TY - JOUR
T1 - Vascular endothelial cells promote acute plasticity in ependymoglial cells of the neuroendocrine brain
AU - De Seranno, Sandrine
AU - Estrella, Cecilia
AU - Loyens, Anne
AU - Cornea, Anda
AU - Ojeda, Sergio R.
AU - Beauvillain, Jean Claude
AU - Prevot, Vincent
PY - 2004/11/17
Y1 - 2004/11/17
N2 - Glial and endothelial cells interact throughout the brain to define specific functional domains. Whether endothelial cells convey signals to glia in the mature brain is unknown but is amenable to examination in circumventricular organs. Here we report that purified endothelial cells of one of these organs, the median eminence of the hypothalamus, induce acute actin cytoskeleton remodeling in isolated ependymoglial cells and show that this plasticity is mediated by nitric oxide (NO), a diffusible factor. We found that both soluble guanylyl cyclase and cyclooxygenase products are involved in this endothelial-mediated control of ependymoglia cytoarchitecture. We also demonstrate by electron microscopy that activation of endogenous NO release in the median eminence induces rapid structural changes, allowing a direct access of neurosecretory axons containing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (the neuropeptide controlling reproductive function) to the portal vasculature. Local in vivo inhibition of NO synthesis disrupts reproductive cycliciry, a process that requires a pulsatile, coordinated delivery of GnRH into the hypothalamic-adenohypophyseal portal system. Our results identify a previously unknown function for endothelial cells in inducing neuroglial plasticity and raise the intriguing possibility that endothelial cells throughout the brain may use a similar signaling mechanism to regulate glial-neuronal interactions.
AB - Glial and endothelial cells interact throughout the brain to define specific functional domains. Whether endothelial cells convey signals to glia in the mature brain is unknown but is amenable to examination in circumventricular organs. Here we report that purified endothelial cells of one of these organs, the median eminence of the hypothalamus, induce acute actin cytoskeleton remodeling in isolated ependymoglial cells and show that this plasticity is mediated by nitric oxide (NO), a diffusible factor. We found that both soluble guanylyl cyclase and cyclooxygenase products are involved in this endothelial-mediated control of ependymoglia cytoarchitecture. We also demonstrate by electron microscopy that activation of endogenous NO release in the median eminence induces rapid structural changes, allowing a direct access of neurosecretory axons containing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (the neuropeptide controlling reproductive function) to the portal vasculature. Local in vivo inhibition of NO synthesis disrupts reproductive cycliciry, a process that requires a pulsatile, coordinated delivery of GnRH into the hypothalamic-adenohypophyseal portal system. Our results identify a previously unknown function for endothelial cells in inducing neuroglial plasticity and raise the intriguing possibility that endothelial cells throughout the brain may use a similar signaling mechanism to regulate glial-neuronal interactions.
KW - Endothelial nitric oxide synthase
KW - Glial cells
KW - Hypothalamus
KW - Neuroglial plasticity
KW - Neurosecretion
KW - Tanycytes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=9244229539&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=9244229539&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3228-04.2004
DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3228-04.2004
M3 - Article
C2 - 15548649
AN - SCOPUS:9244229539
SN - 0270-6474
VL - 24
SP - 10353
EP - 10363
JO - Journal of Neuroscience
JF - Journal of Neuroscience
IS - 46
ER -