Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, United States.
Elife. 2018 Jan 31;7:e30839. doi: 10.7554/eLife.30839.
Perisynaptic glial cells respond to neural activity by increasing cytosolic calcium, but the significance of this pathway is unclear. Terminal/perisynaptic Schwann cells (TPSCs) are a perisynaptic glial cell at the neuromuscular junction that respond to nerve-derived substances such as acetylcholine and purines. Here, we provide genetic evidence that activity-induced calcium accumulation in neonatal TPSCs is mediated exclusively by one subtype of metabotropic purinergic receptor. In mutant mice lacking these responses, postsynaptic, rather than presynaptic, function was altered in response to nerve stimulation. This impairment was correlated with a greater susceptibility to activity-induced muscle fatigue. Interestingly, fatigue in mutants was more greatly exacerbated by exposure to high potassium than in control mice. High potassium itself increased cytosolic levels of calcium in TPSCs, a response which was also reduced mutants. These results suggest that activity-induced calcium responses in TPSCs regulate postsynaptic function and muscle fatigue by regulating perisynaptic potassium.
突触周胶质细胞通过增加细胞浆钙来响应神经活动,但该途径的意义尚不清楚。终板/突触周雪旺细胞 (TPSCs) 是神经肌肉接头处的一种突触周胶质细胞,它对神经衍生的物质如乙酰胆碱和嘌呤类物质作出反应。在这里,我们提供遗传证据表明,新生儿 TPSCs 中活性诱导的钙积累仅由一种代谢型嘌呤能受体亚型介导。在缺乏这些反应的 突变小鼠中,与神经刺激反应相关的是突触后功能而不是突触前功能发生改变。这种损伤与对活性诱导的肌肉疲劳的更大易感性相关。有趣的是,与对照小鼠相比,在 突变体中,高钾暴露使疲劳加剧得更为严重。高钾本身增加了 TPSCs 中的细胞浆钙水平,而这种反应在 突变体中也减少了。这些结果表明,TPSCs 中的活性诱导钙反应通过调节突触周钾来调节突触后功能和肌肉疲劳。