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Astrocytic Modulation of Supraoptic Oxytocin Neuronal Activity in Rat Dams with Pup-Deprivation at Different Stages of Lactation

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Abstract

Appropriate interactions between astrocytes and oxytocin neurons in the hypothalamo- neurohypophysial system are essential for normal lactation. To further explore the mechanisms underlying astrocytic modulation of oxytocin neuronal activity, we observed astrocytic plasticity in the supraoptic nucleus of lactating rats with intermittent pup-deprivation (PD, 20 h/day) at early (day 1–5) and middle (day 8–12) stages of lactation. PD at both stages decreased suckling duration and litter’s body weight gain. They also significantly increased the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in Western blots while increased GFAP filaments and the colocalization of GFAP filaments with aquaporin 4 (AQP4) puncta in astrocyte processes surrounding oxytocin neuronal somata in immunohistochemistry in the supraoptic nucleus. Suckling between adjacent milk ejections but not shortly after them decreased molecular association between GFAP and AQP4. In hypothalamic slices from male rats, oxytocin treatment (0.1 nmol/L, 10 min) significantly reduced the length of GFAP filaments and AQP4 puncta in the processes but increased GFAP staining in the somata. These oxytocin effects were blocked by pretreatment of the slices with N-(1,3,4-Thiadiazolyl) nicotinamide (TGN-020, inhibitor of AQP4, 10 µmol/L, 5 min before oxytocin). In addition, inhibition of AQP4 with TGN-020 blocked excitation in oxytocin neurons evoked by prostaglandin E2, a downstream signal of oxytocin receptor and mediator of oxytocin-evoked burst firing, in whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. These results indicate that AQP4-associated astrocytic plasticity is essential for normal oxytocin neuronal activity during lactation and that PD-evoked hypogalactia is associated with astrocytic process expansion following increased GFAP and AQP4 expressions.

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Abbreviations

AQP4:

Aquaporin 4

GFAP:

Glial fibrillary acidic protein

LBWG:

Litter’s body weight gain

OT:

Oxytocin

PD:

Pup-deprivation

PGE2 :

Prostaglandin E2

SON:

Supraoptic nucleus

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Stephani C. Wang for proofreading.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31471113, YFW), the fund of “Double-First-Class” Construction of Harbin Medical University (key laboratory of preservation of human genetic resources and disease control in China).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, 157 Baojian Road, Nangang, Harbin, 150081, China

    Dongyang Li, Tong Li, Jiawei Yu, Xiaoyu Liu, Shuwei Jia, Xiaoran Wang & Yu-Feng Wang

  2. Department of Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China

    Ping Wang

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  1. Dongyang Li
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  2. Tong Li
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  8. Yu-Feng Wang
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Contributions

DL, TL, JY performed the experiment and data analysis; DL wrote the first draft; all joined the discussion critically; YFW conceived the study and edited the last draft.

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Correspondence to Yu-Feng Wang.

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Li, D., Li, T., Yu, J. et al. Astrocytic Modulation of Supraoptic Oxytocin Neuronal Activity in Rat Dams with Pup-Deprivation at Different Stages of Lactation. Neurochem Res 46, 2601–2611 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-020-03129-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-020-03129-5

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