Article
Cell Biology
Zhongming Ma, Usha Paudel, J. Kevin Foskett
Summary: The intensity of taste is strongly influenced by temperature, but there is a lack of comprehensive understanding about the physiological, hedonic, and commercial implications of this relationship. This study used patch-clamp electrophysiology to investigate the effects of temperature on taste-bud cell electrical excitability, revealing that temperature significantly affects the electrical activity of type II taste-bud cells. These findings provide a mechanism for understanding how temperature influences taste sensitivity and perception.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Irina Ignatova, Roman Frolov, Soile Nymark
Summary: Recent studies have found voltage-activated Na+ channels in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which are important for the phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments and maintaining retinal homeostasis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Grant P. Higerd-Rusli, Sidharth Tyagi, Christopher A. Baker, Shujun Liu, Fadia B. Dib-Hajj, Sulayman D. Dib-Hajj, Stephen G. Waxman
Summary: Inflammation causes pain by altering the ionic currents in nociceptors, resulting in increased excitability. NaV1.7 and KV7.2 channels play opposing roles in nociceptor excitability. This study used live-cell imaging to investigate the mechanisms by which inflammatory mediators regulate the abundance of these channels at axonal surfaces. The results revealed a cell biological mechanism for inflammatory pain and suggested NaV1.7 trafficking as a potential therapeutic target.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Paola Alberti, Sara Semperboni, Guido Cavaletti, Arianna Scuteri
Summary: Neurons are permanent cells that rely on finely tuned homeostasis for proper function, with microtubules playing a key role in cellular equilibrium by mobilizing molecular cargos. Alterations in cytoskeletal dynamics can impact neuronal excitability, highlighting the importance of understanding these processes in human diseases and neuronal functioning. Microscopic approaches for visualizing and assessing the cytoskeleton, particularly in mitochondrial trafficking, are essential for further research in this area.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicholas Boyd-Gibbins, Camille H. Tardieu, Modesta Blunskyte, Nerissa Kirkwood, Jason Somers, Joerg T. Albert
Summary: Stable sensory systems are a key feature of biological organisms, yet the mechanisms behind homeostatic maintenance remain poorly understood. In fruit fly ears, NompC undergoes continuous replacement and newly synthesized NompC can restore sensor function.
Review
Neurosciences
Jane Yang, Steven A. Prescott
Summary: Neurons maintain homeostasis by adjusting ion channel expression levels through negative feedback. Degeneracy and pleiotropy play important roles in homeostatic regulation, where degeneracy enables compensatory changes in multiple channels and pleiotropy complicates regulation by affecting multiple properties. Understanding feedback loops and their interactions provides insight into the failure modes of homeostatic regulation, which can aid in developing more effective treatments for chronic neurological disorders.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carlos Ancaten-Gonzalez, Ignacio Segura, Rosangelina Alvarado-Sanchez, Andres E. Chavez, Ramon Latorre
Summary: BK channels are large conductance potassium channels that play crucial roles in regulating neuronal excitability and synaptic communication in the brain. Their dysfunction has been implicated in various neurological disorders. Here, we discuss the physiological importance of BK channels and their contribution to the pathophysiology of different neurological disorders.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Murat Oz, Dietrich E. Lorke, Frank C. Howarth
Summary: Capsaicin, derived from chili pepper, has various pharmacological actions, including analgesic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiobesity, and antioxidant effects. It acts on not only TRPV1 receptor, but also other ion channels and enzymes. This study categorizes the non-TRPV1 targets of capsaicin and discusses the cellular and molecular mechanisms of its TRPV1-independent effects.
MEDICINAL RESEARCH REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Emmanuelle Bignon, Marco Marazzi, Antonio Monari
Summary: This study reports on how the SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a permeabilizes the lipid membrane in a model lipid bilayer, forming a water channel to ensure ion transport. The important role of ORF3a in the viral cycle and its high conservation among coronaviruses may make it a target for future antiviral development.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kosuke Nishio, Kohei Toh, Amelie Perron, Masato Goto, Masahiro Abo, Yuichi Shimakawa, Motonari Uesugi
Summary: This study reports a method to generate tailored functional materials in pigment-producing cells by chemically fabricating intracellular melanin. The approach exploits synthetic tyrosine derivatives to hijack the melanin biosynthesis pathway, allowing for magnetic control of specific cells.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Moza M. Al-Owais, Derek S. Steele, Arun Holden, Alan P. Benson
Summary: Chronic exposure to low levels of Carbon Monoxide increases the risk of cardiac arrhythmia by affecting repolarization of cardiac cells. Studies have shown that CO alters ion channel expression, leading to changes in cellular currents and repolarization abnormalities.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Alexandre Bouron
Summary: Hyperforin is a compound isolated from St John's wort with antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antidepressant activities. It affects neurotransmitter uptake, stimulates neurogenesis, and regulates brain zinc homeostasis. However, its impact on cation homeostasis and its underlying mechanisms are still unclear.
PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Martin Kruse, Rayne J. Whitten
Summary: Phosphoinositides, despite being a minor component of cell lipids, play essential roles in regulating neuronal activities. Activation of neurotransmitter receptors can rapidly deplete phosphoinositide levels, significantly impacting neuronal behavior. A comprehensive model has been developed to study the connection between muscarinic acetylcholine signaling, phosphoinositide metabolism, and action potential firing in sympathetic neurons.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Physiology
Paula Q. Barrett, Nick A. Guagliardo, Douglas A. Bayliss
Summary: Excessive aldosterone plays a role in hypertensive disorders, with mutations in ion channels contributing to the activation of zona glomerulosa cells. While dispersed ZG cells exhibit electrically quiescent behavior, ZG cells in native rosette structures are electrically excitable, generating periodic voltage spikes and bursts of Ca2+ oscillations. Understanding how a variety of conductances underlie these oscillations and how the rosette orchestrates the behavior of a functional network to control aldosterone secretion is a challenge for future research.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYSIOLOGY, VOL 83
(2021)
Review
Physiology
Andras Varro, Jakub Tomek, Norbert Nagy, Laszlo Virag, Elisa Passini, Blanca Rodriguez, Istvan Baczko
Summary: Cardiac arrhythmias often stem from changes in the electro-physiological properties of cardiac cells and their ionic mechanisms. Understanding the pathophysiology of human cellular electrophysiology can aid in developing novel antiarrhythmic strategies.
PHYSIOLOGICAL REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Andrew M. Lehmkuhl, Arunkumar Muthusamy, Daniel A. Wagenaar
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ehsan Arbabi, Jiaqi Li, Romanus J. Hutchins, Seyedeh Mahsa Kamali, Amir Arbabi, Yu Horie, Pol Van Dorpe, Viviana Gradinaru, Daniel A. Wagenaar, Andrei Faraon
Article
Cell Biology
Amos Gutnick, Matthew R. Banghart, Emma R. West, Thomas L. Schwarz
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biology
Annette Stowasser, Aaron Stahl, Joshua B. Benoit, Daniel A. Wagenaar
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ann Kennedy, Prabhat S. Kunwar, Ling-yun Li, Stefanos Stagkourakis, Daniel A. Wagenaar, David J. Anderson
Article
Neurosciences
Jounhong Ryan Cho, Xinhong Chen, Anat Kahan, J. Elliott Robinson, Daniel A. Wagenaar, Viviana Gradinaru
Summary: The activity of dopamine neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus plays an important role in recognizing motivationally salient events and adapting to them. The neurons show dynamic responses to reward-predicting cues and unexpected outcomes, with modulation by internal states and behavioral context. Overall, these results suggest that DRNDA neurons encode motivational salience, dependent on internal and external factors.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Maria Ashaber, Yusuke Tomina, Pegah Kassraian, Eric A. Bushong, William B. Kristan, Mark H. Ellisman, Daniel A. Wagenaar
Summary: In the medicinal leech, the dorsal excitor motor neuron DE-3 can play distinct dynamical roles in various behaviors, with important input synapses widely distributed over its branches, but functional clusters being different in different behaviors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Shijia Liu, Dong-Il Kim, Tae Gyu Oh, Gerald M. Pao, Jong-Hyun Kim, Richard D. Palmiter, Matthew R. Banghart, Kuo-Fen Lee, Ronald M. Evans, Sung Han
Summary: Neurons expressing the mu-opioid receptor within the lateral parabrachial nucleus play a crucial role in opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). Chemogenetic modulation of these neurons can rescue respiratory rhythms and serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating OIRD in patients.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Xiang Ma, Desiree A. Johnson, Xinyi Jenny He, Aryanna E. Layden, Shannan P. McClain, Jean C. Yung, Arianna Rizzo, Jordi Bonaventura, Matthew R. Banghart
Summary: CNV-Y-DAMGO allows precise manipulation of mu opioid receptor signaling in behaving mice with high temporal resolution through photopharmacology. Photoactivatable drugs and peptides provide high spatiotemporal precision in quantitative studies of receptor signaling, but are rarely compatible with mammalian behavioral studies. We developed CNV-Y-DAMGO, a caged derivative of the mu opioid receptor-selective peptide agonist DAMGO. Photoactivation in the mouse ventral tegmental area resulted in an opioid-dependent increase in locomotion within seconds of illumination. These findings highlight the power of in vivo photopharmacology for studying dynamic animal behavior.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Aryanna E. Layden, Xiang Ma, Caroline A. Johnson, Xinyi J. He, Stanley A. Buczynski, Matthew R. Banghart
Summary: Photoactivatable neuropeptides with extended C-terminus provide a powerful tool for studying the mechanisms of neuropeptidergic transmission. By using a biomimetic caging strategy, researchers were able to reduce the activity of neuropeptides and activate endogenous receptors through flashes of ultraviolet light. This approach revealed insights into the temporal dynamics of neuropeptide signaling and the anti-opioid effect of transient signaling in specific brain cells.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yun He, Junhui Shi, Miguel A. Pleitez, Konstantin Maslov, Daniel A. Wagenaar, Lihong Wang
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS
(2020)
Article
Biology
Yusuke Tomina, Daniel A. Wagenaar
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew R. Banghart, Xinyi J. He, Bernardo L. Sabatini
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2018)
Article
Cell Biology
Anat Kahan, Alon Greenbaum, Min J. Jang, J. Elliott Robinson, Jounhong Ryan Cho, Xinhong Chen, Pegah Kassraian, Daniel A. Wagenaar, Viviana Gradinaru
Summary: The LiGS method preserves tissue structure around implants and aids in investigating the interface between the optical implants and tissue, providing spatial information on optical fibers and GRIN lenses.
Article
Biology
Yusuke Tomina, Daniel A. Wagenaar