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Rodriguez, Steven

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Rodriguez

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Steven

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Rodriguez, Steven
Author's Publications: search.filters.isAuthorOfPublication.b76485b8-30c3-437f-9d7f-cb13686a245d

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    \(A\beta\) alters the connectivity of olfactory neurons in the absence of amyloid plaques in vivo
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2012) Cao, Luxiang; Schrank, Benjamin R.; Rodriguez, Steven; Benz, Eric G.; Moulia, Thomas W.; Rickenbacher, Gregory T.; Gomez, Alexis C.; Levites, Yona; Edwards, Sarah R.; Golde, Todd E.; Hyman, Bradley; Barnea, Gilad; Albers, Mark
    The amyloid beta peptide aggregates into amyloid plaques at presymptomatic stages of Alzheimer's disease, but the temporal relationship between plaque formation and neuronal dysfunction is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that the connectivity of the peripheral olfactory neural circuit is perturbed in mice overexpressing human APPsw (Swedish mutation) before the onset of plaques. Expression of human APPsw exclusively in olfactory sensory neurons also perturbs connectivity with associated reductions in odour-evoked gene expression and olfactory acuity. By contrast, olfactory sensory neuron axons project correctly in mice overexpressing wild-type human amyloid precursor protein throughout the brain and in mice overexpressing M671V human APP, a missense mutation that reduces amyloid beta production, exclusively in olfactory sensory neurons. Furthermore, expression of Aβ40 or Aβ42 solely in the olfactory epithelium disrupts the olfactory sensory neuron axon targeting. Our data indicate that altering the structural connectivity and function of highly plastic neural circuits is one of the pleiotropic actions of soluble human amyloid beta.
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    Loss of the V-ATPase B1 Subunit Isoform Expressed in Non-Neuronal Cells of the Mouse Olfactory Epithelium Impairs Olfactory Function
    (Public Library of Science, 2012) Paunescu, Teodor; Rodriguez, Steven; Benz, Eric; McKee, Mary; Tyszkowski, Robert; Albers, Mark; Brown, Dennis
    The vacuolar proton-pumping ATPase (V-ATPase) is the main mediator of intracellular organelle acidification and also regulates transmembrane proton (H+) secretion, which is necessary for an array of physiological functions fulfilled by organs such as the kidney, male reproductive tract, lung, bone, and ear. In this study we characterize expression of the V-ATPase in the main olfactory epithelium of the mouse, as well as a functional role for the V-ATPase in odor detection. We report that the V-ATPase localizes to the apical membrane microvilli of olfactory sustentacular cells and to the basolateral membrane of microvillar cells. Plasma membrane V-ATPases containing the B1 subunit isoform are not detected in olfactory sensory neurons or in the olfactory bulb. This precise localization of expression affords the opportunity to ascertain the functional relevance of V-ATPase expression upon innate, odor-evoked behaviors in B1-deficient mice. This animal model exhibits diminished innate avoidance behavior (revealed as a decrease in freezing time and an increase in the number of sniffs in the presence of trimethyl-thiazoline) and diminished innate appetitive behavior (a decrease in time spent investigating the urine of the opposite sex). We conclude that V-ATPase-mediated H+ secretion in the olfactory epithelium is required for optimal olfactory function.
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    The Precision of Axon Targeting of Mouse Olfactory Sensory Neurons Requires the BACE1 Protease
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2012) Cao, Luxiang; Rickenbacher, Gregory T.; Rodriguez, Steven; Moulia, Thomas W.; Albers, Mark
    The \(\beta\)-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is necessary to generate the A\(\beta\) peptide, which is implicated in Alzheimer's disease pathology. Studies show that the expression of BACE1 and its protease activity are tightly regulated, but the physiological function of BACE1 remains poorly understood. Recently, numerous axon guidance proteins were identified as potential substrates of BACE1. Here, we examined the consequences of loss of BACE1 function in a well-defined in vivo model system of axon guidance, mouse olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). The BACE1 protein resides predominantly in proximal segment and the termini of OSN axons, and the expression of BACE1 inversely correlates with odor-evoked neural activity. The precision of targeting of OSN axons is disturbed in both BACE1 null and, surprisingly, in BACE1 heterozygous mice. We propose that BACE1 cleavage of axon guidance proteins is essential to maintain the connectivity of OSNs in vivo.