Combined Recording of Mechanically Stimulated Afferent Output and Nerve Terminal Labelling in Mouse Hair Follicle Lanceolate Endings

A novel dissection and recording technique is described for monitoring afferent firing evoked by mechanical displacement of hairs in the mouse pinna. The ...

Alfaisal University

The exact role of Merkel cells and their possible involvement in mechanosensation is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine, in the adult rat sinus hair follicle, the expression pattern of a number of vesicular proteins involved in neurotransmitter release to provide a clearer understanding of Merkel cell signalling mechanisms. We identified prominent expression and co-localization of the glutamatergic vesicle loading proteins VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 at the site of the sinus hair follicle known to be densely populated with Merkel cells. We also found expression of the vesicle recycling proteins synaptogyrin and syntaxin-6 in the same region of the hair follicle. Our data suggest that glutamate signalling is involved in Merkel cell mechanosensation and that vesicular trafficking is commonplace in the Merkel cell-neurite complex.

Essential components for a glutamatergic synapse between Merkel cell and nerve terminal in rats.

There is evidence that glutamate may participate as a transmitter at the junction between Merkel cells and the nerve terminals of slowly adapting type I (St I) units. We recorded extracellularly from the deep vibrissal nerve of an isolated rat vibrissa preparation in vitro. Five second trapezoid stimulus ramp deflections of the hair shaft were used to evoke responses. We bath-applied two compounds, which we planned would interfere with glutamatergic transmission. (2S)-2-Amino-2-[(1S,2S)-2-carboxycycloprop-1-yl]-3-(xanth-9-yl) propanoic acid (LY341495) was used at concentrations up to 100 microM to block all known metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors. The racemic mixture (RS)-4-carboxy-3-hydroxyphenylglycine ((RS)-4C3HPG) was used up to 100 microM to block ionotropic and Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors, and as an agonist at Group II mGlu receptors. Unexpectedly, both compounds had rapid onset excitatory effects on mechanically-evoked responses. (RS)-4C3HPG increased responses, with a mean 146% of control (P < 0.05) in a concentration-dependent manner. LY341495 increased responses, with a mean 128% of control (P < 0.05). With (RS)-4C3HPG in particular, it was noted that the static component (the firing during the last 1 s plateau) was preferentially enhanced relative to the dynamic component (firing during the first 0.5 s). Rapid recovery was seen after wash. Slowly adapting type II units, which have no junctional transmission, were completely unaffected by these compounds up to 200 microM. These results suggest that mGlu receptors play a role in Merkel cell-neurite complex mechanotransduction, although other explanations are considered.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists selectively enhance responses of slowly adapting type I mechanoreceptors.

There is anecdotal and incidental research evidence suggesting that self-inflicted injury is experienced as less painful than when the same injury is applied by another person. We tested the hypothesis that the sensitivity and the ability to tolerate pain differs depending on the person applying the painful stimulus. Self-selected healthy undergraduate students were obtained from the University of Stirling participant panel. None were suffering chronic pain or taking any form of analgesic drug. The participants applied a pressure algometer to themselves and to other participants. Depending on the type of trial, each was terminated when the participant experienced the algometer as either "painful" (for threshold reading) or "unbearable" (for tolerance reading). Both measures of pain, threshold and tolerance, were significantly higher when the algometer had been self-applied compared with when it was applied by another person. The mean difference for pain thresholds was 0.27MPa (95% confidence interval 0.10-0.44, P=0.002), and the mean difference for pain tolerance readings was 0.25MPa (95% confidence interval 0.03-0.48, P=0.028). An unexpected finding was that the mean tolerance score was less when females applied the algometer (P<0.01). When a painful stimulus was self-inflicted this resulted in significantly less pain and a greater ability to tolerate the pain compared with when the same stimulus was applied by another person. If the findings generalized to a clinical context, certain painful or discomforting procedures, such as mammography, removal of wound dressings and lancet withdrawal of blood, should be adapted for self-application by patients.

Decreased sensitivity to self-inflicted pain.

Ten rats were assessed for behavioural lateralization using two different tests: paw preference and tail-suspension test. It was found that animals, at an individual level, tended to have a behavioural preference which was polarized either to the left side or the right side. Animals were then randomly assigned to two groups. One group had whiskers trimmed ipsilateral, and the other group had whisker trimmed contralateral, to their lateralized behavioural preference. Over 10 days the rats were trained on a roughness discrimination task. It was found that animals with whiskers trimmed on the contralateral side performed better (p<.05) than those with whiskers trimmed on the ipsilateral side. This finding was associated with a large effect size (partial eta(2)) of .474. The side of whisker trimming (right versus left) per se had no effect on performance (p=.26). These results indicate that motor lateralization at the individual level is associated with lateralization in the efficacy of whisker use.

Behavioural lateralization of tactile performance in the rat.

This study examined the effects of whisker trimming on the functional organization of the adult somatosensory thalamus. In vivo extracellular unit recordings were made on ventral posterior medial (VPM) thalamic neurons in urethane anaesthetised adult rats. Neuronal response properties to controlled whisker deflection were recorded in untrimmed control animals and in animals where one row of whiskers had been trimmed for a median of 18 days. Trimming significantly increased short-latency responses to stimulation of the centre receptive field whisker (mean increase of 36%, p<.001). Longer latency responses to surround receptive field whiskers were unaffected. Spontaneous firing was significantly decreased in trimmed animals. A condition-test paradigm indicated that thalamic inhibition was reduced following whisker trimming, although this effect failed to reach statistical significance. These results demonstrate a capacity of the adult somatosensory thalamus to undergo functional reorganization in response to non-traumatic and innocuous whisker trimming.

Enhanced short-latency responses in the ventral posterior medial (VPM) thalamic nucleus following whisker trimming in the adult rat.

The possible functional role of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels was investigated by testing various TRP agonists and antagonists in an isolated rat sinus hair follicle preparation. Extracellular recordings from slowly adapting type II mechanoreceptor units were made. The antagonist capsazepine depressed spontaneous and mechanically evoked activity, with an IC(50) of 82 microM. In one-third of units, capsazepine caused a selective depression of mechanically evoked firing, such that the existing spontaneous firing was interrupted by an absence of activity during the mechanical stimulus. The broad spectrum TRP blocker ruthenium red (30 microM) had inconsistent effects, although in some units a delayed onset (following wash) bursting and paroxysmal firing ensued. The agonist icilin (50-100 microM) had an excitatory effect on spontaneous firing, and (-)-menthol (200 microM) had inconsistent effects. Cinnamaldehyde (1-2 mM) depressed all types of activity equally, mechanically evoked and spontaneous. Camphor (0.5-2 mM) also depressed all types of activity, although it had a preferential effect on spontaneous activity. Capsaicin (1-10 microM) and allyl isothiocyanate (50-100 microM) had no clear effects. These results rule out any role for TRPA1 and TRPV1 channels in mechanotransduction processes of slowly adapting type II mechanoreceptors.

Effects of transient receptor potential (TRP) channel agonists and antagonists on slowly adapting type II mechanoreceptors in the rat sinus hair follicle.

Our aim in the present study was to determine whether a glutamatergic modulatory system involving synaptic-like vesicles (SLVs) is present in the lanceolate ending of the mouse and rat hair follicle and, if so, to assess its similarity to that of the rat muscle spindle annulospiral ending we have described previously. Both types of endings are formed by the peripheral sensory terminals of primary mechanosensory dorsal root ganglion cells, so the presence of such a system in the lanceolate ending would provide support for our hypothesis that it is a general property of fundamental importance to the regulation of the responsiveness of the broad class of primary mechanosensory endings. We show not only that an SLV-based system is present in lanceolate endings, but also that there are clear parallels between its operation in the two types of mechanosensory endings. In particular, we demonstrate that, as in the muscle spindle: (i) FM1-43 labels the sensory terminals of the lanceolate ending, rather than the closely associated accessory (glial) cells; (ii) the dye enters and leaves the terminals primarily by SLV recycling; (iii) the dye does not block the electrical response to mechanical stimulation, in contrast to its effect on the hair cell and dorsal root ganglion cells in culture; (iv) SLV recycling is Ca(2+) sensitive; and (v) the sensory terminals are enriched in glutamate. Thus, in the lanceolate sensory ending SLV recycling is itself regulated, at least in part, by glutamate acting through a phospholipase D-coupled metabotropic glutamate receptor.

Peter M.B. Cahusac

Departments of Pharmacology & Biostatistics

Alfaisal University

Combined Recording of Mechanically Stimulated Afferent Output and Nerve Terminal Labelling in Mouse Hair Follicle Lanceolate Endings

Peter M.B. Cahusac

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Departments of Pharmacology & Biostatistics

Alfaisal University

Combined Recording of Mechanically Stimulated Afferent Output and Nerve Terminal Labelling in Mouse Hair Follicle Lanceolate Endings

Departments of Pharmacology & Biostatistics