Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / As doenças cardiovasculares possuem a maior taxa de óbitos no mundo, e notavelmente nos últimos anos as pesquisas genéticas sobre as mesmas estão baseadas em estudos de associação, no qual o gene suspeito que esteja em maior frequência entre os pacientes passa a ser considerado um possível fator causal. Os polimorfismos genéticos que ocorrem no receptor beta-adrenérgico podem resultar em mudanças significativas na função do receptor, podendo acarretar fisiopatologias. Neste trabalho, o objetivo foi estimar a diversidade e a frequência do polimorfismo Ser49Gly do gene do receptor beta-adrenérgico 1 a partir de uma amostra de 188 indivíduos da população do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. As frequências também foram analisadas a partir da estratificação da amostra por critério fenotípico em função do padrão de cor da pele em (negros e não negros) ou ancestralidade genética em (afrodescendente e não afrodescendente), definida através da informação dos marcadores de ancestralidade Indels e SNP de cromossomo Y, para avaliar se os padrões de ancestralidade ou cor da pele são fundamentais para a diferenciação e distanciamento genético. Fragmentos de interesse foram amplificados por PCR (reação de cadeia de polimerase) com primers específicos para o marcador Ser49Gly e as reações de genotipagem foram realizadas com enzimas de restrição Eco0109I. Os valores da heterozigosidade variaram entre 0,25-0,50 e 0,20-0,41 nos grupos estratificados por ancestralidade e cor da pele, respectivamente. No que diz respeito à análise do equilíbrio de Hardy-Weinberg, não houve um desvio significativo na distribuição do marcador nas amostras gerais do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, ou mesmo nas amostras estratificadas. A distribuição dos alelos na amostra dos 188 indivíduos da população geral do Rio de Janeiro (AC_RJ) mostrou uma frequência de 80,30% e 19,70% para o alelo selvagem e mutado Ser49Gly, respectivamente. A comparação das análises sobre a distribuição das frequências alélicas para este marcador mostrou a ocorrência de diferenças significativas na distribuição das frequências alélicas entre negros e não negros e afrodescendentes e não afrodescendentes. A diferença significativa observada entre os negros e afrodescendentes, foi em menor grau de distanciamento. A informação obtida em relação à ancestralidade foi crucial para a obtenção dos dados sobre o aumento da variável mutada do polimorfismo Ser49Gly nas populações negras e afrodescendentes do Estado Rio de Janeiro. Tal evidência, em combinação com estudos clínicos podem contribuir para uma análise pormenorizada do padrão de susceptibilidade à doença em questão, em falhas do mecanismo deste receptor. / Cardiovascular diseases have the highest death rate in the world, and notably in recent years genetic research about them are based on association studies, in which the gene suspected to be at a higher frequency among patients is now considered a possible causal factor. Genetic polymorphisms that occur in the beta adrenergic receptor can result in significant changes in the receptor function that may trigger physiopathologies. The main aim of this study was to estimate the diversity and the frequency of Ser49Gly polymorphism of Βeta adrenergic 1 receptor gene in a sample of 188 individuals of the population of Rio de Janeiro. The frequencies were also analyzed from the sample stratification by phenotypic criteria due to skin color pattern (blacks and non-blacks) or by genetic ancestry (African descent and non-African descent), defined by ancestry information SNP and Indels markers from Y chromosome, to evaluate whether the ancestry criteria and/or skin color are crucial to the pattern of differentiation and genetic distance. Fragments of interest were amplified by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) with specific primers for the marker Ser49Gly and genotyping reactions performed by restriction with the enzyme Eco0109I. The values of heterozygosity ranged from 0.25 to 0.50 and 0.20 to 0.41 in the groups stratified by ancestry and skin color, respectively. Regarding the analysis of EHW, there was no significant deviation from this marker genotype distribution in Rio de Janeiro sample or even the stratified sample. The distribution of alleles in the sample of 188 individuals from the general population of Rio de Janeiro (AC_RJ) shows a frequency of 80.30% and 19.70% for the wild-type allele mutated Ser49 and Gly49, respectively. The comparison analysis showed the occurrence of significant differences in the distribution of allele frequencies of this marker between blacks and non-blacks and African descent and non-African descent. A significant difference was also observed between blacks and African descent, with a lesser degree of detachment. The information obtained in relation to ancestry was crucial for obtaining data on the increase in variable mutated polymorphism Ser49Gly in the black populations and African descent in Rio de Janeiro State. Such evidence, in combination with clinical studies may contribute to a detailed analysis of the pattern of susceptibility to disease involved in mechanism crashes of this receptor.

A síndrome isquêmica miocárdica instável (SIMI) leva a importantes alterações neurovasculares, tais como à hiperativação simpática e a diminuição do fluxo sanguíneo muscular (FSM) tanto em repouso como durante manobras fisiológicas como o exercício. A presença de alguns polimorfismos na genética humana, como o dos receptores \'beta\'2-adrenérgicos Gln27Glu, apresenta importante associação com a funcionalidade cardiovascular em indivíduos saudáveis. Contudo, não é conhecido se em pacientes com SIMI, a presença dos polimorfismos do receptor \'beta\'2-adrenérgico leva a respostas neurovasculares distintas durante o exercício, e, ainda, se o treinamento físico poderá modificar essa resposta. OBJETIVOS: Estudar a influência do polimorfismo do receptor \'beta\'2-adrenérgico Gln27Glu no controle neurovascular da atividade nervosa simpática muscular (ANSM) e do FSM em repouso e durante o exercício físico de preensão de mão, em pacientes com SIMI e, num segundo momento, avaliar o efeito do treinamento físico nas respostas neurovasculares durante o exercício nestes pacientes. MÉTODOS: Inicialmente, foram selecionados para o estudo, 78 pacientes com SIMI com fração de ejeção >= 45%, no momento da hospitalização. Um mês após o evento isquêmico, 61 pacientes retornaram para as avaliações iniciais. Os pacientes foram genotipados e posteriormente divididos em dois grupos de acordo com o polimorfismo Gln27Glu do receptor \'beta\'2-adrenérgico: 1- Gln27Gln (CC, n=35) e 2- Gln27Glu+Glu27Glu (CG+GG, n=26). Destes, 29 pacientes concordaram em participar de um protocolo de treinamento físico por um período de 8 semanas, sendo que, 25 finalizaram o protocolo (CC, n=17; CG+GG, n=8). A avaliação do controle neurovascular foi realizada em repouso e durante o exercício físico de preensão de mãos em 30% da contração voluntária máxima. Foram avaliados a ANSM, medida pela técnica direta de microneurografia, o FSM, medido pelo método de pletismografia de oclusão venosa, a pressão arterial, medida pelo método oscilométrico indireto e a frequência cardíaca, pelo eletrocardiograma. Todas as avaliações foram realizadas nos pacientes um mês após o evento isquêmico e, para aqueles que participaram do protocolo de treinamento físico, foram repetidas após 8 semanas de intervenção. RESULTADOS: Um mês após o evento isquêmico, a ANSM (P=0,26) e a pressão arterial média (PAM, P=0,14) de repouso foram semelhantes entre os grupos com genótipo CC e CG+GG. Entretanto, durante o exercício, a resposta da ANSM foi maior no grupo CC quando comparado com o grupo com CG+GG (\'delta\'=11±2 vs. 4±2 disparos/100batimentos, P=0,02). Adicionalmente, a resposta de PAM foi maior no grupo CC quando comparado ao grupo CG+GG (\'delta\'=24±2 vs. 18±2 mmHg, P=0,04). A resposta de condutância vascular no antebraço (CVA) durante o exercício foi semelhante entre ambos os grupos. Após treinamento físico a ANSM basal diminuiu no grupo com genótipo CC (63±3 vs. 48±5 disparos/100batimentos, P <0,001), mas não no grupo com genótipo CG+GG (70±4 vs. 55±5 disparos/100batimentos, P =0,06). De forma semelhante, durante o exercício, o treinamento físico diminuiu o nível (P= 0,007) e a resposta da ANSM (\'delta\'=12±2 vs. 5±2 disparos/100batimentos, P=0,02) no grupo com genótipo CC, mas não no grupo com genótipo CG+GG (P=0,10) e (\'delta\'=7±3 vs. 7±3 disparos/100batimentos, P=0,96), respectivamente. O treinamento físico não modificou os níveis de PAM e CVA, durante o exercício, em ambos os grupos. Contudo, analisando-se o período pós-treinamento físico, o grupo CG+GG apresentou resposta de PAM menor (P=0,01) e CVA maior (P=0,03) durante o exercício quando comparado ao grupo CC. CONCLUSÃO: Pacientes com SIMI, portadores do genótipo CC do receptor \'beta\'-adrenérgico apresentam resposta aumentada da ANSM durante a manobra fisiológica de exercício, quando comparados aos pacientes com genótipo CG+GG. O treinamento físico reverte esta resposta exacerbada de ANSM nos pacientes com genótipo CC. Esses resultados sugerem um risco cardiovascular aumentado nos pacientes com SIMI com genótipo CC do receptor \'beta\'-adrenérgico. Por outro lado, o treinamento físico deve ser fortemente recomendado para esses pacientes, sobretudo naqueles com o genótipo CC. / Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) leads to important neurovascular abnormalities such as sympathetic hyperactivity and decreased forearm blood flow (FBF) at rest and during physiological maneuvers as exercise. The presence of some polymorphisms in human genetics, as the &#946;2-adrenoceptor Gln27Glu, presents a significant association with cardiovascular functionality in healthy subjects. However, it is not known whether in patients with ACS, the presence of polymorphisms of the &#946;2-adrenoceptor leads to distinct neurovascular responses during exercise, and if the exercise training can modify this response. OBJECTIVES: To study the influence of Gln27Glu \'beta\'2-adrenoceptor polymorphisms on neurovascular control of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and FBF at rest and during handgrip exercise, in patients with ACS; and to evaluate the effect of exercise training on neurovascular responses during exercise in these patients. METHODS: Initially, were selected 78 patients with ACS with ejection fraction >= 45% at the time of hospitalization. One month after the ischemic event, 61 patients returned for the initial assessments. Patients were genotyped and then divided into two groups according to the Gln27Glu \'beta\'2-adrenoceptor polymorphisms: 1-Gln27Gln (CC, n=35) and 2-Gln27Glu + Glu27Glu (CG +GG, n=26). Of these, 29 patients agreed to participate in an exercise training protocol for a period of 8 weeks, but only 25 patients completed the protocol (CC, n=17; CG+GG, n=8). The evaluation of neurovascular control was performed at rest and during a handgrip exercise at 30% of the maximum voluntary contraction. We evaluated the MSNA, by the direct technique of microneurography, the FBF, by venous occlusion plethysmography technique, blood pressure (BP), by indirect oscillometric device and heart rate, by electrocardiogram. All evaluations were performed one month after the ischemic event and, for those patients subjected to the exercise training protocol the same evaluations were repeated after 8 weeks of intervention. RESULTS: One month after the ischemic event, the MSNA (P=0.26) and mean arterial pressure (MAP, P=0.14) at rest were similar between groups with genotype CC and CG+GG. However, during exercise, the response of MSNA was higher in the CC group compared with the CG+GG group (\'delta\'=11±2 vs. 4±2 bursts/100HB, P=0.02). In addition, BP response during exercise was higher in the CC group compared to the CG + GG group (\'delta\' =24 ±2 vs. 18±2 mmHg, P=0.04). The forearm vascular conductance (FVC) response during exercise was similar in both groups. After exercise training, baseline MSNA decreased in the group with CC genotype (63± 3vs. 48±5 bursts/100HB, P <0.001) but not in the group with CG+GG genotypes (70±4 vs. 55±5 bursts/100HB, P =0.06). Similarly, exercise training decreases the level (P= 0.007) and the response of MSNA (\'delta\'= 12±2 vs. 5±2 bursts/100HB, P= 0.02) during exercise in the group with CC genotype but not in the CG+GG group (P= 0.10) and (\'delta\'=7±3 vs 7±3 bursts/100HB, P= 0.96), respectively. Exercise training did not change the levels of MAP and FVC, during exercise in both groups. However, in the post exercise training period, the CG+GG group had lower MAP response (P =0.01) and higher FVC (P =0.03) during exercise compared to the CC group. CONCLUSION: Patients with ACS, carrying the CC genotype of the \'beta\'2-adrenoceptor have increased MSNA response during physiological maneuver as exercise when compared with patients carrying the CG+GG genotype. Exercise training reverses this exacerbated response of MSNA in patients with CC genotype. These results suggest an increased cardiovascular risk in patients with ACS with CC genotype of the \'beta\'2-adrenoceptor. Furthermore, exercise training should be strongly recommended for patients with ACS, especially for those with the CC genotype

Succinate is a dicarboxylic acid that accumulates due to succinate dehydrogenase inhibition. This dicarboxylic acid has a biphasic effect on neural activity in vitro that seems to be mediated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The NMDA receptor is distributed throughout the central nervous system and mediates synaptic plasticity-related events, such as learning and memory. Although it has been described that succinate modulates NMDA conductance, it is not known if this organic acid modulates learning and me mory. Therefore, in the present study we investigated whether the immediate post-training systemic or intrahippocampal administration of succinate affects the memory of fear conditioning in rats. In addition, we investigated whether the NMDA and β-adrenergic receptors are involved in the facilitatory effect of succinate on memory. Systemic (0,00005, 0,0005, 0,005, 0,05 and 0,5 mg/kg i.p) or bilateral intra-hippocampal (0.21 pmol i.h.) immediate post-training administration of succinate biphasically facilitated contextual fear conditioning and had no effect on conditioning to tone. Systemic or intra-hippocampal administrations of MK-801 (0,001 mg/kg i.p. or 0,21 pmol i.h. respectively), a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, at a dose that had no effect per se, reversed the facilitatory effect of succinate on contextual fear conditioning. The systemic administration of propranolol (10 mg/kg i.p.), a β-adrenergic antagonist, at a dose that had no effect per se, also reversed the facilitatory effect of succinate on contextual fear conditioning. The administration of succinate (0,005 mg/kg i.p.) immediately after training and 15 minutes before the test did not affect the performance of the animals on fear conditioning. These results suggest that the facilitatory effect of succinate on the memory of fear conditioning involves NMDA and β-adrenergic receptors. The results also indicate that the facilitatory effect of succinate on memory is not related to state-dependence / O sucinato é um intermediário do ciclo de Kreks e também da cadeia respiratória, mas que também parece ter funções não relacionadas ao metabolismo energético. De fato, este ácido dicarboxílico tem efeito bifásico sobre a atividade neural in vitro, que parece ser mediado pelo receptor glutamatérgico N-metil-D-aspartato (NMDA). O receptor NMDA está presente em todo o sistema nervo central (SNC) e os processos mediados por este receptor incluem plasticidade sináptica e formação de circuitos neurais. Embora tenha sido descrito que o sucinato modula a atividade neural in vitro, não se sabe se este ácido orgânico modula processos fisiológicos ligados ao receptor NMDA, como o aprendizado e memória. Consequentemente, neste estudo foi investigado o efeito da administração sistêmica e intrahipocampal de sucinato, MK-801 e propranolol sobre a consolidação da memória em ratos, utilizando a tarefa de medo condicionado clássico. Posteriormente se investigou se os efeitos do sucinato sobre a memória envolvem dependência de estado. O teste do medo condicionado consistiu na apresentação de estímulos pareados, condicionado (tom 2000 Hz 90 dB/10 s) e incondicionado (choque 0.6 mA/1 s). O estado de imobilidade do animal foi utilizado como um indicativo de memória nas sessões de avaliação de memória ao contexto e ao tom. A administração sistêmica de sucinato nas doses de 0,00005, 0,0005, 0,005, 0,05 e 0,5 mg/kg i.p. imediatamente após o treino melhorou a memória. Contudo, a dose de 5 mg/kg de sucinato não alterou a memória dos animais, caracterizando um efeito bifásico sobre a memória. Essa melhora da memória induzida por sucinato (0,005 mg/kg i.p.) foi revertido pela administração pós-treino de um antagonista do receptor NMDA, MK-801 (0,001 mg/kg i.p.) e pela administração imediatamente após o treino de um bloqueador adrenérgico, propranolol (10 mg/kg i.p.). A administração de sucinato (0,005 mg/kg i.p.) imediatamente após o treino e 15 minutos antes do teste não afetou a performance dos animais, não caracterizando dependência de estado. Nos experimentos que visaram identificar se a administração central de sucinato alterava a memória, os animais foram canulados bilateralmente no hipocampo e após a recuperação cirúrgica, recebiam injeções bilaterais imediatamente após o treino, de sucinato (0,21 pmol i.h.) que melhorou a memória. A administração imediatamente após o treino de MK- 801 (0,22 nmol i.h.) foi capaz de reverter esse efeito facilitador do sucinato sobre a memória. Estes resultados sugerem que o efeito facilitador da memória induzida pela administração de sucinato é mediado pelo receptor NMDA e envolve de alguma maneira o sistema adrenérgico

No description available.

Die Kultivierung equiner Trachealepithelzellen stellt ein nützliches Modell dar, die (patho)-physiologischen Mechanismen der obstruktiven Atemwegserkrankungen des Pferdes auf zellulärer Ebene zu untersuchen. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, Methoden für die Isolation, Charakterisierung und weitergehende Kultivierung equiner Trachealepithelzellen (ETEZ) zu etablieren und validieren und die Expression und Funktionalität der beta-adrenergen Rezeptoren an frisch isolierten ETEZ und deren Primärkulturen mittels pharmakologischer und biochemischer Verfahrenstechniken zu analysieren. Epithelzellen wurden durch Trypsinverdau aus der Trachea gesunder Pferde gewonnen, indem zuerst die Mukosa der Trachea freigelegt und diese dann vom daruntergelegenen Bindegewebe stumpf getrennt wurde. Das gewonnene Gewebe wurde zerkleinert und enzymatisch mit 0,25% Trypsin-EDTA-Lösung für 2 h bei 37°C verdaut. Durch Siebung und Zentrifugation wurden die Zellen gereinigt, vereinzelt und gesammelt, wobei kontaminierende Fibroblasten später durch differentielle Adhäsion von den Epithelzellen getrennt wurden. Die isolierten Zellen wurden sowohl licht- bzw. elektronenmikroskopisch charakterisiert, als auch immunzytochemisch hinsichtlich Zytokeratin (für Epithelzellen) und Vimentin (für Fibroblasten) gefärbt. Die durchschnittliche Zellausbeute wurde mit der Neubauer-Zählkammer bestimmt und betrug 6,10 ± 0,63×106 Zellen pro 500 mg zerkleinertem Gewebe (n = 11). Die Zellvitalität wurde mittels Trypanblau-Färbung ermittelt und betrug 94,70 ± 1,17% (n = 11). Immunfluoreszensfärbungen zeigten, dass 93,57 ± 1,67% (n = 11) der frisch isolierten Zellen und ca. 100% (n = 5) der Primärkulturen auf Zytokeratin 5/6/18 positiv reagierten. Auf Anti-Vimentin reagierten dagegen nur 9,83 ± 0,94% (n = 11) der Zellen positiv. Die Zellen wurden in einer Dichte von 6,90 x 104 Zellen/cm2 in serumfreiem AECGM ausgesät und bildeten innerhalb einer Woche einen konfluenten Monolayer. Die konfluenten Zellen wurden mittels Dispase II abgelöst. Die erste (P1) und die zweite (P2) Passage konnte erfolgreich in serumfreien AECGM kultiviert und auf der Stufe P2 30 Tage lang gehalten werden. Weitethin wurden die Expression und Funktionalität der b-adrenergen Rezeptoren in frisch isolierten und kultivierten Epithelzellen untersucht. Mittels Radioligandenbindungsstudien, Westernblot, Immunfluoreszensfärbung und cAMP-Assays konnten erstmalig die Dichte, Affinität, Subtypen, Proteinexpression und zelluläre Lokalisation der beta-adrenergen Rezeptoren sowie die Rezeptorfunktion bestimmt werden. Messungen an frisch isolierten ETEZ ergaben für die mittlere Dissoziationskonstante (KD) von 31,78 ± 6,57 pM (n = 7) und eine maximale b-adrenerge Rezeptordichte (BMax) von 12727 ± 883,6 Bindungsstellen/Zelle (n = 7) ermittelt aus Sättigungsexperimenten mit dem b-adrenergen Rezeptorantagonisten [125I] Iodocyanopindolol (ICYP) in Anwesenheit des nicht selektiven beta-Rezeptorantagonisten (±)-CGP 12177. Für Primärkulturen ergaben sich Werte für KD von 15,26 ± 3,37 pM (n =6) und für BMax von 3730 ± 212 Bindungsstellen/Zelle (n = 6). Bei Verdrängungsexperimenten wurde die ICYP konzentrationsabhängig durch den beta2-selektiven Rezeptorantagonisten ICI 118.551 und den beta1-selektiven Rezeptorantagonisten CGP 20712A verdrängt, wobei für ICI 118.551 eine 10.000-fach höhere Affinität (Ki = 1,74 ± 0,15 nM in frisch-isolierten Zellen und 1,19 ± 0,41 nM in Primärkultur) gezeigt wurde als für CGP 20712A (Ki = 17 ± 7,90 μM in frisch isolierten Zellen). Die cAMP-Bildung wurde in frisch isolierten ETEZ konzentrationsabhängig durch die beta-adrenergen Rezeptoragonisten Isoproterenol, Epinephrin und Norepinephrin in der Reihenfolge ihrer Potenz mit einer EC50 von 58 nM (n = 6), 13,60 μM (n = 6) bzw. 0,43 mM (n = 6) stimuliert. Diese cAMP-Bildung konnte durch Behandlung der Zellen mit 100 nM der beta2-selektiven ICI 118.551, nicht aber durch 300 nM des beta1-selektiven CGP 20712A blockiert werden. Mit einem beta2-adrenergen Rezeptorantikörper konnte eine 72 kDa Proteinbande und mit demselben Antikörper in der Fluoreszenzfärbung Rezeptorantigene auf der Zelloberfläche nachgewiesen werden. Zusammenfassend konnten mit dem etablierten Protokoll große Mengen equiner Trachealepithelzellen isoliert und kultiviert werden. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie zeigen erstmalig, dass primäre equine Trachealepithelzellen funktionale beta2-adrenerge Rezeptoren exprimieren und das Protokoll zur Etablierung eines zellbasierten Modells geeignet ist, um in vitro verschiedene Funktionen und eine Pharmaka-induzierte Regulation der beta-adrenergen Signalkaskade hinsichtlich physiologischer und pathophysiologischer Zustände bei Atemwegserkrankungen des Pferdes und hierfür relevante pharmakologische und toxikologische Zielstrukturen untersuchen zu können.

Synapses can be altered due to experiences in a process called synaptic plasticity, which causes memory formations. Synapses can be strengthened through methods known as long-term potentiation (LTP) or weakened through long-term depression (LTD). Stresses can cause changes by altering synapses through either LTP or LTD. Rats were used to study the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms and a prophylactic treatment using pharmaceuticals. The first model used was the single prolonged stress (SPS) with two weeks of chronic light, which was not as effective for causing changes in synaptic plasticity. The second model, seven days of social defeat (SD) with two weeks of chronic light was more effective at inducing PTSD-like behavior symptoms and causing changes in LTP levels in the ventral hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex between stressed and non-stressed rats. For the prophylactic treatment, propranolol and mifepristone were administered one week prior to and throughout the two weeks of the social defeat protocol. The drugs were able to prevent the changes due to stress on LTP in the three aforementioned brain regions, but did not change the anxious behavior of the rats. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine corticosterone and norepinephrine levels between the different groups of rats. No significant differences were detected between SD and control rats, but SD injected rats were different from controls indicating that the injections were causing added stress. Reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect changes in the adrenergic, corticoid, AMPA, and NMDA receptors. There were a few significant changes to some of the targets indicating that the stress protocol and drugs were having an effect on the mRNA expression. Propranolol and mifepristone could possibly be used as a prophylactic treatment for traumatic stress. In a separate study, techniques were used to determine the negative effects chronic stress (non-PTSD-like) has on synaptic plasticity in the dorsal hippocampus and to show how exercise was able to mitigate some of those negative stress effects. Electrophysiology showed differences in LTP between four groups of mice: sedentary no stress (SNS), sedentary with stress (SWS), exercise with stress (EWS), and exercise no stress (ENS). SWS had the lowest amount of LTP, whereas ENS had the highest. SNS and EWS had similar levels of LTP, which were in between the SWS and ENS groups. Corticosterone blood levels measured by an ELISA showed significant increases in the stressed groups compared to the non-stressed groups. The radial arm maze showed that both groups of exercise mice made fewer reference memory errors the second week of testing compared to the sedentary groups. RT-qPCR determined that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and corticoid and dopamine 5 receptors were likely causing some of the memory changes.

Synapses can be altered due to experiences in a process called synaptic plasticity, which causes memory formations. Synapses can be strengthened through methods known as long-term potentiation (LTP) or weakened through long-term depression (LTD). Stresses can cause changes by altering synapses through either LTP or LTD. Rats were used to study the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms and a prophylactic treatment using pharmaceuticals. The first model used was the single prolonged stress (SPS) with two weeks of chronic light, which was not as effective for causing changes in synaptic plasticity. The second model, seven days of social defeat (SD) with two weeks of chronic light was more effective at inducing PTSD-like behavior symptoms and causing changes in LTP levels in the ventral hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex between stressed and non-stressed rats. For the prophylactic treatment, propranolol and mifepristone were administered one week prior to and throughout the two weeks of the social defeat protocol. The drugs were able to prevent the changes due to stress on LTP in the three aforementioned brain regions, but did not change the anxious behavior of the rats. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine corticosterone and norepinephrine levels between the different groups of rats. No significant differences were detected between SD and control rats, but SD injected rats were different from controls indicating that the injections were causing added stress. Reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect changes in the adrenergic, corticoid, AMPA, and NMDA receptors. There were a few significant changes to some of the targets indicating that the stress protocol and drugs were having an effect on the mRNA expression. Propranolol and mifepristone could possibly be used as a prophylactic treatment for traumatic stress. In a separate study, techniques were used to determine the negative effects chronic stress (non-PTSD-like) has on synaptic plasticity in the dorsal hippocampus and to show how exercise was able to mitigate some of those negative stress effects. Electrophysiology showed differences in LTP between four groups of mice: sedentary no stress (SNS), sedentary with stress (SWS), exercise with stress (EWS), and exercise no stress (ENS). SWS had the lowest amount of LTP, whereas ENS had the highest. SNS and EWS had similar levels of LTP, which were in between the SWS and ENS groups. Corticosterone blood levels measured by an ELISA showed significant increases in the stressed groups compared to the non-stressed groups. The radial arm maze showed that both groups of exercise mice made fewer reference memory errors the second week of testing compared to the sedentary groups. RT-qPCR determined that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and corticoid and dopamine 5 receptors were likely causing some of the memory changes.

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Les récepteurs couplés aux protéines G (RCPGs) représentent la plus grande famille de cibles thérapeutiques pour le traitement d’une panoplie de pathologies humaines. Bien que plusieurs décennies de recherche aient permis de façonner nos connaissances sur ces protéines membranaires, notre compréhension des déterminants moléculaires de leur activité signalétique reste encore limitée. De ces domaines de recherche, une avancée récente a mis à jour un nouveau phénomène, appelé sélectivité fonctionnelle des ligands, qui a bouleversé les paradigmes décrivant leu fonctionnement de ces récepteurs. Ce concept émane d’observations montrant que l’activité pharmacologique de certains ligands n’est pas nécessairement conservée sur tout le répertoire signalétiques connu du récepteur et peu se restreindre à l'activation sélective d’un sous-groupe de voies de signalisation.Ce nouveau modèle pharmacologique de l'activation des RCPG ouvre de nouvelles possibilités pour la découverte de médicaments plus efficace et sûr, ciblant les RCPGs. En effet, il permet la conception de molécules modulant spécifiquement les voies signalétiques d’intérêt thérapeutique, sans engager les autres voies qui pourraient mener à des effets secondaires indésirables ou de la tolérance. Cette thèse décrit l'utilisation d'une nouvelle approche sans marquage, basée sur la mesure du changement l'impédance cellulaire. Par la mesure des changements cellulaires, comme la morphologie, l’adhésion et/ou la redistribution des macromolécules, cette approche permet de mesurer de façon simultanée l'activité de plusieurs voies de signalisation impliqués dans ces réponses. Utilisant le récepteur β2-adrénergique (β2AR) comme modèle, nous avons démontré que les variations dans l’impédance cellulaire étaient directement liées à l’activation de multiples voies de signalisation suite à la stimulation du récepteur par son ligand. L’agoniste type du β2AR, l’isoprotérénol, s’est avéré induire une réponse d’impédance dose-dépendante constituée, dans le temps, de plusieurs caractéristiques distinctes pouvant être bloquées de façon compétitive par l’antagoniste ICI118,551 Par l’utilisation d’inhibiteurs sélectifs, nous avons été en mesure de déterminer la contribution de plusieurs voies signalétiques canoniques, comme les voies dépendantes de Gs et Gi, la production d’AMPc et l’activation de ERK1/2, sur ces changements. De plus, la dissection de la réponse d’impédance a permis d’identifier une nouvelle voie de mobilisation du Ca2+ contribuant à la réponse globale des changements initiés par la stimulation du β2AR. Dans une autre étude, nous avons rapporté que la réponse calcique induite par le β2AR serait attribuable à une transactivation Gs-dépendant du récepteur purinergique P2Y11, lui-même couplé à la protéine Gq. La mesure d’impédance permettant de distinguer et de décrire une pléiade d’activités signalétiques, nous avons émis l’hypothèse que des ligands arborant des profils signalétiques différents généreraient des réponses d’impédance distinctes. Le criblage d’une librairie de ligands spécifiques au β2AR a révélé une grande variété de signatures d’impédance. Grâce au développement d’une approche computationnelle innovatrice, nous avons été en mesure de regrouper ces signatures en cinq classes de composés, un regroupement qui s’est avéré hautement corrélé avec le profil signalétique des différents ligands. Nous avons ensuite combiné le criblage de composés par impédance avec l’utilisation d’inhibiteurs sélectifs de voies signalétiques afin d’augmenter la résolution du regroupement. En évaluant l’impact d’une voie signalétique donnée sur la signature d’impédance, nous avons été en mesure de révéler une plus grande variété de textures parmi les ligands. De plus, cette méthode s’est avérée efficace pour prédire le profil signalétique d’une librairie de composés non caractérisés, ciblant le β2AR. Ces travaux ont mené à l’élaboration d’une méthode permettant d’exprimer visuellement la sélectivité fonctionnelle de ligands et ont révélé de nouvelles classes de composés pour ce récepteur. Ces nouvelles classes de composés ont ensuite été testées sur des cardiomyocytes humains, confirmant que les composés regroupés dans différentes classes produisent des effets distincts sur la contractilité de ces cellules. Globalement, ces travaux démontrent la pertinence de l’utilisation de l’impédance cellulaire pour une évaluation précise des différences fonctionnelles parmi les composés ciblant les RCPGs. En fournissant une représentation pluridimensionnelle de la signalisation émanant des RCPGs à l’aide d’un seul essai ne requérant pas de marquage, les signatures d’impédance représentent une stratégie simple et innovante pour l’évaluation de la fonctionnalité sélective des ligands. Cette méthode pourrait être d’une grande utilité dans le processus de découverte de nouveaux médicaments. / G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent the largest family of therapeutic targets for the treatment of a wide variety of human pathologies. Decades of research have provided an extensive base of knowledge about these fascinating membrane proteins, yet significant advancements in the understanding of the structural and functional details of these important drug targets continue to accumulate to this day. One such area of research in particular that has caused a paradigm shift in the way we conceptualize receptor function is a recently identified phenomenon known as ligand functional selectivity. This concept refers to the numerous observations that the pharmacological activity of a ligand at a given receptor is not always conserved over all possible signalling events engaged by the receptor, often resulting in the selectivity of a ligand to modulate only a subset of the receptor’s signalling repertoire. This model of receptor activity reveals exciting new possibilities for the discovery of safer and more efficacious drugs targeting GPCRs; through the design of drugs specifically targeting the pathway of therapeutic interest without modulating other, uninvolved pathways which could lead to tolerance or adverse effects. This thesis will describe the use of a novel, label-free technique based on cellular impedance to further characterize ligand functional selectivity at GPCRs. By measuring changes in higher-order cellular responses, such as changes in morphology, adhesion and redistribution of macromolecules, this approach provides a means to simultaneously measure the activity of multiple signalling pathways converging on these responses. Using the β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) as a model system, we have demonstrated that changes in cellular impedance reflect the activity of multiple signalling events elicited following ligand stimulation of the receptor. Isoproterenol, the prototypical agonist of the β2AR, was found to elicit a dose-dependent impedance response consisting of multiple, discrete features over time, which could be blocked in a competitive manner by the antagonist ICI118,551. Using pathway-selective inhibitors, we were able to dissect the contribution of many of the canonical pathways activated by the β2AR, including Gs- and Gi-dependent signalling, as well as cAMP production and ERK1/2 activation. Furthermore, through the pharmacological dissection of this impedance response, we identified a novel Ca2+ mobilization pathway that contributes to the overall cellular response to β2AR stimulation. In a separate study of the mechanism generating this β2AR-promoted Ca2+ response, we revealed a Gs-dependent transactivation mechanism of the Gq-coupled P2Y11 purinergic receptor. Given the ability of impedance measurements to capture this pleiotropic signalling activity, we then reasoned that ligands exhibiting different signalling profiles should generate distinct impedance signatures. In screening a library of functionally selective compounds targeting the β2AR, we obtained a wide variety of impedance signatures. Through the development of a novel computational approach, we were able to cluster these signatures into five distinct compounds classes, which were highly correlated with signalling profiles of the ligands. In an extension of this approach, we then combined impedance screening with the use of pathway-selective inhibitors to determine if this would provide greater resolution in distinguishing among functionally distinct compounds. By assessing if and how a given signalling pathway contributes to a ligand’s impedance signature, we were able to reveal even more texture among ligands targeting the β2AR. Furthermore, this approach was found to be predictive of the signalling profiles of a library of uncharacterized compounds for the β2AR. This work led to the development of a visualization method to express ligand functional selectivity and revealed potentially novel classes of compounds for the receptor. These compound classes were then validated in human cardiomyocytes, confirming that compounds clustering into different classes produced distinct effects on cardiomyocyte contractility. Altogether, this work demonstrates the ability of cellular impedance to accurately measure functional differences among compounds targeting GPCRs. In providing a representation of the pluridimensionality of GPCR signalling using a single, label-free assay, impedance profiling represents an innovative strategy to assess ligand functional selectivity and may be a valuable addition to future drug discovery campaigns.

Le trafic membranaire est essentiel dans les neurones pour la morphogénèse, le recyclage des vésicules synaptiques et des récepteurs. L’exocytose des récepteurs AMPA contenus dans les endosomes de recyclage (ER) est nécessaire pour l’expression de la plasticité synaptique à long terme (PLT). Pour étudier ce mécanisme, nous avons visualisé l’exocytose par microscopie de fluorescence sur des neurones en culture transfectés avec le récepteur de la transferrine (TfR), un marqueur des ER, fusionné à la phluorine. Un examen systématique des événements d'exocytose a révélé des différences de comportement. Dans la plupart des cas, les récepteurs diffusent rapidement dans la membrane plasmique après exocytose (discharge), mais dans environ 25% des cas, les récepteurs restent concentrés (display). L’utilisation de changements rapides de pH extracellulaire autour de la cellule montre que l’exocytose est transitoire : après quelques secondes (médiane 2.6s) les récepteurs sont réinternalisés. Ce mécanisme a pu être étendu aux récepteurs AMPA et β2-adrenergique, pour lesquels l’exocytose de type display avait déjà été décrite. L’imagerie deux couleurs montre que Rab11, un marqueur des ER, est enrichie au site d’exocytose. L’expression d’un dominant négatif de Rab11 connu pour inhiber la PLT provoque une diminution spécifique de la fréquence des évènements discharge. Dans nos recherches sur le mécanisme de l’exocytose, nous avons testé l’implication des protéines SNARE dans la fusion membranaire. Ainsi VAMP4 est enrichie avec le TfR dans les ER qui sont exocytés à une fréquence équivalente. De plus, elle est requise pour le recyclage du TfR. / Membrane trafficking is essential for neuronal function: from growth of neurons and synapse formation to recycling of synaptic vesicles and receptors, questions concerning exocytosis and endocytosis are stimulating neurobiology research. In particular, trafficking of glutamate receptors present in recycling endosomes (REs) is necessary for the expression of long term potentiation (LTP). To investigate the mechanism of exocytosis in dendrites, we have imaged cultured rat hippocampal neurons transfected with transferrin receptor, a classical marker of REs, tagged with phluorin. As for AMPA receptors or β2-adrenegric receptors, single exocytic events has revealed two main behaviors: in most cases, receptors diffuse quickly in the plasma membrane after exocytosis (discharge events), but receptors can also remain clustered (display events). Using fast extracellular pH changes around the recorded cell, we show that for display events exocytosis is transient: after a few seconds (median 2.6 s) receptors are internalized. Moreover, using two color imaging of single exocytosis events with markers of neuronal compartments, we found that Rab11 is enriched at the exocytosis site, confirming the endosomal origin of the vesicles. Overexpression of a dominant negative form of Rab11 known to impair LTP decreases selectively the frequency of discharge events. As SNARE proteins are involved in virtually all membrane fusion processes, we investigated the role of Vamp proteins in somatodendritic exocytosis events. We found that Vamp4, unlike Vamp2 or Vamp7, is enriched in TfR containing compartments and can undergo exocytosis at high frequency and is required for TfR exocytosis.