Aldehyde dehydrogenases are regulators of hematopoietic stem cell numbers and B-cell development.

High levels of the aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform ALDH1A1 are expressed in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs); however, its importance in these cells remains unclear. Consistent with an earlier report, we find that loss of ALDH1A1 does not affect HSCs. Intriguingly, however, we find that ALDH1A1 deficiency is associated with increased expression of the ALDH3A1 isoform, suggesting its potential to compensate for ALDH1A1. Mice deficient in ALDH3A1 have a block in B-cell development as well as abnormalities in cell cycling, intracellular signaling, and gene expression. Early B cells from these mice exhibit excess reactive oxygen species and reduced metabolism of reactive aldehydes. Mice deficient in both ALDH3A1 and ALDH1A1 have reduced numbers of HSCs as well as aberrant cell cycle distribution, increased reactive oxygen species levels, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and sensitivity to DNA damage. These findings demonstrate that ALDH3A1 can compensate for ALDH1A1 in bone marrow and is important in B-cell development, both ALDH1A1 and 3A1 are important in HSC biology; and these effects may be due, in part, to changes in metabolism of reactive oxygen species and reactive aldehydes.

An N-terminal variant of Trpv1 channel is required for osmosensory transduction.

Body fluid homeostasis requires the release of arginine-vasopressin (AVP, an antidiuretic hormone) from the neurohypophysis. This release is controlled by specific and highly sensitive 'osmoreceptors' in the hypothalamus. Indeed, AVP-releasing neurons in the supraoptic nucleus (SON) are directly osmosensitive, and this osmosensitivity is mediated by stretch-inhibited cation channels. However, the molecular nature of these channels remains unknown. Here we show that SON neurons express an N-terminal splice variant of the transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 (Trpv1), also known as the capsaicin receptor, but not full-length Trpv1. Unlike their wild-type counterparts, SON neurons in Trpv1 knockout (Trpv1(-/-)) mice could not generate ruthenium red-sensitive increases in membrane conductance and depolarizing potentials in response to hyperosmotic stimulation. Moreover, Trpv1(-/-) mice showed a pronounced serum hyperosmolality under basal conditions and severely compromised AVP responses to osmotic stimulation in vivo. These results suggest that the Trpv1 gene may encode a central component of the osmoreceptor.

Transgenic expression of a dominant-negative ASIC3 subunit leads to increased sensitivity to mechanical and inflammatory stimuli.

Molecular and behavioral evidence suggests that acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) contribute to pain processing, but an understanding of their precise role remains elusive. Existing ASIC knock-out mouse experiments are complicated by the heteromultimerization of ASIC subunits. Therefore, we have generated transgenic mice that express a dominant-negative form of the ASIC3 subunit that inactivates all native neuronal ASIC-like currents by oligomerization. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we examined the response properties of acutely isolated dorsal root ganglion neurons to protons (pH 5.0). We found that whereas 33% of the proton-responsive neurons from wild-type mice exhibited an ASIC-like transient response, none of the neurons from the transgenic mice exhibited a transient inward current. Capsaicin-evoked responses mediated by the TRPV1 receptor were unaltered in transgenic mice. Adult male wild-type and transgenic mice were subjected to a battery of behavioral nociceptive assays, including tests of thermal, mechanical, chemical/inflammatory, and muscle pain. The two genotypes were equally sensitive to thermal pain and to thermal hypersensitivity after inflammation. Compared with wild types, however, transgenic mice were more sensitive to a number of modalities, including mechanical pain (von Frey test, tail-clip test), chemical/inflammatory pain (formalin test, 0.6% acetic acid writhing test), mechanical hypersensitivity after zymosan inflammation, and mechanical hypersensitivity after intramuscular injection of hypotonic saline. These data reinforce the hypothesis that ASICs are involved in both mechanical and inflammatory pain, although the increased sensitivity of transgenic mice renders it unlikely that they are direct transducers of nociceptive stimuli.