• Yan Feng, Yaoyao Liu, Pan-Xiang Cao, Xun Sun, Ke-Xin Li, Xin-Yu Li, Li Liu, Hong-Dan Wang, Chang-Peng Cui, Xue Xiong, Hao-Cheng Zhang, Guo-Fen Qiao, and Bai-Yan Li.
• Department of Pharmacology (State-Province Key Laboratories of Biomedicine-Pharmaceutics of China, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Medicine Research, Ministry of Education), Harbin Medical University School of Pharmacy, Harbin, China.
• Neuroscience. 2020 Aug 21; 442: 168-182.

AbstractLarge conductance of Ca2+-activated K+ channel (KCa1.1) plays an inhibitory role in neuroexcitation. However, the expression of KCNMB4/β4-subunit in the nodose ganglia (NG) and nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), and its effect and regulation on baroreflex afferent function at post-transcriptional level of female rats remains unknown. Here, we demonstrated that the expression of β4-subunit encoded by KCNMB4 was significantly lower in females vs. males and ovariectomized (OVX) rats in the NG. Although all baroreceptor neurons (BRNs) expressed β4-subunit, altered discharge characteristics were only observed in Ah-type neurons after ovariectomy. Notably, the decreased excitability of Ah-types was restored by paxilline and further enhanced by iberiotoxin. The consistent changes were observed in excitatory post-synaptic currents. The level of miR-504 was higher in females, which was predicted to bind to the 3'UTR of KCNMB4. In consistent, an inverse expression pattern between miR-504 and KCNMB4 was observed in baroreflex afferents. The paxilline-sensitive β4-subunits is less in Ah-types and up-regulated by ovariectomy. These data indicated that KCa1.1 β4-subunit is the key regulator in neuroexcitation of Ah-types and sexual-dimorphism in baroreflex afferent function through estrogen-dependent inhibition of KCNMB4 expression via miR-504.Copyright © 2020 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

16 keywords...

hide…