Neurons controlling Aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous NO production.

Neural activity can be affected by nitric oxide (NO) produced by spiking neurons. Can neural activity also be affected by NO produced in neurons in the absence of spiking?Applying an NO scavenger to quiescent Aplysia buccal ganglia initiated fictive feeding, indicating that NO production at rest inh...

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Main Authors: Nimrod Miller, Ravit Saada, Shlomi Fishman, Itay Hurwitz, Abraham J Susswein
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2011-03-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3052382?pdf=render
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author Nimrod Miller
Ravit Saada
Shlomi Fishman
Itay Hurwitz
Abraham J Susswein
author_facet Nimrod Miller
Ravit Saada
Shlomi Fishman
Itay Hurwitz
Abraham J Susswein
author_sort Nimrod Miller
collection DOAJ
description Neural activity can be affected by nitric oxide (NO) produced by spiking neurons. Can neural activity also be affected by NO produced in neurons in the absence of spiking?Applying an NO scavenger to quiescent Aplysia buccal ganglia initiated fictive feeding, indicating that NO production at rest inhibits feeding. The inhibition is in part via effects on neurons B31/B32, neurons initiating food consumption. Applying NO scavengers or nitric oxide synthase (NOS) blockers to B31/B32 neurons cultured in isolation caused inactive neurons to depolarize and fire, indicating that B31/B32 produce NO tonically without action potentials, and tonic NO production contributes to the B31/B32 resting potentials. Guanylyl cyclase blockers also caused depolarization and firing, indicating that the cGMP second messenger cascade, presumably activated by the tonic presence of NO, contributes to the B31/B32 resting potential. Blocking NO while voltage-clamping revealed an inward leak current, indicating that NO prevents this current from depolarizing the neuron. Blocking nitrergic transmission had no effect on a number of other cultured, isolated neurons. However, treatment with NO blockers did excite cerebral ganglion neuron C-PR, a command-like neuron initiating food-finding behavior, both in situ, and when the neuron was cultured in isolation, indicating that this neuron also inhibits itself by producing NO at rest.Self-inhibitory, tonic NO production is a novel mechanism for the modulation of neural activity. Localization of this mechanism to critical neurons in different ganglia controlling different aspects of a behavior provides a mechanism by which a humeral signal affecting background NO production, such as the NO precursor L-arginine, could control multiple aspects of the behavior.
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spelling doaj.art-10219c2c341742d88554fb219f75ed102022-12-21T19:28:59ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032011-03-0163e1777910.1371/journal.pone.0017779Neurons controlling Aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous NO production.Nimrod MillerRavit SaadaShlomi FishmanItay HurwitzAbraham J SussweinNeural activity can be affected by nitric oxide (NO) produced by spiking neurons. Can neural activity also be affected by NO produced in neurons in the absence of spiking?Applying an NO scavenger to quiescent Aplysia buccal ganglia initiated fictive feeding, indicating that NO production at rest inhibits feeding. The inhibition is in part via effects on neurons B31/B32, neurons initiating food consumption. Applying NO scavengers or nitric oxide synthase (NOS) blockers to B31/B32 neurons cultured in isolation caused inactive neurons to depolarize and fire, indicating that B31/B32 produce NO tonically without action potentials, and tonic NO production contributes to the B31/B32 resting potentials. Guanylyl cyclase blockers also caused depolarization and firing, indicating that the cGMP second messenger cascade, presumably activated by the tonic presence of NO, contributes to the B31/B32 resting potential. Blocking NO while voltage-clamping revealed an inward leak current, indicating that NO prevents this current from depolarizing the neuron. Blocking nitrergic transmission had no effect on a number of other cultured, isolated neurons. However, treatment with NO blockers did excite cerebral ganglion neuron C-PR, a command-like neuron initiating food-finding behavior, both in situ, and when the neuron was cultured in isolation, indicating that this neuron also inhibits itself by producing NO at rest.Self-inhibitory, tonic NO production is a novel mechanism for the modulation of neural activity. Localization of this mechanism to critical neurons in different ganglia controlling different aspects of a behavior provides a mechanism by which a humeral signal affecting background NO production, such as the NO precursor L-arginine, could control multiple aspects of the behavior.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3052382?pdf=render
spellingShingle Nimrod Miller
Ravit Saada
Shlomi Fishman
Itay Hurwitz
Abraham J Susswein
Neurons controlling Aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous NO production.
PLoS ONE
title Neurons controlling Aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous NO production.
title_full Neurons controlling Aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous NO production.
title_fullStr Neurons controlling Aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous NO production.
title_full_unstemmed Neurons controlling Aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous NO production.
title_short Neurons controlling Aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous NO production.
title_sort neurons controlling aplysia feeding inhibit themselves by continuous no production
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3052382?pdf=render
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