The sympathetic drive emanating from the brain is increased in many pathophysiological conditions including hypertension and congestive heart failure. The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus is an important site for the control of sympathetic outflow through its projections to the sympathetically related sites in the brainstem and spinal cord. It has been shown that angiotensin II (Ang II) increases the excitability of PVN presympathetic neurons by attenuation of the synaptic GABA release. On the other hand, nitric oxide (NO) inhibits PVN presympathetic neurons through potentiation of the GABAergic input. However, the important signal transduction mechanisms responsible for the presynaptic actions of Ang II and NO remain poorly understood. In this proposal, PVN neurons that project to the rostral ventrolateral medulla and spinal intermediolateral cell column in rats will be used as a model system to test the following specific hypotheses: 1) Ang II reduces the GABAergic synaptic input to PVN presympathetic neurons through voltage-gated K+ channels activated by 12-lipoxygenase products and phospholipase A2 coupled to inhibitory G proteins; 2) Nitric oxide potentiates synaptic GABA release onto PVN presympathetic neurons through inhibition of voltage-gated K+ channels, due to activation of protein phosphatases by protein kinase G; and 3) Kv1/Kv4 subunits that form voltage-gated K+ channels are located on GABAergic presynaptic terminals in the PVN. These hypotheses will be tested using a combination of in vivo retrograde tracing, whole-cell patch-clamp recording in rat brain slices, and immunocytochemistry techniques. These studies will provide important new information about the fundamental cellular and signaling mechanisms for the opposing presynaptic actions of Ang II and NO in the central nervous system. This information also will be important for our understanding of the synaptic mechanisms responsible for central regulation of the sympathetic nervous system in physiological and pathophysiological states such as hypertension, myocardial infarction, and congestive heart failure.
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