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The retrotrapezoid nucleus stimulates breathing by releasing glutamate in adult conscious mice

The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) is a bilateral cluster of neurons located at the ventral surface of the brainstem below the facial nucleus. The RTN is activated by hypercapnia and stabilises arterial Pco2 by adjusting lung ventilation in a feedback manner. RTN neurons contain vesicular glutamate transporter‐2 (Vglut2) transcripts (Slc17a6), and their synaptic boutons are Vglut2‐immunoreactive. Here, we used optogenetics to test whether the RTN increases ventilation in conscious adult mice by releasing glutamate. Neurons located below the facial motor nucleus were transduced unilaterally to express channelrhodopsin‐2 (ChR2)–enhanced yellow fluorescent protein, with lentiviral vectors that employ the Phox2b‐activated artificial promoter PRSx8. The targeted population consisted of two types of Phox2b‐expressing neuron: non‐catecholaminergic neurons (putative RTN chemoreceptors) and catecholaminergic (C1) neurons. Opto‐activation of a mix of ChR2‐expressing RTN and C1 neurons produced a powerful stimulus frequency‐dependent (5–15 Hz) stimulation of breathing in control conscious mice. Respiratory stimulation was comparable in mice in which dopamine‐β‐hydroxylase (DβH)‐positive neurons no longer expressed Vglut2 (DβHCre/0;;Vglut2fl/fl). In a third group of mice, i.e. DβH+/+;;Vglut2fl/fl mice, we injected a mixture of PRSx8‐Cre lentiviral vector and Cre‐dependent ChR2 adeno‐associated virus 2 unilaterally into the RTN; this procedure deleted Vglut2 from ChR2‐expressing neurons regardless of whether or not they were catecholaminergic. The ventilatory response elicited by photostimulation of ChR2‐positive neurons was almost completely absent in these mice. Resting ventilatory parameters were identical in the three groups of mice, and their brains contained similar numbers of ChR2‐positive catecholaminergic and non‐catecholaminergic neurons. From these results, we conclude that RTN neurons increase breathing in conscious adult mice by releasing glutamate.