Biomedical subjects

N Vardi

Publications and source records attributed to N Vardi.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1981

Morphology of the giant interneurons and cercal nerve projections of the American cockroach.

We have investigated the morphology of the giant interneurons (GIs) and the main sensory projections to these interneurons in the American cockroach. These neurons are thought to mediate the animal's escape behavior. We describe here the dendritic branching pattern of each of the 14 GIs (7 bilateral pairs) in the terminal ganglion, the pattern of projection of the cercal sensory nerve, and the overlap of the cercal projections with the dendrites of the GIs. Visualization of the GIs and cercal nerve projection was accomplished by single cell injection and axonal backfilling with cobalt. Comparisons of the same identified GI in different animals show the position of the soma and the locations and orientations of the major processes are characteristic for each GI. The axons of the cercal nerve project to a well-defined ipsilateral region of the terminal ganglion. After entering the terminal ganglion, the cercal afferents split into lateral and medial tracts. The projections of the lateral cercal tract overlap extensively with the dendritic fields of the GIs. In contrast, the medial tract does not overlap the dendritic fields of the GIs in the posterior portion of the ganglion and shows only a small degree of overlap in the anterior portion. Correlations between physiological properties of the GIs and cercal afferents are discussed in relation to our anatomical findings.

Afferent Pathways↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Protective effect of chelerythrine on gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity.

Despite their beneficial effects, aminoglycosides including gentamicin (GEN) have considerable nephrotoxic side-effects. The toxicity of GEN at the level of the kidney seems to relate to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS have been reported to be involved in the activation of protein kinase C (PKC). The unique structural aspects of PKC cause it to function as a sensor for oxidative stress. It seems likely that the increased NAD(P)H oxidase-derived superoxide (O2) production is at least in part mediated by PKC. We investigated the effects of chelerythrine, a commonly used PKC inhibitor, on GEN-induced changes of renal malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) generation, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, glutathione (GSH) content, and serum creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. Morphological changes in the kidney were also examined. GEN administration to control rats increased MDA and NO generation but decreased CAT, SOD and GSH-Px activities, and GSH content. Chelerythrine administration with GEN caused significantly decreased MDA, NO generation and increased CAT, SOD and GSH-Px activities, and GSH content when compared with GEN alone. Chelerythrine also significantly decreased serum Cr and BUN levels. Morphological changes in the kidney including tubular necrosis were evaluated qualitatively. Both biochemical findings and histopathological evidence showed that administration of chelerythrine reduced the GEN-induced kidney damage. We propose that chelerythrine acts in the kidney as a potent scavenger of free radicals to prevent the toxic effects of GEN via the inhibition of a PKC pathway.

Alkaloids↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Identification of a G-protein in depolarizing rod bipolar cells.

Synaptic transmission from photoreceptors to depolarizing bipolar cells is mediated by the APB glutamate receptor. This receptor apparently is coupled to a G-protein which activates cGMP-phosphodiesterase to modulate cGMP levels and thus a cGMP-gated cation channel. We attempted to localize this system immunocytochemically using antibodies to various components of the rod phototransduction cascade, including Gt (transducin), phosphodiesterase, the cGMP-gated channel, and arrestin. All of these antibodies reacted strongly with rods, but none reacted with bipolar cells. Antibodies to a different G-protein, G(o), reacted strongly with rod bipolar cells of three mammalian species (which are depolarizing and APB-sensitive). Also stained were subpopulations of cone bipolar cells but not the major depolarizing type in cat (b1). G(o) antibody also stained certain salamander bipolar cells. Thus, across a wide range of species, G(o) is present in retinal bipolar cells, and at least some of these are depolarizing and APB-sensitive.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Simulation of the AII amacrine cell of mammalian retina: functional consequences of electrical coupling and regenerative membrane properties.

The AII amacrine cell of mammalian retina collects signals from several hundred rods and is hypothesized to transmit quantal "single-photon" signals at scotopic (starlight) intensities. One problem for this theory is that the quantal signal from one rod when summed with noise from neighboring rods would be lost if some mechanism did not exist for removing the noise. Several features of the AII might together accomplish such a noise removal operation: The AII is interconnected into a syncytial network by gap junctions, suggesting a noise-averaging function, and a quantal signal from one rod appears in five AII cells due to anatomical divergence. Furthermore, the AII contains voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels and fires slow action potentials in vitro, suggesting that it could selectively amplify quantal photon signals embedded in uncorrelated noise. To test this hypothesis, we simulated a square array of AII somas (Rm = 25,000 Ohm-cm2) interconnected by gap junctions using a compartmental model. Simulated noisy inputs to the AII produced noise (3.5 mV) uncorrelated between adjacent cells, and a gap junction conductance of 200 pS reduced the noise by a factor of 2.5, consistent with theory. Voltage-gated Na+ and K+ channels (Na+: 4 nS, K+: 0.4 nS) produced slow action potentials similar to those found in vitro in the presence of noise. For a narrow range of Na+ and coupling conductance, quantal photon events (approximately 5-10 mV) were amplified nonlinearly by subthreshold regenerative events in the presence of noise. A lower coupling conductance produced spurious action potentials, and a greater conductance reduced amplification. Since the presence of noise in the weakly coupled circuit readily initiates action potentials that tend to spread throughout the AII network, we speculate that this tendency might be controlled in a negative feedback loop by up-modulating coupling or other synaptic conductances in response to spiking activity.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Horizontal cells in cat and monkey retina express different isoforms of glutamic acid decarboxylase.

The neurotransmitter used by horizontal cells in mammals has not been identified. GABA has been the leading candidate, but doubt has remained because of failure to clearly demonstrate the GABA synthetic enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in these cells. Because GAD was recently shown to exist as two isoforms, 65 kDa and 67 kDa, we considered whether there might be a mismatch between the forms of GAD expressed in horizontal cells and the probes used to detect it. Accordingly, we stained sections of mammalian retina with antibodies specific for each isoform. Cat horizontal cells of both types (A and B) were immunoreactive for GAD67 but negative for GAD65; monkey horizontal cells of both types (H(I) and HII) were positive for GAD65 and negative for GAD67. The findings reconcile previous, apparently conflicting, observations and strengthen considerably the hypothesis that mammalian horizontal cells are GABAergic.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

ON cone bipolar cells in rat express the metabotropic receptor mGluR6.

The rod bipolar cell and about five types of ON cone bipolar cells depolarize to light by employing a sign-reversing metabotropic glutamate receptor. Glutamate responses are similar in both rod bipolar and cone bipolar cells, but the receptor mediating this response (mGluR6) was so far demonstrated only in rod bipolar cells. To test if ON cone bipolar cells also express mGluR6, we immunoreacted rat retina with an antibody specific for mGluR6, and studied the staining from serial ultrathin sections. We demonstrate that mGluR6 is indeed expressed in the dendritic tips of cone bipolar cells, the majority of which receive a ribbon synapse, and thus probably are ON cone bipolar cells. We further show that half of the dendritic tips contacting the cones stain for mGluR6, thus implying that all ON cone bipolar cell types express mGluR6.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Regional differences in GABA and GAD immunoreactivity in rabbit horizontal cells.

Mammalian horizontal cells are believed to be GABAergic because, in most species, they contain both GABA and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), and their terminals are presynaptic to GABA receptors. In adult rabbit, however, GABA and GAD immunoreactivity have not been consistently demonstrated in horizontal cells, casting doubts on the assumption that they too are GABAergic. Here we demonstrate that all rabbit horizontal cell terminals--dendritic terminals of type A, and both dendritic and axonal terminals of type B--immunostain for one isoform of GAD, GAD67, In addition, we show that type A horizontal cell somas and primary dendrites in the visual streak (identified by their immunoreactivity to calbindin) are immunoreactive for the other GAD isoform, GAD65. Double-labeling experiments for GAD65 and GABA reveal that every cell that stains for GAD65 also stains for GABA. The presence of GAD67 in horizontal cell terminals suggests that rabbit horizontal cells are GABAergic. The segregation of the two GAD isoforms to different cell compartments suggests that GABA is released at different sites, possibly by two different mechanisms.

Animals↗