Dynamics of neuro-effector coupling at ‘cardiac sympathetic’ synapses

Abstract

Aim

Cardiac sympathetic neurons (SNs) finely tune the rate and strength of heart contractions to match the blood demand, both at rest and during acute stresses, through the release of norepinephrine (NE). Junctional sites at the interface between the two cell types have been observed, but whether direct neuro-cardiac coupling has a role in heart physiology has not thus far been clearly demonstrated.

Methods and Results

We investigated the dynamics of SN/cardiomyocyte intercellular signalling, both by FRET-based imaging of cAMP in co-cultures, as a readout of cardiac β-AR activation, and in vivo, using optogenetics in transgenic mice with SN-specific expression of Channelrhodopsin-2. We demonstrate that SNs and cardiomyocytes interact at specific sites both in the human and rodent heart, and in co-cultures. Accordingly, neuronal activation elicited intracellular cAMP increases only in directly contacted myocytes and cell-cell coupling utilized a junctional extracellular signalling domain with elevated NE concentration. In the living mouse, optogenetic activation of cardiac SNs innervating the sino-atrial node resulted in an instantaneous chronotropic effect, which shortened the heartbeat interval with single beat precision. Remarkably, inhibition of the optogenetically elicited chronotropic responses required a high dose of propranolol (20-50 mg/Kg), suggesting that sympathetic neurotransmission in the heart occurs at locally elevated NE concentration.

Conclusions

Our in vitro and in vivo data suggest that the control of cardiac function, by SNs, occurs via direct intercellular coupling due to the establishment of a specific junctional-site.

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