Biology subjects

McHenry, J.

Publications and source records attributed to McHenry, J..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Esr1-Dependent Signaling and Transcriptional Maturation in the Medial Preoptic Area of the Hypothalamus Shapes the Development of Mating Behavior during Adolescence

Mating and other behaviors emerge during adolescence through the coordinated actions of steroid hormone signaling throughout the nervous system and periphery. In this study, we investigated the transcriptional dynamics of the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a critical region for reproductive behavior, using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) and in situ hybridization techniques in male and female mice throughout adolescence development. Our findings reveal that estrogen receptor 1 (Esr1) plays a pivotal role in the transcriptional maturation of GABAergic neurons within the MPOA during adolescence. Deletion of the estrogen receptor gene, Esr1, in GABAergic neurons (Vgat+) disrupted the developmental progression of mating behaviors in both sexes, while its deletion in glutamatergic neurons (Vglut2+) had no observable effect. In males and females, these neurons displayed distinct transcriptional trajectories, with hormone-dependent gene expression patterns emerging throughout adolescence and regulated by Esr1. Esr1 deletion in MPOA GABAergic neurons, prior to adolescence, arrested adolescent transcriptional progression of these cells and uncovered sex-specific gene-regulatory networks associated with Esr1 signaling. Our results underscore the critical role of Esr1 in orchestrating sex-specific transcriptional dynamics during adolescence, revealing gene regulatory networks implicated in the development of hypothalamic controlled reproductive behaviors. One Sentence SummarySingle cell RNA sequencing reveals how adolescent sex hormones sculpt hypothalamic cell types required for mating behavior.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

A blueprint for national assessments of the blue carbon capacity of kelp forests applied to Canadas coastline

Kelp forests offer substantial carbon fixation, with the potential to contribute to natural climate solutions (NCS). However, to be included in national NCS inventories, governments must first quantify the kelp-derived carbon stocks and fluxes leading to carbon sequestration. Here, we present a blueprint for assessing the national carbon sequestration capacity of kelp forests in which data synthesis and Bayesian hierarchical modelling enable estimates of kelp forest carbon production, storage, and export capacity from limited data. Applying this blueprint to Canadas extensive coastline, we find kelp forests store an estimated 1.4 Tg C in short-term biomass and produce 3.1 Tg C yr-1 with modest carbon fluxes to the deep ocean. Arctic kelps had the highest carbon stocks and production capacity, while Pacific kelps had greater carbon fluxes overall due to their higher productivity and export rates. Our transparent, reproducible blueprint represents an important step towards accurate carbon accounting for kelp forests.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Temperature and food chain length, but not latitude, explain region-specific kelp forest responses to an unprecedented heatwave

Kelp forests are among the most abundant coastal marine habitats but are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Between 2014 and 2016, an unprecedented heatwave and associated changes in trophic dynamics threatened kelp forests across the Northeast Pacific, with impacts documented from Mexico to Alaska. However, responses have varied substantially and remain poorly characterized across large stretches of coast, especially British Columbia (B.C.), which represents a significant percentage of the range of floating kelp species in the Northeast Pacific. Here, we explore variation in floating kelp (Macrocystis, Nereocystis) persistence pre- and post-heatwave across a >675 km latitudinal gradient, asking whether B.C. kelp forests are of conservation concern. We assembled and analyzed available quantitative kelp data, comparing snapshots of kelp extent before (1994 - 2007) and after (2018 - 2021) the heatwave in 11 regions spanning a range of temperature and sea otter-occupancy statuses, and contextualizing these with time series analyses, where available (n = 7 regions). We provide strong evidence that kelp forests have declined in many regions but with evidence of refugia at both local and regional scales. Kelp forest persistence was negatively correlated with summer sea temperatures in southern B.C., where temperatures varied by ~6{degrees}C across sites, at times exceeding species thermal tolerances. Kelp dynamics in northern regions appeared instead to be modulated by top-down control by urchins and sea otters. Our results demonstrate that B.C.s kelp forest have been substantially reduced in recent years but that regional and local-scale factors influence the resilience of forests to large-scale perturbations.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2021

Pubertal sex hormones control transcriptional trajectories in the medial preoptic area

Pubertal maturation aids development of emotion, cognition, and reproduction. We investigated transcriptional dynamics in the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a hypothalamic center for reproductive behaviors, in male and female mice at single-cell resolution (scRNAseq) during puberty. Defined subsets of neurons expressing Slc32a1 and Esr1 (Vgat+ Esr1+) were the most transcriptionally dynamic compared to other cell types throughout puberty. These cell type specific transcriptional progressions towards adulthood were bidirectionally controlled by the levels of circulating testosterone and estradiol. Selective deletion of Esr1 in Slc32a1-expressing cells in the MPOA prior to puberty arrested transcriptional progression and revealed a sexually dimorphic gene-regulatory network governed by Esr1. Deletion of Esr1 in Vgat+ cells prevented the development of mating behavior in both sexes. These analyses reveal both sexually common and dimorphic transcriptional progressions during puberty as well as their regulatory mechanisms, which have important implications towards understanding adaptative and maladaptive processes governing adolescent brain development.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Prepronociceptin expressing neurons in the extended amygdala encode and promote rapid arousal responses to motivationally salient stimuli

Motivational states are complex and consist of cognitive, emotional, and physiological components controlled by a network across multiple brain regions. An integral component of this neural circuitry is the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Here, we identified a subpopulation of neurons within BNST expressing the gene prepronociceptin (PnocBNST), that can modulate the rapid changes in physiological arousal that occur upon exposure to stimuli with motivational salience. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging we found that excitatory responses from individual PnocBNST neurons directly corresponded with rapid increases in pupillary size and occurred upon exposure to both aversive and rewarding odors. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of these neurons increased pupillary size, but did not alter approach/avoidance or locomotor behaviors. These findings suggest that excitatory responses in PnocBNST neurons encode rapid arousal responses irrespective of tested behaviors. Further histological, electrophysiological, and single-cell RNA sequencing data revealed that PnocBNST neurons are composed of genetically and anatomically identifiable subpopulations that can be further investigated. Taken together, our findings demonstrate a key role for a PnocBNST neuronal ensemble in encoding the rapid arousal responses that are triggered by motivational stimuli.

neuroscience↗