Physiological super-resolution in situ recording reveals kinetic changes of sympathetic norepinephrine release in heart failure

B Bing Liu X Xiaohan Jiang (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) S Shu Guo (Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Department of Chemistry, and Department of Physics) X Xinjiang Kang (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) J Jing Lu S Shirong Wang (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) W Wei Yao (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) X Xianhong Ou (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) J Jing Yan T Tian Li J Jingli Gu (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) Y Yun Xiu (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) Q Qian Lei (Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital) H Huadong Xu (Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Neuroscience Research Center, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University) M Mu Jin (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) Q Quanfeng Zhang (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) B Bin Liu L Lianghong Zheng (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) K Kun Liu F Feipeng Zhu (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) R Ruiping Xiao (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University) Y Yan Zhang C Changhe Wang (Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Neuroscience Research Center, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University) L Lihuan Li (Fuwai Hospital and Institute of Basic Medical Science, Peking Union Medical College) J Jimin Cao (Institute of Basic Medical Science, Peking Union Medical College) Z Zhuan Zhou (State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University)

Abstract

Norepinephrine (NE) in the peripheral nervous system plays crucial roles in regulating peripheral organs in health and disease. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics of sympathetic NE release and its underlying mechanisms remain poorly characterized due to technical challenges. Here, we developed and validated a Slice ElectroChemistry (SEC) method to record sympathetic NE release in heart slices with combined super-resolution and high sensitivity at 1 μm × 1 ms × 1 nM as in patch-clamp recordings. By using the SEC method, we revealed the increased NE release, impaired NE reuptake, increased releasable NE-vesicle pool, and impaired vesicle recycling of sympathetic nerves in the heart of transverse aortic constriction-induced heart failure (HF) mouse model, and defined the increased expression of Cav2.2 calcium channel as a central mechanism mediating the facilitation of NE release and thus the pathogenesis of HF, clarifying a longstanding puzzle about the kinetic changes of cardiac sympathetic NE release in HF. Beyond the heart, SEC enables NE release recording in other peripheral organs and human tissues, providing a robust toolset to investigate sympathetic NE dynamics across diverse pathophysiological conditions.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 123, Issue 18
Published May 05, 2026
ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher National Academy of Sciences

Authors (26)

B

Bing Liu

X

Xiaohan Jiang

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

S

Shu Guo

Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Department of Chemistry, and Department of Physics

X

Xinjiang Kang

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

J

Jing Lu

S

Shirong Wang

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

W

Wei Yao

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

X

Xianhong Ou

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

J

Jing Yan

T

Tian Li

J

Jingli Gu

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

Y

Yun Xiu

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

Q

Qian Lei

Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital

H

Huadong Xu

Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Neuroscience Research Center, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University

M

Mu Jin

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

Q

Quanfeng Zhang

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

B

Bin Liu

L

Lianghong Zheng

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

K

Kun Liu

F

Feipeng Zhu

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

R

Ruiping Xiao

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University

Y

Yan Zhang

C

Changhe Wang

Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Neuroscience Research Center, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University

L

Lihuan Li

Fuwai Hospital and Institute of Basic Medical Science, Peking Union Medical College

J

Jimin Cao

Institute of Basic Medical Science, Peking Union Medical College

Z

Zhuan Zhou

State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, Institute of Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology and Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and International Data Group/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University