Geng Dandan, Li Yaning, Yang Bo, Zhang Li, Gu Huating, Zhang Tianyun, Zhao Zijie, Liu Hui, Cui Qingzhuo, Zheng Rong, Cao Peng, Zhang Fan
Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education; The Key Laboratory of Vascular Biology of Hebei Province; Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
Department of Neurobiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Mar 14;16(1):2544. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-57771-0.
Predatory hunting plays a critical role in animal survival. Motion-related vibrissal somatosensory signaling is essential for prey detection and hunting in mice. However, little is known about the neural circuits that convert vibrissal somatosensory cues to trigger predatory hunting. Here, we report that mechanical force onto the vibrissal area of the male mice is a key stimulus for predatory hunting. Mechanically evoked predatory hunting was abrogated by the chemogenetic inactivation of cholecystokinin-positive (Cck) neurons in the spinal trigeminal nucleus interpolaris (Sp5I). The Cck Sp5I neurons responded to the intensity of mechanical stimulus and sent neural signals to the superior colliculus that were relevant to stereotypical predatory hunting motor actions. Synaptic inactivation of the projections from Cck Sp5I neurons to the superior colliculus impaired mechanically evoked predatory attacks. Together, these data reveal a spinal trigeminal nucleus neural circuit that is specifically engaged in translating vibrissal somatosensory cues to provoke predatory hunting.
掠食性捕猎在动物生存中起着关键作用。与运动相关的触须体感信号对于小鼠探测猎物和捕猎至关重要。然而，对于将触须体感线索转化为触发掠食性捕猎的神经回路，我们却知之甚少。在此，我们报告称，对雄性小鼠触须区域施加机械力是掠食性捕猎的关键刺激因素。脊髓三叉神经核极间部（Sp5I）中胆囊收缩素阳性（Cck）神经元的化学遗传学失活消除了机械诱发的掠食性捕猎。Cck Sp5I神经元对机械刺激的强度做出反应，并将与刻板的掠食性捕猎运动动作相关的神经信号发送至上丘。从Cck Sp5I神经元到上丘的投射的突触失活损害了机械诱发的掠食性攻击。这些数据共同揭示了一个脊髓三叉神经核神经回路，该回路专门参与将触须体感线索转化为引发掠食性捕猎的信号。
