Enhanced activity of pyramidal neurons in the infralimbic cortex drives anxiety behavior.

We show that in an animal model of anxiety the overall excitation, particularly in the infralimbic region of the medial prefrontal cortex (IL), is increased and that the activity ratio between excitatory pyramidal neurons and inhibitory interneurons (AR PN/IN) is shifted towards excitation. The same change in AR PN/IN is evident for wildtype mice, which have been exposed to an anxiety stimulus. We hypothesize, that an elevated activity and the imbalance of excitation (PN) and inhibition (IN) within the neuronal microcircuitry of the prefrontal cortex is responsible for anxiety behaviour and employed optogenetic methods in freely moving mice to verify our findings. Consistent with our hypothesis elevation of pyramidal neuron activity in the infralimbic region of the prefrontal cortex significantly enhanced anxiety levels in several behavioural tasks by shifting the AR PN/IN to excitation, without affecting motor behaviour, thus revealing a novel mechanism by which anxiety is facilitated.

Characterization of the Olfactory Receptor OR10H1 in Human Urinary Bladder Cancer.

Olfactory receptors (ORs) are a large group of G-protein coupled receptors predominantly found in the olfactory epithelium. Many ORs are, however, ectopically expressed in other tissues and involved in several diseases including cancer. In this study, we describe that one OR, OR10H1, is predominantly expressed in the human urinary bladder with a notably higher expression at mRNA and protein level in bladder cancer tissues. Interestingly, also significantly higher amounts of OR10H1 transcripts were detectable in the urine of bladder cancer patients than in the urine of control persons. We identified the sandalwood-related compound Sandranol as a specific agonist of OR10H1. This deorphanization allowed the functional characterization of OR10H1 in BFTC905 bladder cancer cells. The effect of receptor activation was morphologically apparent in cell rounding, accompanied by changes in the cytoskeleton detected by ß-actin, T-cadherin and ß-Catenin staining. In addition, Sandranol treatment significantly diminished cell viability, cell proliferation and migration and induced a limited degree of apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis revealed an increased G1 fraction. In a concentration-dependent manner, Sandranol application elevated cAMP levels, which was reduced by inhibition of adenylyl cyclase, and elicited intracellular Ca2+ concentration increase. Furthermore, activation of OR10H1 enhanced secretion of ATP and serotonin. Our results suggest OR10H1 as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for bladder cancer.

Two olfactory receptors-OR2A4/7 and OR51B5-differentially affect epidermal proliferation and differentiation.

Olfactory receptors (ORs), which belong to the G-protein coupled receptor family, are expressed in various human tissues, including skin. Cells in non-olfactory tissues tend to express more than one individual OR gene, but function and interaction of two or more ORs in the same cell type has only been marginally analysed. Here, we revealed OR2A4/7 and OR51B5 as two new ORs in human skin cells and identified cyclohexyl salicylate and isononyl alcohol as agonists of these receptors. In cultured human keratinocytes, both odorants induce strong Ca2+ signals that are mediated by OR2A4/7 and OR51B5, as demonstrated by the receptor knockdown experiments. Activation of corresponding receptors induces a cAMP-dependent pathway. Localization studies and functional characterization of both receptors revealed several differences. OR2A4/7 is expressed in suprabasal keratinocytes and basal melanocytes of the epidermis and influences cytokinesis, cell proliferation, phosphorylation of AKT and Chk-2 and secretion of IL-1. In contrast, OR51B5 is exclusively expressed in suprabasal keratinocytes, supports cell migration and regeneration of keratinocyte monolayers, influences Hsp27, AMPK1 and p38MAPK phosphorylation and interestingly, IL-6 secretion. These findings underline that different ORs perform diverse functions in cutaneous cells, and thus offering an approach for the modulated treatment of skin diseases and wound repair.