phagocytic engulfment machinery. Remarkably, some of these engulfed neuronal Htt aggregates effect prion-like conversion of soluble, wild-type Htt in the glial cytoplasm. We provide genetic evidence that this conversion depends strictly on the Draper signalling pathway, unveiling a previously unanticipated role for phagocytosis in transfer of pathogenic protein aggregates in an intact brain. These results suggest a potential mechanism by which phagocytic glia contribute to both protein aggregate-related neuroprotection and pathogen- esis in neurodegenerative disease. 1 Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA. 2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA. w Present address: Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to R.R.K. (email: [email protected]). NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | 6:6768 | DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7768 | www.nature.com/naturecommunications 1 & 2015 Macmillan Publishers Limited.
    [Show full text]
  • Neural Pathways of Olfactory Kin Imprinting and Kin Recognition in Zebrafish
    Cell and Tissue Research (2021) 383:273–287 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-020-03378-4 REVIEW Neural pathways of olfactory kin imprinting and kin recognition in zebrafish Gabriele Gerlach1,2,3 · Mario F. Wullimann4,5 Received: 8 October 2020 / Accepted: 3 December 2020 / Published online: 30 January 2021 © The Author(s) 2021 Abstract Teleost fsh exhibit extraordinary cognitive skills that are comparable to those of mammals and birds. Kin recognition based on olfactory and visual imprinting requires neuronal circuits that were assumed to be necessarily dependent on the interac- tion of mammalian amygdala, hippocampus, and isocortex, the latter being a structure that teleost fsh are lacking. We show that teleosts—beyond having a hippocampus and pallial amygdala homolog—also have subpallial amygdalar structures. In particular, we identify the medial amygdala and neural olfactory central circuits related to kin imprinting and kin recognition corresponding to an accessory olfactory system despite the absence of a separate vomeronasal organ. Keywords Accessory olfactory system · Amygdala · Crypt cells · Imprinting · Kin recognition · Social behavior · Vomeronasal system Imprinting and kin recognition To reduce potential errors of learning a wrong template is widespread this process of learning mostly occurs early in life when the chances to be with relatives is much higher than later The ability to treat kin diferently from non-kin may be when mobility has increased. Such learning within a narrow achieved by using diferent mechanisms of kin recognition time window and the often life-long memory is called kin and is a key driver for kin selection. One type of kin imprinting.
    [Show full text]
  • Prof. Dr. Med. Th. Zahnert Die Olfaktorische Wahrnehmung Von Bour
    Aus der Klinik für Hals-, Nasen und Ohrenheilkunde Direktor: Prof. Dr. med. Th. Zahnert Die olfaktorische Wahrnehmung von Bourgeonal durch infertile und fertile Männer und Genotypisierung des Bourgeonalrezeptors hOR 17-4 Dissertationsschrift zur Erlangung eines doctor medicinae (Dr. med.) der Medizinischen Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus der Technischen Universität Dresden vorgelegt von Eva Kemper aus Würselen Berlin 2014 1. Gutachter: 2. Gutachter: Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: gez: ------------------------------------------------- Vorsitzender der Promotionskommission I Inhaltsverzeichnis 1. Einleitung................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Hintergrund ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Problemstellung ............................................................................................................... 2 1.3. Grundlagen ...................................................................................................................... 2 1.3.1. Der Geruchssinn ........................................................................................................ 2 1.3.2. Das menschliche Riechrezeptorrepertoire ............................................................... 4 1.3.3. Ektopische Expression olfaktorischer Rezeptoren und Spermien-chemotaxis ....... 5 1.3.4. Der olfaktorische Rezeptor hOR 17-4 ......................................................................
    [Show full text]