Firing and intrinsic properties of antennal lobe neurons in the Noctuid moth Agrotis ipsilon.

The antennal lobe (AL) of the Noctuid moth Agrotis ipsilon has emerged as an excellent model for studying olfactory processing and its plasticity in the central nervous system. Odor-evoked responses of AL neurons and input-to-output transformations involved in pheromone processing are well characterized in this species. However, the intrinsic electrical properties responsible of the firing of AL neurons are poorly known. To this end, patch-clamp recordings in current- and voltage-clamp mode from neurons located in the two main clusters of cell bodies in the ALs were combined with intracellular staining on A. ipsilon males. Staining indicated that the lateral cluster (LC) is composed of 85% of local neurons (LNs) and 15% of projection neurons (PNs). The medial cluster (MC) contains only PNs. Action potentials were readily recorded from the soma in LNs and PNs located in the LC but not from PNs in the MC where recordings showed small or no action potentials. In the LC, the spontaneous activity of about 20% of the LNs presented irregular bursts while being more regular in PNs. We also identified a small population of LNs lacking voltage-gated Na(+) currents and generating spikelets. We focused on the firing properties of LNs since in about 60% of LNs, but not in PNs, action potentials were followed by depolarizing afterpotentials (DAPs). These DAPs could generate a second action potential, so that the activity was composed of action potential doublets. DAPs depended on voltage, Ca(2+)-channels and possibly on Ca(2+)-activated non-specific cationic channels. During steady state current injection, DAPs occurred after each action potential and did not require high-frequency firing. The amplitude of DAPs increased when the interspike interval was small, typically within bursts, likely arising from a Ca(2+) build up. DAPs were more often found in bursting than in non-bursting LNs but do not support bursting activity. DAPs and spike doublets also occurred during odor-evoked activity suggesting that they can mediate olfactory integration in the AL.

Anopheles gambiae mosquito isolated neurons: a new biological model for optimizing insecticide/repellent efficacy.

To understand better the mode of action of insecticides and repellents used in vector-borne diseases control, we developed a new biological model based on mosquito neurons isolated from adults Anopheles gambiae heads. This cellular model is well adapted to multidisciplinary approaches: electrophysiology, pharmacology, molecular biology and biochemical assays. Using RT-PCR, we demonstrated that isolated neurons express the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit α1 (Agα1 nAchR), two acetylcholinesterases (AChE-1 and AChE-2) and three voltage-gated ion channels required for membrane excitability (AgCav1, AgNav1 and AgKv1). In order to correlate the expression of the different transcripts, encoding functional AgNav channel, nAChR receptor and AChE enzymes detected by RT-PCR, with electrophysiological activity we used patch-clamp technique. We revealed that AgNav and AChE which are targeted by insecticide and/or repellent were sensitive to the pyrethroid permethrin and to the repellent DEET, respectively. In addition, using colorimetric method, we also showed that AChE was sensitive to the carbamate propoxur. These results indicated that this novel neuronal mosquito model will lead to molecular and functional characterization of insecticide/repellent targets and appears as a powerful tool to investigate the development of highly specific and effective strategies for disease vector control.

How does calcium-dependent intracellular regulation of voltage-dependent sodium current increase the sensitivity to the oxadiazine insecticide indoxacarb metabolite decarbomethoxylated JW062 (DCJW) in insect pacemaker neurons?

Decarbomethoxylated JW062 (DCJW), the active component of the oxadiazine insecticide (S)-methyl 7-chloro-2,5-dihydro-2-[[(methoxycarbonyl)[4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenyl] amino]carbonyl] indeno[1,2-e][1,3,4]oxadiazine-4a(3H)-carboxylate (DPX-JW062) (indoxacarb), was tested on 2 inward voltage-dependent sodium currents (named INa1 and INa2) expressed in short-term cultured dorsal unpaired median neurons of the cockroach Periplaneta americana. Under whole-cell voltage-clamp conditions, application of DCJW resulted in a biphasic dose-dependent inhibition of the global sodium current amplitude illustrating the differing sensitivity of sodium channels to DCJW. INa2 was less sensitive to DCJW [half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) = 1.6 microM] compared with INa1 (IC(50) = 1.7 nM). Although a previous study demonstrated that INa1 was regulated by the cAMP/protein kinase A cascade, we showed that INa2 was mainly regulated in an opposite way by the activation of calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B) and calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II). Furthermore, we demonstrated that activation of CaM-kinase II by intracellular calcium via the calcium-calmodulin complex affected the sensitivity of INa2 channels to DCJW. By increasing the intracellular calcium concentration and/or using 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) (a calcium chelator), N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide hydrochloride (W7) (a calmodulin inhibitor), cyclosporine A (a PP2B inhibitor), and 1-[N,O-bis(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl]-4-phenylpiperazine (KN-62) (a CaM-kinase II inhibitor), we revealed that activation of CaM-kinase II was involved in the modulation of the voltage dependence of steady-state inactivation and that the CaM-kinase II pathway activated by elevation of the intracellular calcium concentration might render INa2 channels approximately 3000-fold more sensitive to DCJW. These results indicated that manipulating specific intracellular signaling pathways involved in the regulation of sodium channels might have fundamental consequences for the sensitivity of insects to insecticides. This finding reveals an exciting research area that could lead to improvement in the efficiency of insecticides.

Differential regulation of two distinct voltage-dependent sodium currents by group III metabotropic glutamate receptor activation in insect pacemaker neurons.

Using whole cell patch-clamp technique and immunocytochemistry on adult dorsal unpaired median (DUM) neurons isolated from the cockroach Periplaneta americana CNS, we reported the characterization of a native mGluR, sharing pharmacological properties with vertebrate metabotropic glutamate receptor III (mGluRIII) that regulated voltage-dependent sodium current (I(Na)). The global I(Na) was dissociated by means of l-glutamate sensitivity, deactivation time constant, voltage dependence of activation and inactivation, recovery from inactivation, and intracellular regulation process. These two currents were respectively designated I(Na1) and I(Na2) for l-glutamate-sensitive and -insensitive sodium currents. l-glutamate selectively reduced I(Na1) by an increase of intracellular cAMP level. Using different activators and/or inhibitors of G proteins and cAMP/PKA cascade, together with St-Ht31 (an inhibitor of PKA binding to AKAP) and AKAP-79 antibodies, we established that mGluRIII was linked to I(Na1) by a Gi/o and a suspected Gs protein. According to the activated signaling pathway, l-glutamate elevated the cAMP level, which thereby activated cytosolic PKA and released PKA bound to AKAP. As expected from both biophysical and pharmacological studies, we showed that, through an inhibition of I(Na1), l-glutamate increased DUM neuron spontaneous electrical activity. These results indicated that such mGluRIII-activated dual processes provided a new physiological control of pacemaker neuronal firing.