Stress affects cognition and increases noradrenaline and dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Amy Arnsten discusses the intracellular signalling pathways that mediate the effects of these catecholamines on PFC function during acute and chronic stress, focusing on working memory. An interview with Amy Arnsten for Neuropod is available for
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 . The prefrontal cortex (PFC) — the most evolved brain region — subserves our highest-order cognitive abilities. However, it is also the brain region that is most sensitive to the detrimental effects of stress exposure. Even quite mild acute uncontrollable stress can cause a rapid and dramatic loss of prefrontal cognitive abilities, and more prolonged stress exposure causes architectural changes in prefrontal dendrites. Recent research has begun to reveal the intracellular signalling pathways that mediate the effects of stress on the PFC. This research has provided clues as to why genetic or environmental insults that disinhibit stress signalling pathways can lead to symptoms of profound prefrontal cortical dysfunction in mental illness.

/pdf/stress-signalling-pathways-that-impair-prefrontal-cortex-2njc5rigi4.pdf

Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function

In electrically nonexcitable cells, Ca2+ influx is essential for regulating a host of kinetically distinct processes involving exocytosis, enzyme control, gene regulation, cell growth and prolifera...

Store-operated calcium channels.

THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY: The Biochemical Behavior of LeadL I. Influence of Calcium, Phosphorus, and Vitamin D on Lead in Blood and Bone

Mechanotransduction is a process where cells sense their surroundings and convert the physical forces in their environment into an appropriate response. Calcium plays a crucial role in the translation of such forces to biochemical signals that control various biological processes fundamental in muscle development. The mechanical stimulation of muscle cells may for example result from stretch, electric and magnetic stimulation, shear stress, and altered gravity exposure. The response, mainly involving changes in intracellular calcium concentration then leads to a cascade of events by the activation of downstream signaling pathways. The key calcium-dependent pathways described here include the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation. The subsequent effects in cellular homeostasis consist of cytoskeletal remodeling, cell cycle progression, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis, all necessary for healthy muscle development, repair, and regeneration. A deregulation from the normal process due to disuse, trauma, or disease can result in a clinical condition such as muscle atrophy, which entails a significant loss of muscle mass. In order to develop therapies against such diseased states, we need to better understand the relevance of calcium signaling and the downstream responses to mechanical forces in skeletal muscle. The purpose of this review is to discuss in detail how diverse mechanical stimuli cause changes in calcium homeostasis by affecting membrane channels and the intracellular stores, which in turn regulate multiple pathways that impart these effects and control the fate of muscle tissue.

/pdf/calcium-s-role-in-mechanotransduction-during-muscle-1ndvz8tyih.pdf

Calcium's Role in Mechanotransduction during Muscle Development

The transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily consists of a large number of cation channels that are mostly permeable to both monovalent and divalent cations. The 28 mammalian TRP channels can be subdivided into six main subfamilies: the TRPC (canonical), TRPV (vanilloid), TRPM (melastatin), TRPP (polycystin), TRPML (mucolipin), and the TRPA (ankyrin) groups. TRP channels are expressed in almost every tissue and cell type and play an important role in the regulation of various cell functions. Currently, significant scientific effort is being devoted to understanding the physiology of TRP channels and their relationship to human diseases. At this point, only a few channelopathies in which defects in TRP genes are the direct cause of cellular dysfunction have been identified. In addition, mapping of TRP genes to susceptible chromosome regions (e.g., translocations, breakpoint intervals, increased frequency of polymorphisms) has been considered suggestive of the involvement of these channels in hereditary diseases. Moreover, strong indications of the involvement of TRP channels in several diseases come from correlations between levels of channel expression and disease symptoms. Finally, TRP channels are involved in some systemic diseases due to their role as targets for irritants, inflammation products, and xenobiotic toxins. The analysis of transgenic models allows further extrapolations of TRP channel deficiency to human physiology and disease. In this review, we provide an overview of the impact of TRP channels on the pathogenesis of several diseases and identify several TRPs for which a causal pathogenic role might be anticipated.

/pdf/transient-receptor-potential-cation-channels-in-disease-26ridjewn0.pdf

Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channels in Disease

Orai1 and STIM reconstitute store-operated calcium channel function.

The TRP family of ion channels transduce an extensive range of chemical and physical signals. TRPC6 is a receptor-activated nonselective cation channel expressed widely in vascular smooth muscle and other cell types. We report here that TRPC6 is also a sensor of mechanically and osmotically induced membrane stretch. Pressure-induced activation of TRPC6 was independent of phospholipase C. The stretch responses were blocked by the tarantula peptide, GsMTx-4, known to specifically inhibit mechanosensitive channels by modifying the external lipid-channel boundary. The GsMTx-4 peptide also blocked the activation of TRPC6 channels by either receptor-induced PLC activation or by direct application of diacylglycerol. The effects of the peptide on both stretch- and diacylglycerol-mediated TRPC6 activation indicate that the mechanical and chemical lipid sensing by the channel has a common molecular mechanism that may involve lateral-lipid tension. The mechanosensing properties of TRPC6 channels highly expressed in smooth muscle cells are likely to play a key role in regulating myogenic tone in vascular tissue.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/103/44/16586.full.pdf

A common mechanism underlies stretch activation and receptor activation of TRPC6 channels

Receptor-induced Ca2+ signals are key to the function of all cells and involve release of Ca2+ from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stores, triggering Ca2+ entry through plasma membrane (PM) “store-operated channels” (SOCs). The identity of SOCs and their coupling to store depletion remain molecular and mechanistic mysteries. The single transmembrane-spanning Ca2+-binding protein, STIM1, is necessary in this coupling process and is proposed to function as an ER Ca2+ sensor to provide the trigger for SOC activation. Here we reveal that, in addition to being an ER Ca2+ sensor, STIM1 functions within the PM to control operation of the Ca2+ entry channel itself. Increased expression levels of STIM1 correlate with a gain in function of Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel activity. Point mutation of the N-terminal EF hand transforms the CRAC channel current (ICRAC) into a constitutively active, Ca2+ store-independent mode. Mutants in the EF hand and cytoplasmic C terminus of STIM1 alter operational parameters of CRAC channels, including pharmacological profile and inactivation properties. Last, Ab externally applied to the STIM1 N-terminal EF hand blocks both ICRAC in hematopoietic cells and SOC-mediated Ca2+ entry in HEK293 cells, revealing that STIM1 has an important functional presence within the PM. The results reveal that, in addition to being an ER Ca2+ sensor, STIM1 functions within the PM to exert control over the operation of SOCs. As a cell surface signaling protein, STIM1 represents a key pharmacological target to control fundamental Ca2+-regulated processes including secretion, contraction, metabolism, cell division, and apoptosis.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/103/11/4040.full.pdf

Wen Xu

Papers

Orai1 and STIM reconstitute store-operated calcium channel function.

A common mechanism underlies stretch activation and receptor activation of TRPC6 channels

STIM1 has a plasma membrane role in the activation of store-operated Ca2+ channels

STIM2 Is an Inhibitor of STIM1-Mediated Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry

Role of Endogenous TRPC6 Channels in Ca2+ Signal Generation in A7r5 Smooth Muscle Cells