Audinat Group: Neuron-glia interactions

Etienne AUDINAT, Isabelle ARNOUX, Céline BIDORET,
Françoise LEVAVASSEUR, Paula LUNARDI, My-Van NGUYEN,

Microglial cells extending their processes toward an ATP containing pipette (red dot) inserted into a hippocampal slice from a CX3CR1eGFP/+ mouse (modified from Avignone et al. 2008).

Glial cells are not only supportive cells in the central nervous system (CNS) but are also engaged with neurons in bi-directional interactions which contribute actively to the modulation of neuronal network activities. These interactions are based on the expression by glial cells of a large repertoire of receptors for neurotransmitters and on their ability to release neuro-active compounds (gliotransmitters).

Our research focuses on the interactions between neurons and different types of glial cells in the CNS of rodents and relies on a multidisciplinary approach based on electrophysiology, calcium imaging, optogenetic, molecular biology and histochemical techniques that can be combined on single cells of acute brain slices. Two main research programs structure the current activity of the team.

  1. Astrocytic control of neuronal activity
  2. Multiple phenotypes and functions of microglia

Collaborations
  • François Rassendren (IGF, Montpellier, France);
  • Nobuhiko Yamamoto (Osaka University, Japan);
  • Stéphane Auvin (Robert Debré Hospital, Paris France);
  • Bruno Lucas (Cochin Institute, Paris, France);
  • Valentin Nagerl & Elena Avignone (Bordeaux University, France);
  • Pedro Grandes (Bilbao University, Spain);
  • Sheela Vyas (Pierre & Marie Curie University, Paris, France);

Selected publications
  • Hoshiko M, Arnoux I, Avignone E, Yamamoto N, Audinat E (2012) Deficiency of the microglial receptor CX3CR1 impairs postnatal functional development of thalamo-cortical synapses in the barrel cortex. The Journal of Neuroscience 32:15106-15111
  • Le Meur K, Mendizabal-Zubiaga J, Grandes P, Audinat E (2012) GABA release by hippocampal astrocytes. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience 6:59. doi: 10.3389/fncom.2012.00059
  • Menteyne A, Levavasseur F, Audinat E, Avignone E (2009) Predominant functional expression of Kv1.3 by activated microglia of the hippocampus after status epilepticus. PLoS ONE 26; 4(8):e6770. (ISI: 7)
  • Avignone E, Ulmann L, Levavasseur F, Rassendren f, Audinat E (2008) Status epilepticus induces a particular microglial activation state characterized by enhanced purinergic signaling. The Journal of Neuroscience 28: 9133-9144
  • Angulo MC, Le Meur K, Kozlov A, Charpak S, Audinat E (2008) GABA: a forgotten gliotransmitter. Progress in Neurobiology 86:297-303
  • Le Meur K, Galante M, Angulo MC, Audinat E (2007) Tonic activation of NMDA receptors by ambient glutamate of non-synaptic origin in the rat hippocampus. Journal of Physiology (Lond) 580: 373-383