Expression and functional role of Nav1.9 sodium channel in cartwheel cells of the dorsal cochlear nucleus.
In the central auditory system, cartwheel cells (CWCs) are a group of interneurons in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN). While other DCN neurons respond to stimuli with a simple discharge pattern of single action potentials (SAPs), CWCs respond with complex action potentials (CAPs), consisting of SAPs superimposed on a slow depolarization. The CAPs in CWCs may participate in various auditory or non‑auditory signaling processing but its intrinsic mechanisms are largely unknown. In the present study, in vitro whole‑cell current clamp recordings on neonatal mice brain slices were used to demonstrate that CWCs respond to brief voltage stimulation with CAPs. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were also utilized to demonstrate that Nav1.9 was expressed in the CWCs. Finally, when Nav1.9 was genetically silenced, CWCs responded to voltage stimulation with SAPs, not CAPs. The results strongly suggested that Nav1.9 was expressed and functionally contributed to the signaling processing in the central auditory pathway.
Depatment of Otolaryngology, Beijing Military General Hospital, Beijing 100700, P.R. China.
Zhiyu
Z
Yan
Depatment of Otolaryngology, Beijing Military General Hospital, Beijing 100700, P.R. China.
Yanjun
Y
Xu
Depatment of Otolaryngology, Beijing Military General Hospital, Beijing 100700, P.R. China.
Min
M
Liang
Depatment of Otolaryngology, Beijing Military General Hospital, Beijing 100700, P.R. China.
Xiaowei
X
Ren
D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways; D017626:Cochlear Nucleus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D020868:Gene Silencing; D007395:Interneurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D062558:NAV1.9 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference
D062558:NAV1.9 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel