Prostaglandin D Synthase in the Prenatal Ovine Brain and Effects of Its Inhibition with Selenium Chloride on Fetal Sleep/Wake Activity in Utero
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The Journal of Neuroscience, July 1, 2002, 22(13):5679–5686 Prostaglandin D Synthase in the Prenatal Ovine Brain and Effects of Its Inhibition with Selenium Chloride on Fetal Sleep/Wake Activity In Utero Brenda Lee, Jonathan J. Hirst, and David W. Walker Department of Physiology, Monash University, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3800 It has been proposed that prostaglandin (PG) D2 induces phys- breathing movements during low-amplitude electrocortical ac- iological sleep in mammals by acting on sleep centers located tivity, increased from 3.8 Ϯ 1 min/hr to 6.6 Ϯ 0.5 and 7.0 Ϯ 0.3 in the anterior hypothalamus. In fetal sheep, definitive rapid- min/hr at doses of 100 and 500 pmol/min, respectively ( p Ͻ eye-movement and non-rapid-eye-movement sleep states ap- 0.05). SeCl4 at 25 and 1000 pmol/min had no significant effect ϳ ϳ pear at 125 d gestation (term is 147 d). In adult animals, on arousal activity. Infusion of PGD2 at 500 pmol/min intracere- PGD synthase (PGDS) (functionally and structurally homolo- broventricularly for 4 hr decreased the incidence of arousal gous to -trace protein) is secreted into CSF with a circadian from 3.8 Ϯ 0.5 min/hr to 0.7 Ϯ 0.3 min/hr ( p Ͻ 0.05). When 500 pattern, with the highest concentrations present during sleep. pmol/min PGD2 was infused immediately aftera4hrinfusion of  In this study we show that PGDS/ -trace protein is present in SeCl4 (500 pmol/min), the SeCl4-induced increase in arousal fetal sheep CSF at 125 and 135 d gestation but not at 90 d behavior was abolished. Together, the presence of PGDS/- gestation. SeCl4 , a specific inhibitor of PGDS, was given to trace protein in fetal CSF in late gestation and the effects of unanesthetized fetal sheep (130–140 d gestation) by intracere- SeCl4 in increasing the incidence of arousal-like behavior sug- broventricular infusion at a dose of 25, 100, 500, or 1000 gest that PGD2 has a role in the induction and maintenance of pmol/min for 4 hr. Artificial CSF was infused in control experi- prenatal sleep. ments. Arousal behavior, defined as the presence of nuchal Key words: fetus; sleep/wake; arousal; prostaglandin D syn- muscle electromyogram activity, electro-ocular activity, and thase; -trace protein; selenium chloride In species with long gestations, considerable brain development cially neuroactive metabolites of progesterone, are released into occurs before birth; EEG and locomotor activities suggestive of fetal blood. Suprapontine control of fetal sleep was suggested by sleep become evident by late gestation (Dawes et al., 1972; Rucke- the observation that collicular transection disrupted the normal busch et al., 1977; Clewlow et al., 1983; Szeto, 1992). In the sheep pattern of REM and NREM episodes (Dawes et al., 1983). fetus, rapid-eye-movement (REM) and non-rapid-eye-movement However, little is known of the higher centers that might control (NREM) sleep, defined by the coordinated and regular changes the activity of the brainstem reticular network in the fetus and in the electrocorticogram (ECoG), postural muscle electromyo- lead to the high incidence of sleep and low incidence of wakeful- gram (EMG), electro-oculogram (EOG) activity, and episodes of ness in utero. breathing movements, are established by ϳ125 d (term ϳ147 d) The anterior hypothalamus plays an essential role in sleep gestation (Clewlow et al., 1983). These REM- and NREM-like regulation (Sherin et al., 1996). It has been suggested that sleep ϳ episodes together account for 95% of the total time (Dawes et induction occurs when prostaglandin (PG) D2 activates GABAer- al., 1972; Szeto and Hinman, 1985). The remaining time is occu- gic neurons in the ventrolateral preoptic (VLPO) region, which pied by brief periods identified as fetal arousal or wakefulness and then inhibits histaminergic neurons in the posterior hypothala- characterized, as in the adult, by episodes of low-amplitude mus (Scammell et al., 1998). Extensive evidence suggests that ECoG activity occurring simultaneously with EOG and nuchal PGD2, formed from PGH2 by the enzyme prostaglandin D syn- muscle activities and augmented breathing movements (Szeto, thase (PGDS), acts to induce physiological sleep (Hayaishi et al., 1992; Crossley et al., 1997; Nicol et al., 1998, 2001). 1993; Matsumura et al., 1994; Urade and Hayaishi, 1999; It is not known why the propensity to sleep is so high in fetal Hayaishi, 2000). PGDS has structural and functional homology to life. The placenta appears to have an influence over fetal CNS -trace protein, a major constituent of CSF in humans and other activity (Adamson et al., 1987), arising perhaps from the low- species (Hoffman et al., 1993) with enzymatic properties similar oxygen environment that results from the high oxidative metab- to those of brain PGDS (Watanabe et al., 1994). PGDS/-trace olism of the placenta, or because somnogenic substances, espe- mRNA is found predominantly in choroid plexus and leptomen- ingeal cells (Urade et al., 1993, 1995; Hoffman et al., 1996; Ohe et al., 1996), and the protein is secreted into CSF. PGD2 concen- Received Oct. 4, 2001; revised March 12, 2002; accepted March 29, 2002. trations in CSF exhibit a circadian pattern (Pandley et al., 1995) This work was supported by grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia to D.W.W. and J.J.H. B.L. was an Australian Post- and increase in CSF during sleep in the adult (Ram et al., 1997). graduate Award scholar. We thank Alex Satragno for help with the animal surgery. The question arises as to whether PGD2 is an endogenous sleep Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. David Walker, Department of Physiology, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Melbourne, Victoria, substance in the fetus, as it is in the adult. This study was designed Australia, 3800. E-mail: [email protected]. to investigate whether PGD2 is involved in the maintenance of Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/225679-08$15.00/0 fetal sleep, first by determining whether PGDS was present in the • 5680 J. Neurosci., July 1, 2002, 22(13):5679–5686 Lee et al. Fetal Sleep and PGD2 CSF of fetal sheep and whether changes of content occurred in Wire Co., Chatsworth, CA) were sewn bilaterally into the nuchal muscles gestation around the time that sleep states first become evident; to measure EMG activity and subcutaneously at the margins of the orbit of one eye to measure the EOG (Clewlow et al., 1983). ECoG activity and second by making use of the observation that inorganic was recorded bilaterally from a pair of electrodes inserted through 1 mm selenium compounds inhibit PGDS activity (Islam et al., 1991; diameter holes drilled through the skull over the parietal cortex. The Matsumura et al., 1991). SeCl4 was infused into a lateral ventricle bared ends of the insulated wires were inserted through the holes to rest of fetal sheep in utero while recording sleep states, postural on the dura, and the wires were then secured to the skull with cyanoac- muscle activity, and breathing movements. Selenium compounds rylate glue. An indwelling cannula (inner diameter, 0.6 mm; Intracath; Terumo Medical Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) was then inserted into one are specific and reversible inhibitors of brain-type PGDS because lateral ventricle using a 22 gauge needle, as described previously (Hirst of their interaction with the cysteine-65 residue within the hydro- et al., 2000). After the needle and cannula had been inserted into the phobic pocket of the enzyme, a structural feature of PGDS not ventricle, the needle was withdrawn and the outer end of the Intracath shared with other members of the lipocalin superfamily (Nagata was attached to a port in the base of a hollow cap machined from Delrin, et al., 1991; Hayaishi, 2000). Infusion of SeCl or PGD alone and which was then secured to the skull with cyanoacrylate adhesive. [The 4 2 use of this device to infuse ultra-small volumes into the fetal ventricle is replacement of PGD2 after SeCl4 treatment established that described more fully below and by Hirst et al. (2000).] The internal space PGD2 induces sleep and that inhibition of PGDS with SeCl4 of the cap and cannula assembly was filled with sterile artificial CSF induces increased amounts of an awake-like, aroused state in fetal (aCSF) by means of inflow and outflow catheters sealed into the wall of sheep. the cap. The fetus was then given a subcutaneous injection (2 ml) of a mixture of procaine penicillin (200 mg/ml) and dihydrostreptomycin (250 MATERIALS AND METHODS mg/ml) (Depomycin; Intervet Pty, Ltd., New South Wales, Australia). The uterus and membranes were repaired, and all catheters and wires Animals were exteriorized from the abdomen througha1cmincision in the flank Merino–Border Leicester crossbred ewes, which carry fetuses to 147 d of the ewe. The abdominal incisions were then repaired and the ewe was gestation, were used in accordance with the rules of the Standing Com- allowed to recover. Experiments did not commence for at least5dafter mittee on Ethics in Animal Experimentation of Monash University. The surgery. ewes were brought to the animal house and held together under artifi- Recordings. Tracheal pressure and carotid arterial pressures were re- cially lit conditions on a 12 hr light/dark cycle for at least 5 d before surgery corded after electronic subtraction of amniotic pressure. Instantaneous (n ϭ 13) or before they were killed to collect the fetal brain (n ϭ 9). heart rate was computed on-line from the pulse rate. The phasic changes of tracheal pressure were used as a measure of spontaneous fetal breath- Ex vivo studies: immunodetection of prostaglandin D synthase ing movements.