Alcohol consumption impairs the ependymal cilia motility in the brain ventricles

Abstract

Ependymal cilia protrude into the central canal of the brain ventricles and spinal cord to circulate the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). Ependymal cilia dysfunction can hinder the movement of CSF leading to an abnormal accumulation of CSF within the brain known as hydrocephalus. Although the etiology of hydrocephalus was studied before, the effects of ethanol ingestion on ependymal cilia function have not been investigated in vivo. Here, we report three distinct types of ependymal cilia, type-I, type-II and type-III classified based upon their beating frequency, their beating angle, and their distinct localization within the mouse brain-lateral ventricle. Our studies show for the first time that oral gavage of ethanol decreased the beating frequency of all three types of ependymal cilia in both the third and the lateral rat brain ventricles in vivo. Furthermore, we show for the first time that hydin, a hydrocephalus-inducing gene product whose mutation impairs ciliary motility, and polycystin-2, whose ablation is associated with hydrocephalus are colocalized to the ependymal cilia. Thus, our studies reinforce the presence of three types of ependymal cilia in the brain ventricles and demonstrate the involvement of ethanol as a risk factor for the impairment of ependymal cilia motility in the brain.

Primary Cilia and Calcium Signaling Interactions

“…The 9 + 2 structure commonly moves in a wave-like motion to generate fluid flow; an example of which is ependymal cilia. The 9 + 0 structured nodal cilia commonly move in a rotary or corkscrew motion, as seen in the nodal cilia present in the nodes responsible for organ patterning in embryonic development [ 5 ], and also as seen in flagella, where this motion is used for propulsion [ 6 , 7 ]. The primary cilium is quickly gaining fame as a signaling powerhouse of the cell, and as such shall be the main cilium of focus for this review.…”

Gene expression profiling in the hippocampus of adolescent rats after chronic alcohol administration

“…Impairments of ependymal cilia lead to neurological deficits such as hydrocephalus. 33 A previous study reported that acute alcohol enhanced an increase in ciliary movement, implying an increase in dynein that is composed of Dnai1 and Dnah1. 34 Our study also demonstrated that chronic exposure to alcohol increases Dnai1 and Dnah1 in the hippocampus, suggesting that chronic alcohol use may also promote the motility of cilia cells.…”

“…Dnai1 encodes an outer dynein chain and Dnah1 encodes an inner dynein arm heavy chain that supports structure. Impairments of ependymal cilia lead to neurological deficits such as hydrocephalus . A previous study reported that acute alcohol enhanced an increase in ciliary movement, implying an increase in dynein that is composed of Dnai1 and Dnah1 .…”

Primary Cilia are Sensory Hubs for Nitric Oxide Signaling

“…The 9 + 2 structure commonly moves in a wave-like motion to move fluid, and an example of this are the ependymal cilia. The 9 + 2 patterned cilia also move cerebral spinal fluid, while the 9 + 0 structured most commonly moves in a rotary or corkscrew motion, as seen in flagella, which is useful for propulsion [7,8]. There is some debate on whether sperm tail flagella should be classified as motile monocilia; regardless, they also possess a similar axonemal structure [5,6,[9][10][11].…”