Molecular composition of extracellular matrix in the vestibular nuclei of the rat

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that the molecular and structural composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) shows regional differences in the central nervous system. By using histochemical and immunohistochemical methods, we provide here a detailed map of the distribution of ECM molecules in the vestibular nuclear complex (VNC) of the rat. We have observed common characteristics of the ECM staining pattern in the VNC and a number of differences among the individual vestibular nuclei and their subdivisions. The perineuronal net (PNN), which is the pericellular condensation of ECM, showed the most intense staining for hyaluronan, aggrecan, brevican and tenascin-R in the superior, lateral and medial vestibular nuclei, whereas the HAPLN1 link protein and the neurocan exhibited moderate staining intensity. The rostral part of the descending vestibular nucleus (DVN) presented a similar staining pattern in the PNN, with the exception of brevican, which was negative. The caudal part of the DVN had the weakest staining for all ECM molecules in the PNN. Throughout the VNC, versican staining in the PNN, when present, was distinctive due to its punctuate appearance. The neuropil also exhibited heterogeneity among the individual vestibular nuclei in ECM staining pattern and intensity. We find that the heterogeneous distribution of ECM molecules is associated in many cases with the variable cytoarchitecture and hodological organization of the vestibular nuclei, and propose that differences in the ECM composition may be related to specific neuronal functions associated with gaze and posture control and vestibular compensation.

Modifications of perineuronal nets and remodelling of excitatory and inhibitory afferents during vestibular compensation in the adult mouse

“…*P \ 0.05, **P \ 0.01, ***P \ 0.001. Scale bar 15 lm in a (also applies to b-o) neurocan, brevican and phosphacan), hyaluronan, link proteins and semaphorin3A (Brückner et al 2000;Bekku et al 2012;Vo et al 2013;Rácz et al 2014). We found numerous WFA-positive PNNs in the intact ventral LVN, which enwrapped SMI32-positive neurons (87 % of cases; Fig.…”

Losing the sugar coating: Potential impact of perineuronal net abnormalities on interneurons in schizophrenia

“…The contribution of such diversity to PNN composition has been, to some extent, investigated using antibodies raised against core proteins and specific sulfation patterns (Bertolotto et al, 1996; Caterson, 2012; Hagihara et al, 1999; Haunso et al, 1999; Hayashi et al, 2007; Madinier et al, 2014; Matthews et al, 2002; Miyata et al, 2012; Nakamura et al, 2009; Ojima et al, 1998; Racz et al, 2014; Saitoh et al, 2008; Yin et al, 2006), as well as lectins such as wisteria floribunda agglutinin (WFA). WFA, perhaps the most widely used in studies of PNNs, binds specifically to N-acetyl-D-galactosamine on the terminal end of CS chains, with a preference for beta glycosidic linkage (Kurokawa et al, 1976; Young and Williams, 1985).…”

A standardized and automated method of perineuronal net analysis using Wisteria floribunda agglutinin staining intensity

“…While WFA intensity is important for formulating experiments and interpreting the findings, the method by which WFA intensity is measured and analyzed has been inconsistent across studies. Some studies have used semi-quantitative methods to examine relative intensity changes, but these studies lack measures of individual PNNs (Wang et al, 2011, Deak et al, 2012, Yamada and Jinno, 2013, Racz et al, 2014, Kecskes et al, 2015). Other studies examine changes in individual PNNs by averaging the intensity of 15 pixels within a given PNN around the soma (Foscarin et al, 2011, Carulli et al, 2013, Vazquez-Sanroman et al, 2015a), and others have not included details in the methodology (Chen et al, 2015).…”