Regulation of Apoptosis in Nonapeptidergic Neurons of Rat Hypothalamus by Catecholamines in Experiments in vitro

Effects of noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) on apoptosis of nonapeptidergic neurons of supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei of hypothalamus of male Wistar rats was studied in experiments in vitro. Incubation of hypothalamic sections in the medium with added NA was shown to induce an increase of the amount of pro-apoptotic protein caspase-9 in the nonapeptidergic neurons of the SON and PVN. A comparison of the level of neuronal NO-synthase with the level of caspase-9 expression in these neurons allows concluding that NA leads to initiation of apoptosis in neurons of the SON with mediation by nitric oxide (NO). In the PVN, the NA-induced initiation of apoptosis does not depend on the NO level. Addition of DA to the incubation medium results in an increase of the caspase-9 amount only in PVN neurons regardless of the NO content. The absence of neuronal death after the NA-induced increase of the caspase-9 level in the cells of SON and PVN seems to be due to increased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein bcl-2. Protection of the PVN neurons from death after addition of DA to the incubation medium is probably independent of the expression level of bcl-2. Thus, in the nonapeptidergic neurons of the SON and PVN, which are related by origin and by performed functions, modulation of the process of apoptosis by elevated concentrations of NA and DA is realized by different mechanisms.     

Event-related brain potentials when conjugating Russian verbs: The modularity of language procedures

Within the alternative concepts of “two-system” and “single-system” language models, brain mechanisms for the generation of regular and irregular forms of Russian verbs have been studied. The evoked EEG activity was recorded in 19 channels with random alternation of different speech-morphology operations. The infinitives of imperfective verbs that belong either to the productive group (conventionally, the default, or regular, class) or to the unproductive group (conventionally, the irregular class) were presented to healthy subjects. The subjects were to produce the first-person present-time forms of these verbs. The results of the analysis of the event-related potentials (ERPs) of 22 subjects are presented. Statistically valid ERP amplitude distinctions between the verb groups are found only in latencies of 600–850 ms in the central and parietal zones of the cortex. The peak values of the irregular-verb potentials are negative in this region in relation to the peak values of the regular-verb potentials. The findings are interpreted as the effect of various complexities of mental work with verbs of different groups and do not support the hypothesis of the universality of the two-system brain mechanism for processing regular and irregular language phenomena.     

Tet-system for the regulation of gene expression during embryonic development

The ability to control gene expression in a temporal and spatial manner provides a new tool for the study of mammalian gene function particularly during development and oncogenesis. In this study the suitability of the tet-system for investigating embryogenesis was tested in detail. The tTA ^CMV (M1) and rTA ^CMV-3 (reverse Tc-controlled transactivator) transgenic mice were bred with NZL-2 bi-reporter mice containing the vector with a tTA/rTA responsive bidirectional promoter that allows simultaneous regulation of expression of two reporter genes encoding luciferase and -galactosidase. In both cases reporter genes were found to be expressed in a wide spectrum of tissues of double transgenic embryos and adult mice. The earliest expression was detected in tTA ^CMV (M1)/NZL-2 embryos at embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5) and rTA ^CMV -3/NZL-2 embryos at E13.5. Doxycycline abolished -gal expression in tTA ^CMV (M1)/NZL-2 but induced it in rTA ^CMV -3/NZL-2 embryos including late stages of embryogenesis. The tTA and rtTA transactivators thus revealed a partially complementary mode of action during second half of embryonic development. These experiments demonstrated that both Tet regulatory systems function during embryonic development. We conclude that the Tet systems allows regulation of gene expression during embryonic development and that double reporter animals like the NZL-2 mice are useful tools for the characterization of newly generated tet transactivator lines expressing tTA (or rtTA) in embryonic as well as in adult tissues.     

Pifithrin-α Inhibits Neural Differentiation of Newborn Cells in the Subgranular Zone of the Dentate Gyrus at Initial Stages of Audiogenic Kindling in Krushinsky–Molodkina Rat Strain

Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology - One of the main challenges of modern neurobiology is finding approaches to prevent structural abnormalities in the brain, specifically, in the...     

Selective specificity of calcium-binding proteins calbindin and calretinin expression in the magnocellular neurosecretory hypothalamic nuclei of tortoises and turtles

We have studied the distribution of calcium-binding proteins in the magnocellular neurosecretory nuclei of nonapeptidergic neurosecretory nuclei of the preoptic–hypothalamic complex in a tortoise (Testudo horsfieldi) and a pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) using immunohistochemistry. We have found that different types of cells in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei predominantly express calbindin and, to a lesser extent, calretinin, but not parvalbumin. The selective calbindin/calretinin control of the neurohormone secretion in these hypothalamic nuclei is an evolutionary conservative feature typical of reptiles and mammals.     

Role of Catecholamines in Regulation of the Functional State of Vasopressinergic Cells of the Rat Hypothalamus

In in vivo and in vitro experiments there have been shown different mechanisms of regulation of hypothalamic vasopressinergic neurons, including regulation due to changes of activity level of brain catecholaminergic and NPY-ergic neurons innervating hypothalamic vasopressinergic cells. We demonstrated in in vitro experiments that dopamine and noradrenaline had no effects on vasopressin expression, but inhibited its release from cell perikarya in supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei of hypothalamus. Besides, activity of vasopressinergic neurons might probably be regulated via activation of synthesis of these neurotransmitters in vasopressinergic cells themselves in the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. To activate synthesis of various neurotransmitters, in our case, catecholamines and NPY, in vasopressinergic neurons, different stimuli adequate to trigger or activate synthesis of these substances are required. Synthesis of catecholamines in vasopressinergic cells of supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei was revealed after immobilization stress and adrenalectomy. NPY is synthesized in neurons of hypothalamic neurosecretory centers in norm, and its synthesis increases at disturbances of NPY-ergic innervation of vasopressinergic cells.     

Analysis of ERK1/2 kinases in the inferior colliculus of rats genetically prone to audiogenic seizures during postnatal development

The activity of ERK1/2 kinases in the quadrigemina inferior colliculus of Krushinsky–Molodkina rats of different age, which are characterized by an increased seizure readiness compared to Wistar rats, was analyzed. An increased (probably genetically determined) activity of these enzymes during the development of epileptiform activity in ontogeny was found, which may be the cause of abnormalities in the neurotransmitter system functioning.     

Sensorimotor and cognitive laterality profiles

Different types of functional asymmetries, which form individual laterality profiles, were compared with the use of a battery of sensorimotor and cognitive laterality tests (TOPOS), the Benziger thinking style assessment (BTSA) test, the Cattell 17PF test, and psychosemantic multidimensional scaling. The proportion of men was shown to be higher among individuals with the left-side, symmetrical, and intersecting motor laterality profiles. Men with a dominant left leg or without asymmetry in the profile were more frequent than women, whereas women prevailed among persons with a dominant left eye. Different laterality profiles were obtained for different factors of the Cattell test. Comparison of the sensorimotor laterality and the BTSA data showed that more than half of persons with the left-hemispheric sensorimotor profile prefer right-hemispheric cognitive strategies. The results suggest that lateralities of different types may be nonuniform.Translated from Fiziologiya Cheloveka, Vol. 31, No. 2, 2005, pp. 24–33.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Chernigovskaya, Gavrilova, Voinov, Strelnikov.