ABSTRACT ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the potential role of cesium chloride (CsCl), ivabradine (IVA), and isoproterenol (ISO) on the sensory transmission of bladder afferents to graded urinary bladder distension (UBD). We specifically selected these drugs to target the hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated (HCN) cation channels to determine their role in afferent encoding. MethodsThe bladders of C57BL/6 female mice were harvested with attached pelvic nerves in continuity, and the stimulus–response function (SRF) of bladder afferents to stepped bladder distension (20, 40, 60, 80 cmH2O) was recorded by single‐fiber recordings. Their changes in SRF to bath application of CsCl, IVA, and ISO were then evaluated. The presence of HCN on bladder afferent endings was assessed through immunohistological staining on bladder sections from mice with genetically labeled bladder afferents. ResultsIVA and ISO did not significantly reduce afferent responses to UBD, whereas CsCl increased afferent responses. Bladder afferents in the pelvic nerve pathway were categorized into low‐firing (LF, < 10 Hz) and high‐firing (HF, > 10 Hz) groups. SRF in both the LF and HF groups showed similar trends with no significant changes in response to IVA and ISO. CsCl increased SRF only in the HF group but not in the LF group. Immunohistological staining revealed that HCN1 does not extensively co‐localize with afferent endings, showing only sporadic presence. ConclusionOur targeted pharmacological studies with single‐fiber recordings and immunohistological staining collectively suggest that HCN channels do not play a significant role in bladder afferent sensory transmission.
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Structure and dynamics of the contractile vacuole complex in Tetrahymena thermophila
ABSTRACT The contractile vacuole complex (CVC) is a dynamic and morphologically complex membrane organelle, comprising a large vesicle (bladder) linked with a tubular reticulum (spongiome). CVCs provide key osmoregulatory roles across diverse eukaryotic lineages, but probing the mechanisms underlying their structure and function is hampered by the limited tools available for in vivo analysis. In the experimentally tractable ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, we describe four proteins that, as endogenously tagged constructs, localize specifically to distinct CVC zones. The DOPEY homolog Dop1p and the CORVET subunit Vps8Dp localize both to the bladder and spongiome but with different local distributions that are sensitive to osmotic perturbation, whereas the lipid scramblase Scr7p colocalizes with Vps8Dp. The H+-ATPase subunit Vma4 is spongiome specific. The live imaging permitted by these probes revealed dynamics at multiple scales including rapid exchange of CVC-localized and soluble protein pools versus lateral diffusion in the spongiome, spongiome extension and branching, and CVC formation during mitosis. Although the association with DOP1 and VPS8D implicate the CVC in endosomal trafficking, both the bladder and spongiome might be isolated from bulk endocytic input.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1937326
- PAR ID:
- 10489110
- Publisher / Repository:
- The Company of Biologists
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Cell Science
- Volume:
- 136
- Issue:
- 22
- ISSN:
- 0021-9533
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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