Chang Rui B, Strochlic David E, Williams Erika K, Umans Benjamin D, Liberles Stephen D
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Cell. 2015 Apr 23;161(3):622-633. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.03.022. Epub 2015 Apr 16.
Breathing is essential for survival and under precise neural control. The vagus nerve is a major conduit between lung and brain required for normal respiration. Here, we identify two populations of mouse vagus nerve afferents (P2ry1, Npy2r), each a few hundred neurons, that exert powerful and opposing effects on breathing. Genetically guided anatomical mapping revealed that these neurons densely innervate the lung and send long-range projections to different brainstem targets. Npy2r neurons are largely slow-conducting C fibers, while P2ry1 neurons are largely fast-conducting A fibers that contact pulmonary endocrine cells (neuroepithelial bodies). Optogenetic stimulation of P2ry1 neurons acutely silences respiration, trapping animals in exhalation, while stimulating Npy2r neurons causes rapid, shallow breathing. Activating P2ry1 neurons did not impact heart rate or gastric pressure, other autonomic functions under vagal control. Thus, the vagus nerve contains intermingled sensory neurons constituting genetically definable labeled lines with different anatomical connections and physiological roles.
呼吸对于生存至关重要，且受精确的神经控制。迷走神经是正常呼吸所需的肺与脑之间的主要通道。在此，我们鉴定出两类小鼠迷走神经传入神经元（P2ry1、Npy2r），每类有几百个神经元，它们对呼吸发挥强大且相反的作用。基因引导的解剖学图谱显示，这些神经元密集地支配肺部，并向不同的脑干靶点发出长距离投射。Npy2r神经元主要是传导速度慢的C纤维，而P2ry1神经元主要是传导速度快的A纤维，它们与肺内分泌细胞（神经上皮体）接触。对P2ry1神经元进行光遗传学刺激会使呼吸急性停止，使动物陷入呼气状态，而刺激Npy2r神经元则会导致快速、浅呼吸。激活P2ry1神经元不会影响心率或胃内压等迷走神经控制下的其他自主功能。因此，迷走神经包含相互交织的感觉神经元，它们构成了具有不同解剖连接和生理作用的基因可定义的标记线路。
