Nucleotides-Induced Changes in the Mechanical Properties of Living Endothelial Cells and Astrocytes, Analyzed by Atomic Force Microscopy

Endothelial cells and astrocytes preferentially express metabotropic P2Y nucleotide receptors, which are involved in the maintenance of vascular and neural function. Among these, P2Y1 and P2Y2 receptors appear as main actors, since their stimulation induces intracellular calcium mobilization and activates signaling cascades linked to cytoskeletal reorganization. In the present work, we have analyzed, by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in force spectroscopy mode, the mechanical response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and astrocytes upon 2MeSADP and UTP stimulation. This approach allows for simultaneous measurement of variations in factors such as Young’s modulus, maximum adhesion force and rupture event formation, which reflect the potential changes in both the stiffness and adhesiveness of the plasma membrane. The largest effect was observed in both endothelial cells and astrocytes after P2Y2 receptor stimulation with UTP. Such exposure to UTP doubled the Young’s modulus and reduced both the adhesion force and the number of rupture events. In astrocytes, 2MeSADP stimulation also had a remarkable effect on AFM parameters. Additional studies performed with the selective P2Y1 and P2Y13 receptor antagonists revealed that the 2MeSADP-induced mechanical changes were mediated by the P2Y13 receptor, although they were negatively modulated by P2Y1 receptor stimulation. Hence, our results demonstrate that AFM can be a very useful tool to evaluate functional native nucleotide receptors in living cells

Papel fisiológico de los nucleótidos extracelulares en el sistema nervioso central: señalización vía receptores P2X y P2Y

In the last few years nucleotide receptors, the ionotropic P2X1-7 subunits and the metabotropic P2Y1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, have acquired an excepcional importance due to their strategic location in organs and tissues, their great variety along with the complexity of the associated signalling pathways and the first evidence of the serious alterations entailed in their dysfunctions. Our group has been pioneer in the characterization of these receptors in the nervous system, where we defined their location and functionality. The abundant presence, at a presynaptic level, of P2X3 and P2X7 should be emphasized, where by means of calcium intake they induce neurotransmitter exocytosis, such as glutamate, GABA, catecholamines and acetylcholine among others, as described in previous works by our group. In addition, they induce an extensive remodeling of the terminal’s cytoskeleton and exocytotic mechanisms through CaMKII and they can interact widely with other ionotropic and metabotropic receptors co-existing in nearby areas. Neural cells also exhibit the presence of most P2Y receptors signalling through a large variety of intracellular cascades. Recently we have demostrated that P2Y metabotropic receptors of the sub-family activated by ADP, especially P2Y13, are connected with the signalling towards GSK3 and â-catenin, opening new ways of understading the nucleotide function in survival and maintenance of neural cells. In addition both P2X and P2Y receptors play a role in early developmental stages and neural maturation where their function has to be fully understanded. Nucleotide receptors are also very abundant in glial cells, and our group has shown that most P2Y receptors are present and fully functional in cultured astrocytes, where, depending on the subtype receptor they activate a large variety of signalling cascades.En los ultimos anos los receptores de nucleotidos, receptores ionotropicos P2X1-7 y metabotropicos P2Y1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, han adquirido una importancia excepcional debido a su localizacion estrategica en organos y tejidos, a su gran variedad junto con la complejidad de vias de senalizacion a las que estan asociados y a las primeras evidencias de importantes alteraciones debidas a su mal funcionamiento. Nuestro grupo ha sido pionero en la caracterizacion estos receptores en el sistema nervioso, donde definimos su localizacion y su funcionalidad. La abundante presencia, a nivel presinaptico, de las subunidades P2X3 y P2X7 debe ser resaltada, donde gracias a la entrada de calcio inducen la exocitosis de varios neurotransmisores, como glutamato, GABA, catecolaminas y acetilcolina entre otros, como ha sido descrito por nuestro grupo en trabajos previos. Ademas, estos receptores inducen una profunda remodelacion del citoesqueleto de las terminales nerviosas y de los mecanismos exocitoticos a traves de la CaMKII y pueden interactuar con otros receptores ionotropicos y metabotropicos co-existentes en sus cercanias. La mayoria de los receptores P2Y tambien estan presentes en las celulas nerviosas, activando vias de senalizacion a traves de una gran variedad de cascadas intracelulares. Recientemente hemos demostrado que los receptores metabotropicos P2Y pertenecientes a la sub-familia de receptores activados por ADP, especialmente el P2Y13, estan conectados con la senalizacion hacia GSK3 y ƒÀ-catenina, lo que abre nuevas vias para la comprension de la funcion de los nucleotidos en la supervivencia y el mantenimiento de las celulas nerviosas. Ademas, tanto los receptores P2X como los P2Y juegan un papel en los estadios iniciales del desarrollo y en la maduracion neuronal donde su funcion aun ha de ser plenamente comprendida. Los receptores de nucleotidos son tambien muy abundantes en las celulas gliales, y nuestro grupo ha demostrado que la mayoría de los receptores P2Y están presentes y son plenamente funcionales en astrocitos en cultivo, donde, dependiendo del subtipo de receptor, activan una gran variedad de cascadas de señalización

Cerebellar astrocytes co-express several ADP receptors. Presence of functional P2Y13-like receptors

Astrocytes exhibit a form of excitability based on variations of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in response to various stimuli, including ADP, ATP, UTP and dinucleotides. Here, we investigate the presence of the recently cloned ADP-sensitive receptors, P2Y12 and P2Y13 subtypes, which are negatively coupled to adenylate cyclase, in cerebellar astrocytes. We checked the effect of specific agonists, 2-methylthioadenosine diphosphate (2MeSADP) and ADP, on adenylate cyclase stimulation induced by isoproterenol. Both agonists significantly reduced the cAMP accumulation induced by isoproterenol. The inhibitory effect was concentration-dependent with IC50 values of 46 ± 13 and 23 ± 14 nM for 2MeSADP and ADP, respectively. The experiments were carried out in the presence of MRS-2179, a specific antagonist of P2Y1 receptor, to avoid any contribution of this receptor. Using fura-2 microfluorimetry we also proved that astrocytes responded to 2MeSADP stimulations with calcium responses in the absence and also in the presence of MRS-2179. Both effects, inhibition of adenylate cyclase and intracellular calcium mobilization, were not modified by 2MeSAMP, an antagonist of P2Y12 receptor, suggesting that were mediated by P2Y13-like receptors

Transporte y metaboismo de glucosa en células neurales / Esmerilda García Delicado.

Tesis-Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Bioquímica.Consulte la tesis en: BCA. GENERAL. ARCHIVO UNIVERSITARIO. TM 3379.Consulte la tesis en: BCA. GENERAL. ARCHIVO UNIVERSITARIO. D 154

Preface to special issue “A tribute to Maria Teresa Miras-Portugal”

Sección Deptal. de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (Veterinaria)Fac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu

The specificity protein factor Sp1 mediates transcriptional regulation of P2X7 receptors in the nervous system

P2X7 receptors are involved not only in physiological functions but also in pathological brain processes. Although an increasing number of findings indicate that altered receptor expression has a causative role in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, little is known abouthowexpression of P2rx7 gene is controlled. Here we reported the first molecular and functional evidence that Specificity protein 1 (Sp1) transcription factor plays a pivotal role in the transcriptional regulation of P2X7 receptor. We delimited a minimal region in the murine P2rx7 promoter containing four SP1 sites, two of them being highly conserved in mammals. The functionality of these SP1 sites was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis and Sp1 overexpression/down-regulation in neuroblastoma cells. Inhibition of Sp1-mediated transcriptional activation by mithramycin A reduced endogenous P2X7 receptor levels in primary cultures of cortical neurons and astrocytes. Using P2rx7-EGFP transgenic mice that express enhanced green fluorescent protein under the control of P2rx7 promoter, we found a high correlation between reporter expression and Sp1 levels in the brain, demonstrating that Sp1 is a key element in the transcriptional regulation of P2X7 receptor in the nervous system. Finally, we found that Sp1 mediates P2X7 receptor up-regulation in neuroblastoma cells cultured in the absence of serum, a condition that enhances chromatin accessibility and facilitates the exposure of SP1 binding sites. © 2012 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.This work was supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (BFU2008-02699 and BFU2011-24743), the Spanish Ion Channel Initiative (CSD2008-00005), and the Marcelino Botín Foundation.Peer Reviewe

DUSP1/MKP-1 represents another piece in the P2X7R intracellular signaling puzzle in cerebellar cells: our last journey with Mª Teresa along the purinergic pathways of Eden

Author contributions Conceptualizacion, E.G.D., R.P-S., R.G-V and F.O. Formal analysis, JC.G-R., MJ.Q., J.S., Y.T., E.G.D. and R.P-S. Investigacion, JC.G-R., MJ.Q., Y.T., C.L. and J.S. Original graph preparation, JC.G-R., MJ.Q., Y.T., C.L. and J.S. Writing, review and editing, JC.G-R., MJ.Q., Y.T., C.L., J.S., E.G.D., R.P-S., R.G-V and F.O.The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) stands out within the purinergic family as it has exclusive pharmacological and regulatory features, and it fulfills distinct roles depending on the type of stimulation and cellular environment. Tonic activation of P2X7R promotes cell proliferation, whereas sustained activation is associated with cell death. Yet strikingly, prolonged P2X7R activation in rat cerebellar granule neurons and astrocytes does not affect cell survival. The intracellular pathways activated by P2X7Rs involve proteins like MAPKs, ERK1/2 and p38, and interactions with growth factor receptors could explain their behavior in populations of rat cerebellar cells. In this study, we set out to characterize the intracellular mechanisms through which P2X7Rs and Trk receptors, EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) and BDNFR (brain-derived neurotrophic factor receptor), regulate the dual-specificity phosphatase DUSP1. In cerebellar astrocytes, the regulation of DUSP1 expression by P2X7R depends on ERK and p38 activation. EGFR stimulation can also induce DUSP1 expression, albeit less strongly than P2X7R. Conversely, EGF was virtually ineffective in regulating DUSP1 in granule neurons, a cell type in which BDNF is the main regulator of DUSP1 expression and P2X7R only induces a mild response. Indeed, the regulation of DUSP1 elicited by BDNF reflects the balance between both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. Importantly, when the regulation of DUSP1 expression is compromised, the viability of both astrocytes and neurons is impaired, suggesting this phosphatase is essential to maintain proper cell cytoarchitecture and functioning.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y UniversidadesComunidad de MadridUniversidad Complutense de MadridSección Deptal. de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (Veterinaria)Fac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu

Combinación de cultivo celular de baja densidad, seguimiento unicelular y patch-clamp para monitorizar el comportamiento de células madre neurales cerebelosas murinas postnatales

Low-density cell culture of the postnatal cerebellum, combined with live imaging and single-cell tracking, allows the behavior of postnatal cerebellar neural stem cells (NSCs) and their progeny to be monitored. Cultured cerebellar NSCs maintain their neurogenic nature giving rise, in the same relative proportions that exist in vivo, to the neuronal progeny generated by the three postnatal cerebellar neurogenic niches. This protocol describes the identification of the nature of the progeny through both post-imaging immunocytochemistry and patch-clamp recordings. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Paniagua-Herranz et al. (2020b).Government of Madrid (PR65/19-22453)Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacioín y Universidades MCIU, (PID2019-109155RB-I00, BFU2015-70067REDC).Sección Deptal. de Farmacología y Toxicología (Veterinaria)Fac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu

El registro continuo de imagen revela la dinámica de las células madre neurales cerebelosas y el papel de VNUT en la progresión del linaje

Little is known about the intrinsic specification of postnatal cerebellar neural stem cells (NSCs) and to what extent they depend on information from their local niche. Here, we have used an adapted cell preparation of isolated postnatal NSCs and live imaging to demonstrate that cerebellar progenitors maintain their neurogenic nature by displaying hallmarks of NSCs. Furthermore, by using this preparation, all the cell types produced postnatally in the cerebellum, in similar relative proportions to those observed in vivo, can be monitored. The fact that neurogenesis occurs in such organized manner in the absence of signals from the local environment, suggests that cerebellar lineage progression is to an important extent governed by cell-intrinsic or pre-programmed events. Finally, we took advantage of the absence of the niche to assay the influence of the vesicular nucleotide transporter inhibition, which dramatically reduced the number of NSCs in vitro by promoting their progression toward neurogenesis.Comunidad de MadridUniversidad Complutense de MadridFundación Ramón ArecesMinisterio de Educación y Cultura (España)Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacio´n y UniversidadesSección Deptal. de Farmacología y Toxicología (Veterinaria)Fac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu