CO2-evoked release of PGE2 modulates sighs and inspiration as demonstrated in brainstem organotypic culture

Elife. 2016 Jul 5:5:e14170. doi: 10.7554/eLife.14170.

Abstract

Inflammation-induced release of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) changes breathing patterns and the response to CO2 levels. This may have fatal consequences in newborn babies and result in sudden infant death. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, we present a novel breathing brainstem organotypic culture that generates rhythmic neural network and motor activity for 3 weeks. We show that increased CO2 elicits a gap junction-dependent release of PGE2. This alters neural network activity in the preBötzinger rhythm-generating complex and in the chemosensitive brainstem respiratory regions, thereby increasing sigh frequency and the depth of inspiration. We used mice lacking eicosanoid prostanoid 3 receptors (EP3R), breathing brainstem organotypic slices and optogenetic inhibition of EP3R(+/+) cells to demonstrate that the EP3R is important for the ventilatory response to hypercapnia. Our study identifies a novel pathway linking the inflammatory and respiratory systems, with implications for inspiration and sighs throughout life, and the ability to autoresuscitate when breathing fails.

Keywords: calcium imaging; chemosensitivity; computational biology; mouse; neural network; neuroscience; prostaglandins; respiration; small world; systems biology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials
  • Animals
  • Brain Stem / drug effects*
  • Brain Stem / physiology*
  • Carbon Dioxide / metabolism*
  • Dinoprostone / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Nerve Net / drug effects
  • Optogenetics
  • Organ Culture Techniques
  • Respiration / drug effects*

Substances

  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Dinoprostone

Grants and funding

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.