Islam S, Gleber-Netto FO, Mulcahy CF, Glaun MDE, Srivastava S, Hunt PJ, Williams MD, Barbon CE, Spiotto M, Zhao W, Adebayo A, Akhter S, Xie T, Debnath KC, Sathishkumar HN, Myers B, Lothumalla S, Yama I, Burks JK, Gomez J, Rao X, Wang J, Woodman K, Mansour J, Arenkiel B, Osman KL, Haxton C, Lever TE, Hutcheson KA, Amit M (2024) Neural landscape is associated with functional outcomes in irradiated patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Sco Transl Med 16:eabq5585. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abq558

Objective: To understand the correlation between neuronal changes and patient-reported and functional outcomes in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

Summary: Tumor enrichment of adrenergic (TH+) and CGRP+ sensory–afferent nerves correlated with poorer swallowing outcomes. Functional electromyography recordings showed correlations between growing (GAP43+) and immature cholinergic (ChAT+DCX+) nerves and denervation patterns in survivors of OPSCC. A murine model of radiation-induced dysphagia further confirmed that immature cholinergic and CGRP+ nerves were correlated with impaired swallowing. The results suggest that CGRP+ and ChAT+ neuronal signaling play distinct roles in tumor-and radiation-induced dysphagia in OPSCC and offer a comprehensive dataset on the neural landscape of OPSCC.

Usage: 500 μg in 3 μl of alpha-CGRP-streptavidin-saporin (CGRP-SAP; #IT-94) and anti-ChAT-SAP (#IT-42) was stereotactically injected into the intraganglionic region over 3 min.

Related Products: CGRP-SAP (Cat. #IT-94), Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42)

Loftén A, Adermark L, Ericson M, Söderpalm B (2023) Regulation of ethanol-mediated dopamine elevation by glycine receptors located on cholinergic interneurons in the nucleus accumbens. Addict Biol 28(12):e13349. doi: 10.1111/adb.13349 PMID: 38017639

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the role of glycine receptors (GlyRs) on cholinergic interneurons (CIN) in sustaining extracellular dopamine levels and in ethanol-induced dopamine release.

Summary: Alcohol use disorder is one of the major psychiatric disorders worldwide. Ethanol reward is one of the many factors contributing to the disorder. The rewarding and reinforcing properties of ethanol have been linked to activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system, an effect that involves glycine receptors (GlyRs) in the nucleus accumbens. The study suggests that CIN are not important for GlyR-mediated regulation of basal dopamine output, but that CIN ablation blunts the ethanol-induced dopamine release by reducing the release of GlyR agonists.

Usage: CIN were ablated by Anti-ChAT-SAP administered locally in the nucleus accumbens of male Wistar rats. Rabbit-IgG-SAP was used as a control. Microinfusion was performed unilaterally into the nAc at a concentration of 0.5 ug/ul at 0.05 ul/min for 10 min for a total of 0.5 ul.

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42), Rabbit IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-35)

Myers B, Islam S, Gleber Netto FO, Debnath KC, Srivastava S, Xie T, Akhter S, Adebayo AA, Miller J, Lothumalia S, Sathiskumar HN, Amit M (2023) Targeting nociceptive and cholinergic nerves in irradiated oropharyngeal cancer model reveals novel mechanism for dysphagia. Cancer Neuroscience Symposium

Objective: Explore the hypothesis that modulation of cholinergic (CHAT+) and nociceptive (CGRP+) neurons correlate with improved dysphagia.

Summary: Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of head and neck cancer. Treatment for OPSCC includes surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of therapies. Despite advances in treatment, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) is still a major burden for patients with OPSCC. The study established a novel murine OPSCC model to explore the role of nerves in dysphagia with cholinergic (CHAT) and nociceptive (CGRP) neurons playing an important role in swallowing outcomes. Targeting CHAT and CGRP could be a novel strategy for OPSCC patients with dysphagia.

Usage: 500 ng of Anti-ChAT-SAP was injected into the trigeminal ganglion in mice.

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42)

Loftén A, Adermark L, Ericson M, Söderpalm B (2021) An acetylcholine-dopamine interaction in the nucleus accumbens and its involvement in ethanol’s dopamine-releasing effect. Addict Biol 26(3):e12959. doi: 10.1111/adb.12959

Summary: Basal extracellular levels of dopamine within the nucleus accumbens are not sustained by muscarinic acetylcholine, whereas accumbal Cholinergic interneurons-ACh are involved in mediating ethanol-induced dopamine release.

Usage: Anti-ChAT-SAP or Rabbit IgG-SAP were infused at a flow rate of 0.05 μl/min for 10 min giving a total volume of 0.5 μl.

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42), Rabbit IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-35)

Ashkenazi SL, Polis B, David O, Morris G (2021) Striatal cholinergic interneurons exert inhibition on competing default behaviours controlled by the nucleus accumbens and dorsolateral striatum. Eur J Neurosci 53(7):2078-2089. doi: 10.1111/ejn.14873

Objective: To determine whether cholinergic interneurons contribute to the competition between both ventral and dorsolateral control systems.

Summary: Findings indicate a central role of cholinergic interneurons in regulating motivational impact on striatally controlled behaviors.

Usage: Anti-ChAT-SAP was diluted to 0.5 μg/μl in phosphate buffer saline and 0.5 μl were injected in each injection site.

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42)

Andrén A, Adermark L, Söderpalm B, Ericson M (2019) An acetylcholine-dopamine interaction in the rat nucleus accumbens and its tentative involvement in ethanol’s dopamine-liberating effect. Neuroscience 2019 Abstracts 079.08. Society for Neuroscience, Chicago, IL.

Summary: Alcohol use disorder is a chronic, relapsing brain disorder associated with serious medical consequences leading to preterm death. Although few in number, cholinergic interneurons (CIN) have arisen as an important cell population within the nucleus accumbens (nAc) that may exert a regulatory impact on dopamine (DA) neurotransmission locally. A defect in CIN have been suggested to be involved in psychiatric diseases such as alcohol addiction. The mechanisms through which endogenous cholinergic activity modulates DA release in response to ethanol administration and its role in development of addiction is not known. In this project, the aim was to study if acetylcholine (ACh) can influence DA release locally in the nAc and if so, through which receptor population(s) this effect is mediated. Further, we wanted to determine the role of ACh in ethanol-induced DA elevation.Using reversed in vivo microdialysis, the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor physostigmine was administered locally in the nAc of male Wistar rats followed by addition of either the muscarinic ACh receptor inhibitor scopolamine or the nicotinergic ACh receptor inhibitor mecamylamine. Subsequently, ethanol was perfused following local pretreatment with scopolamine or mecamylamine, using the same methodology. An immunotoxin, anti-ChAT-saporine, was infused locally into the nAc of a subset of male Wistar rats to selectively lesion CIN, followed by local ethanol administration via reversed in vivo microdialysis. Local administration of physostigmine induced a DA elevation within the nAc, an effect blocked by scopolamine but not by mecamylamine. Local administration of ethanol increased DA levels. Scopolamine pretreatment non-significantly attenuated the ethanol-induced DA elevation, whereas pretreatment with mecamylamine had no effect. Preliminary results indicate a minor attenuation of the DA elevation observed after local administration of ethanol in toxin-treated animals, as compared to sham-treated controls. Taken together, these results suggest that ACh increases extracellular DA levels in nAc in vivo, an effect mediated by muscarinic ACh-receptors and not by nicotinic ACh-receptors. Considering that scopolamine moderately attenuated ethanol-induced DA output and that lesioning of CIN appeared to hamper DA release in response to ethanol, ACh release from CIN within the nAc may be partially involved in ethanol-induced DA release in nAc.

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42)

Weiner GA, Shah SH, Angelopoulos CM, Bartakova AB, Pulido RS, Murphy A, Nudleman E, Daneman R, Goldberg JL (2019) Cholinergic neural activity directs retinal layer-specific angiogenesis and blood retinal barrier formation. Nat Commun 10(1):2477. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10219-8

Objective: To determine which neurons are responsible for angiogenesis and blood retinal barrier formation.

Summary: Anti-ChAT-SAP reduces SAC (starburst amacrine cell) number and inhibits deep-layer angiogenesis.

Usage: Anti-ChAT-SAP or control Rabbit-IgG-SAP were injected intravitreally at P3 and P11 (0.12 mg/mL in PBS).

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42), Rabbit IgG-SAP (Cat. #IT-35)

Abudukeyoumu N, Garcia-Munoz M, Nakano Y, Arbuthnott GW (2018) Featured Article: Impaired reach-to-grasp responses in mice depleted of striatal cholinergic interneurons. Targeting Trends 19

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42)

Read the featured article in Targeting Trends.

See Also:

• Abudukeyoumu N et al. Impaired reach-to-grasp responses in mice depleted of striatal cholinergic interneurons. Neuroscience 2018 Abstracts 491.01 / MM13, 2018. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA

Abudukeyoumu N, Garcia-Munoz M, Nakano Y, Arbuthnott GW (2018) Impaired reach-to-grasp responses in mice depleted of striatal cholinergic interneurons. Neuroscience 2018 Abstracts 491.01 / MM13. Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA.

Summary: Cholinergic interneurons (ChIs) are sparsely distributed within the striatum, a nucleus that plays important role in voluntary motor control, associated learning, procedural memory, action selection and planning and execution of movement. Sparsely distributed ChIs are 1-3% of all striatal neurons and the main source of striatal acetylcholine. Here we report the effect of depletion of ChIs in the dorsolateral striatum in a reach-to-grasp task. To selectively deplete ChIs, we used the saporin ribosome-inactivating-immunotoxin that targets choline acetyltransferase. C57BL/J male mice, 21 days old, received a stereotaxic unilateral infusion of the toxin (0.3µl/3min), and sham control group was injected with saline. Following one week postsurgery recovery, animals were food deprived for 12 h everyday and trained for 12 days at night during their active circadian cycle. The mean percentage ± SEM of successful performance in the reach-to-grasp task for the last 6 training sessions was 51.11 ± 4.09% (n = 25), 48.79 ± 7.7% (n = 9) and 26.28 ± 5.19% (n = 13) for intact control, sham control and ChIs-depleted mice, respectively. These results indicate that striatal depletion of ChIs impair reaching accuracy, whereas no significant differences were observed in control or sham operated mice. Moreover, a positive correlation between loss of ChIs and performance in the reach-to-grasp task was observed. Our results suggest that the participation of ChIs in striatal mediated motor learning impact on the function of interneurons and projection neurons of the whole striatal microcircuitry (Abudukeyoumu, N., Hernandez-Flores, T. et al. Eur. J. Neuroscience, in press).

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42)

ATS Poster of the Year Winner. Read the featured article in Targeting Trends.

Liu A, Aoki S, Wickens J (2017) A streamlined method for the preparation of gelatin embedded brains and simplified organization of sections for serial reconstructions. Bio-protocol 7(22):e2610.. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.2610

Related Products: Anti-ChAT-SAP (Cat. #IT-42)