Department of Physiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
Hebei Key Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Shijiazhuang 050017, China.
Sheng Li Xue Bao. 2021 Apr 25;73(2):217-222.
Accumulating evidence demonstrates that the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) neurons serve as central respiratory chemoreceptors, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain undefined. The present study investigated the expression of acid-sensitive ether-à-go-go-gene-like (Elk, Kv12) channels in the NTS of mice. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the distribution and cellular localization of the Kv12 channels in NTS neurons. Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) were used to evaluate protein and mRNA expression levels of Kv12 channels. The results showed that all of the three members (Kv12.1, Kv12.2, Kv12.3) of the Kv12 channel family were expressed in NTS neurons, and their expressions were co-localized with paired-like homeobox 2b gene (Phox2b) expression. The expression of Kv12.1 mRNA was the largest, whereas the expression of Kv12.3 was the least in the NTS. The results suggest Kv12 channels are expressed in Phox2b-expressing neurons in the NTS of mice, which provides molecular evidence for pH sensitivity in Phox2b-expressing NTS neurons.
越来越多的证据表明，孤束核（NTS）神经元作为中枢呼吸化学感受器发挥作用，但潜在的分子机制尚不清楚。本研究探讨了酸敏感的醚-ago-go-样基因（Elk，Kv12）通道在小鼠 NTS 中的表达。免疫荧光染色用于观察 Kv12 通道在 NTS 神经元中的分布和细胞定位。Western blot 和定量实时 PCR（qPCR）用于评估 Kv12 通道的蛋白和 mRNA 表达水平。结果表明，Kv12 通道家族的所有三个成员（Kv12.1、Kv12.2、Kv12.3）均在 NTS 神经元中表达，其表达与配对盒基因 2b（Phox2b）表达共定位。Kv12.1 mRNA 的表达量最大，而在 NTS 中 Kv12.3 的表达量最少。结果表明 Kv12 通道在小鼠 NTS 中表达于 Phox2b 表达的神经元中，为 Phox2b 表达的 NTS 神经元的 pH 敏感性提供了分子证据。
