Intracellular ion signalling and neuron-glia interaction at central synapses

Maintenance of ion gradients across the plasma membrane is a fundamental property of living cells. In the nervous system, these ion gradients are the basis for electrical excitability and electrical signaling. In addition, ions act as intracellular second messengers, and dynamic changes in the cytosolic ion concentration regulate many cellular processes.

Our institute is devoted to the study and elucidation of intracellular ion signalling in the vertebrate brain, its cellular pathways and its functional consequences under physiological as well as pathophysiological conditions. A special focus is set on the function of astrocytes and their interaction with neurons at glutamatergic synapses of the mouse hippocampus, cortex and cerebellum. Furthermore, we are mainly concentrating on elucidating intracellular sodium signalling as a new form of ionic excitability of neurons and astrocytes.

To this end, we employ dynamic high-resolution imaging such as multi-photon laser scanning microscopy and various electrophysiological techniques in both neurons and glial cells of the mouse brain in situ.

see also: PubMed

1. Verkhratsky A, Untiet V, Rose CR: Ionic signalling in astroglia beyond calcium (2019). J Physiol, Feb 7. doi: 10.1113/JP277478. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed
2. Gerkau NJ, Lerchundi R, Nelson JE, Lantermann M, Meyer J, Hirrlinger J & Rose CR (2019): Relation between activity-induced intracellular sodium loading and ATP dynamics in mouse hippocampal neurons. J Physiol 597(23):5687-5705. doi: 10.1113/JP278658. Epub 2019 Oct 30. PubMed
3. Lerchundi R*, Kafitz KW*, Färfers M, Beyer F, Huang N & Rose CR (2019): Imaging of Intracellular ATP in Organotypic Tissue Slices of the Mouse Brain using the FRET-Based Sensor ATeam1.03YEMK. JoVE, in press. JoVE
4. Ziemens D, Oschmann F, Gerkau NJ & Rose CR (2019): Heterogeneity of activity-induced sodium transients between astrocytes of the mouse hippocampus and neocortex: Mechanisms and consequences. J Neurosci 39 (14): 2620-2634; DOI: doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2029-18.2019.
5. Gerkau NJ, Rakers C, Durry S, Petzold GC, Rose CR (2018): Reverse NCX Attenuates Cellular Sodium Loading in Metabolically Compromised Cortex. Cereb Cortex 28: 4264-4280. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhx280. PubMed
6. Steffensen AB, Oernbo EK, Stoica A, Gerkau NJ, Barbuskaite D, Tritsari K, Rose CR, MacAulay N (2018): Cotransporter-mediated water transport underlying cerebrospinal fluid formation. Nat Commun. 2018 Jun 4;9(1):2167. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-04677-9. PubMed
7. Petrik D, Myoga MH, Grade S, Gerkau NJ, Pusch M, Rose CR, Grothe B, Götz M (2018): Epithelial sodium channel regulates adult neural stem cell proliferation in a flow dependent manner. Cell Stem Cell. 2018 Jun 1;22(6):865-878.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2018.04.016. PubMed
8. Ona-Jodar T, Gerkau NJ, Rose CR & Egger V (2017): Two-photon Na+ imaging reports somatically-evoked action potentials in rat olfactory bulb mitral and granule cell neurites. Front Cell Neurosci. Feb 28;11:50. PubMed
9. Langer J, Gerkau NJ, Derouiche A, Kleinhans C, Moshrefi-Ravasdjani B, Fredrich M, Kafitz KW, Seifert G, Steinhaeuser C & Rose CR (2017): Rapid sodium signaling couples glutamate uptake to breakdown of ATP in perivascular astrocyte endfeet. Glia 65(2):293-308. PubMed
10. Mondragão MA, Schmidt H, Kleinhans C, Langer J, Kafitz KW & Rose CR (2016): Extrusion versus diffusion: mechanisms for recovery from sodium loads in mouse CA1 pyramidal neurons. J Physiol. 594(19):5507-27. PubMed