Lujan HL, Palani G, Zhang L, DiCarlo SE. Targeted ablation of cardiac sympathetic neurons reduces the susceptibility to ischemiainduced sustained ventricular tachycardia in conscious rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 298: H1330–H1339, 2010. First published February 19, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00955.2009.—The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial demonstrated that antiarrhythmic drugs not ...

The insulin receptor-related receptor (IRR) has recently been identified as a member of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase family; however, its endogenous ligand and biological function are still unknown. In contrast to the very widespread pattern of expression of the homologous insulin and IGF-I receptors, IRR demonstrates a very restricted cellular distribution. Using in situ hybridization ...

Semaphorin 6A (Sema6A) (previously named Semaphorin VIa) is the originally described member of the vertebrate semaphorin class 6, a group of transmembrane semaphorins homologous to the insect semaphorin class 1. Although Sema-1a (previously named semaphorin I) has been implicated in axon guidance in insects, the function of Sema6A is currently unknown. We have expressed the extracellular domain...

NEUROTROPHIN EXPRESSION IN SYMPATHETIC NEURONS: INFLUENCES OF EXOGENOUS NGF AND AFFERENT INPUT by Elizabeth Ellen Jones The regulatory mechanisms that promote the survival of adult neurons remain unclear. Targetderived proteins called neurotrophins are known to play a role in the survival of sympathetic neurons, but their exact function is unknown. In the present study, expression of the neurot...

The signaling pathways activated by nerve growth factor (NGF) that account for its ability to promote the survival of neurons are not completely understood. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is critical for the survival of several cell types, including neurons. To determine whether additional signaling pathways cooperate with PI3K to promote survival, we examined other pathways known to be a...

Herpes simplex viruses (HSV1 and HSV2) establish latency in peripheral ganglia after ocular or genital infection, and can reactivate to produce different patterns and frequencies of recurrent disease. Previous studies showed that nerve growth factor (NGF) maintains HSV1 latency in embryonic sympathetic and sensory neurons. However, adult sensory neurons are no longer dependent on NGF for surviv...

There is a link between visceral white adipose tissue (WAT) and the metabolic syndrome in humans, with health improvements produced with small visceral WAT reduction. By contrast, subcutaneous WAT provides a site for lipid storage that is rather innocuous relative to ectopic lipid storage in muscle or liver. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is the principal initiator for lipolysis in WAT by...

Astrocytes respond to synaptic activity in the CNS. Astrocytic responses are synapse specific and precisely regulate synaptic activity. Glia in the peripheral nervous system also respond to neuronal activity, but it is unknown whether glial responses are synapse specific. We addressed this issue by examining the activation of enteric glia by distinct neuronal subpopulations in the enteric nervo...

The rostral ventrolateral medulla contains presympathetic neurons that project monosynaptically to sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPN) in the spinal cord and are essential for the tonic and reflex control of the cardiovascular system. SPN directly innervate the adrenal medulla and, via postganglionic axons, affect the heart, kidneys, and blood vessels to alter sympathetic outflow and hence ...