scholarly journals Excitation of Cerebellar Interneurons by Group I Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors

2004 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. 1558-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Movses H. Karakossian ◽  
Thomas S. Otis

Cerebellar basket and stellate neurons (BSNs) provide feed-forward inhibition to Purkinje neurons (PNs) and thereby play a principal role in determining the output of the cerebellar cortex. During low-frequency transmission, glutamate released at parallel fiber synapses excites BSNs by binding to AMPA receptors; high-frequency transmission also recruits N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. We find that, in addition to these ligand-gated receptors, a G-protein–coupled glutamate receptor subtype participates in exciting BSNs. Stimulation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1α (mGluR1α) with the mGluR agonist ( RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) leads to an increase in spontaneous firing of BSNs and indirectly to an increase in the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSCs) recorded in PNs. Under conditions in which ligand-gated glutamate receptors are blocked, parallel fiber stimulation generates a slow excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) in BSNs that is inhibited by mGluR1α-selective antagonists. This slow EPSC is capable of increasing BSN spiking and indirectly increasing sIPSCs frequency in PNs. Our findings reinforce the idea that distinct subtypes of glutamate receptors are activated in response to different patterns of activity at excitatory synapses. The results also raise the possibility that mGluR1α-dependent forms of synaptic plasticity may occur at excitatory inputs to BSNs.

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (5) ◽  
pp. H1682-H1694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Liu ◽  
Chao-Yin Chen ◽  
Ann C. Bonham

We sought to determine whether metabotropic glutamate receptors contribute to frequency-dependent depression of vagal and aortic baroreceptor signal transmission in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in vivo. In α-chloralose-anesthetized rabbits, we determined the number of extracellular action potentials synaptically evoked by low (1 Hz)- or high-frequency vagal (3–20 Hz) or aortic depressor nerve (ADN) (6–80 Hz) stimulation and postsynaptically evoked by the ionotropic glutamate receptor agonist α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA). The metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist (2 S,1′ S,2′ S)-2-(carboxycyclopropyl)glycine (L-CCG-I) attenuated NTS responses monosynaptically evoked by 1-Hz vagus stimulation by 34% ( n = 25; P = 0.011), while augmenting AMPA-evoked responses by 64% ( n = 17; P = 0.026). The metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist α-methyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine (MPPG) did not affect NTS responses to low-frequency vagal stimulation ( n = 11) or AMPA ( n = 10) but augmented responses to high-frequency stimulation by 50% ( n= 25; P = 0.0001). MPPG also augmented NTS responses to high-frequency ADN stimulation by 35% ( n = 9; P = 0.048) but did not affect responses to low-frequency stimulation ( n = 9) or AMPA ( n = 7). The results suggest that metabotropic glutamate receptors, presumably at presynaptic sites, contribute to frequency-dependent depression of vagal and aortic baroreceptor signal transmission in NTS.


1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 3428-3437 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Schrader ◽  
J. G. Tasker

Schrader, L. A. and J. G. Tasker. Modulation of multiple potassium currents by metabotropic glutamate receptors in neurons of the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 3428–3437, 1997. We studied the effects of activation of the metabotropic glutamate receptors on intrinsic currents of magnocellular neurons of the supraoptic nucleus (SON) with whole cell patch-clamp and conventional intracellular recordings in coronal slices (400 μm) of the rat hypothalamus. Trans-(±)-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentane dicarboxylic acid ( trans-ACPD, 10–100 μM), a broad-spectrum metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist, evoked an inward current (18.7 ± 3.45 pA) or a slow depolarization (7.35 ± 4.73 mV) and a 10–30% decrease in whole cell conductance in ∼50% of the magnocellular neurons recorded at resting membrane potential. The decrease in conductance and the inward current were caused largely by the attenuation of a resting potassium conductance because they were reduced by the replacement of intracellular potassium with an equimolar concentration of cesium or by the addition of potassium channel blockers to the extracellular medium. In some cells, trans-ACPD still elicited a small inward current after blockade of potassium currents, which was abolished by the calcium channel blocker, CdCl2. Trans-ACPD also reduced voltage-gated and Ca2+-activated K+ currents in these cells. Trans-ACPD reduced the transient outward current ( I A) by 20–70% and/or the I A-mediated delay to spike generation in ∼60% of magnocellular neurons tested. The cells that showed a reduction of I A generally also showed a 20–60% reduction in a voltage-gated, sustained outward current. Finally, trans-ACPD attenuated the Ca2+-dependent outward current responsible for the afterhyperpolarization ( I AHP) in ∼60% of cells tested. This often revealed an underlying inward current thought to be responsible for the depolarizing afterpotential seen in some magnocellular neurons. (RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine, a group I receptor-selective agonist, mimicked the effects of trans-ACPD on the resting and voltage-gated K+ currents. (RS)-α-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine, a group I/II metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist, blocked these effects. A group II receptor agonist, 2S,1′S,2′S-2carboxycyclopropylglycine and a group III receptor agonist, l(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid, had no effect on the resting or voltage-gated K+ currents, indicating that the reduction of K+ currents was mediated by group I receptors. About 80% of the SON cells that were labeled immunohistochemically for vasopressin responded to metabotropic glutamate receptor activation, whereas only 33% of labeled oxytocin cells responded, suggesting that metabotropic receptors are expressed preferentially in vasopressinergic neurons. These data indicate that activation of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptors leads to an increase in the postsynaptic excitability of magnocellular neurons by blocking resting K+ currents as well as by reducing voltage-gated and Ca2+-activated K+ currents.


1998 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 520-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filippo Tempia ◽  
Maria Concetta Miniaci ◽  
Davide Anchisi ◽  
Piergiorgio Strata

Tempia, Filippo, Maria Concetta Miniaci, Davide Anchisi, and Piergiorgio Strata. Postsynaptic current mediated by metabotropic glutamate receptors in cerebellar Purkinje cells. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 520–528, 1998. In rat cerebellar slices, repetitive parallel fiber stimulation evokes an inward, postsynaptic current in Purkinje cells with a fast component mediated by α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)/kainate receptors and a slower component mediated by metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR). The mGluR-mediated excitatory postsynaptic current (mGluR-EPSC) is evoked selectively by parallel fiber stimulation; climbing fiber stimulation is ineffective. The mGluR-EPSC is elicited most effectively with increasing frequencies of parallel fiber stimulation, from a threshold of 10 Hz to a maximum response at ∼100 Hz. The amplitude of the mGluR-EPSC is a linear function of the number of stimulus pulses without any apparent saturation, even with >10 pulses. Thus mGluRs at the parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapse can function as linear detectors of the number of spikes in a burst of activity in parallel fibers. The mGluR-EPSC is present from postnatal day 15 and persists into adulthood. It is inhibited by the generic mGluR antagonist (RS)-a-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine and by the group I mGluR antagonist (RS)-1-aminoindan-1,5-dicarboxylic acid at a concentration selective for mGluR1. Although the intracellular transduction pathway involves a G protein, the putative mediators of mGluR1 (phospholipase C and protein kinase C) are not directly involved, indicating that the mGluR-EPSC studied here is mediated by a different and still unidentified second-messenger pathway. Heparin, a nonselective antagonist of inositol-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors, has no significant effect on the mGluR-EPSC, suggesting that also IP3 might be not required for the response. Buffering intracellular Ca2+ with a high concentration of bis-( o-aminophenoxy)- N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid partially inhibits the mGluR-EPSC, indicating that Ca2+ is not directly responsible for the response but that resting Ca2+ levels exert a tonic potentiating effect on the mGluR-EPSC.


1999 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 2061-2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weihong Lin ◽  
Sue C. Kinnamon

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) elicits a unique taste in humans called umami. Recent molecular studies suggest that glutamate receptors similar to those in brain are present in taste cells, but their precise role in taste transduction remains to be elucidated. We used giga-seal whole cell recording to examine the effects of MSG and glutamate receptor agonists on membrane properties of taste cells from rat fungiform papillae. MSG (1 mM) induced three subsets of responses in cells voltage-clamped at −80 mV: a decrease in holding current (subset I), an increase in holding current (subset II), and a biphasic response consisting of an increase, followed by a decrease in holding current (subset III). Most subset II glutamate responses were mimicked by the ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) agonist N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA). The current was potentiated by glycine and was suppressed by the NMDA receptor antagonist d(−)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5). The group III metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonistl-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (l-AP4) usually mimicked the subset I glutamate response. This hyperpolarizing response was suppressed by the mGluR antagonist (RS)-α-cyclopropyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine (CPPG) and by 8-bromo-cAMP, suggesting a role for cAMP in the transduction pathway. In a small subset of taste cells, l-AP4 elicited an increase in holding current, resulting in taste cell depolarization under current clamp. Taken together, our results suggest that NMDA-like receptors and at least two types of group III mGluRs are present in taste receptor cells, and these may be coactivated by MSG. Further studies are required to determine which receptors are located on the apical membrane and how they contribute to the umami taste.


2008 ◽  
Vol 192 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Harrison

SummaryA drug acting at metabotropic glutamate receptors has recently been reported to be an effective antipsychotic, breaking the rule that only dopamine receptor-blocking drugs have this property. The finding complements accumulating evidence that glutamatergic abnormalities are important in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.


2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 3728-3739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianing Yu ◽  
Bryan A. Daniels ◽  
William H. Baldridge

As in many CNS neurons, retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) receive fast synaptic activation through postsynaptic ionotropic receptors. However, the potential role of postsynaptic group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in these neurons is unknown. In this study we first demonstrated that the selective group I mGluR agonist ( S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) increased intracellular calcium concentration in neurons within the ganglion cell layer of the rat retina. This prompted us to use an immunopanned-RGC and cortical astroglia coculture preparation to explore the effect of group I mGluR activation on the electrophysiological properties of cultured RGCs. Using perforated patch-clamp recordings in current-clamp configuration, we found that application of DHPG increased spontaneous spiking and depolarized the resting membrane potential of RGCs. This boosting effect was attributed to an increase in membrane resistance due to blockade of a background K+ conductance. Further experiments showed that the group I mGluR-sensitive K+ conductance was not blocked by 3 mM Cs+, but was sensitive to acidification. Pharmacological studies indicated that the effect of DHPG on RGCs was mediated by the mGluR1 rather than the mGluR5 receptor subtype. Our results suggest a facilitatory role for group I mGluR activation in modulating RGC excitability in the mammalian inner retina.


2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (21) ◽  
pp. 2323-2338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phuc N.H. Trinh ◽  
Lauren T. May ◽  
Katie Leach ◽  
Karen J. Gregory

Metabotropic glutamate receptors belong to class C G-protein-coupled receptors and consist of eight subtypes that are ubiquitously expressed throughout the central nervous system. In recent years, the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGlu5) has emerged as a promising target for a broad range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. Drug discovery programs targetting mGlu5 are primarily focused on development of allosteric modulators that interact with sites distinct from the endogenous agonist glutamate. Significant efforts have seen mGlu5 allosteric modulators progress into clinical trials; however, recent failures due to lack of efficacy or adverse effects indicate a need for a better understanding of the functional consequences of mGlu5 allosteric modulation. Biased agonism is an interrelated phenomenon to allosterism, describing how different ligands acting through the same receptor can differentially influence signaling to distinct transducers and pathways. Emerging evidence demonstrates that allosteric modulators can induce biased pharmacology at the level of intrinsic agonism as well as through differential modulation of orthosteric agonist-signaling pathways. Here, we present key considerations in the discovery and development of mGlu5 allosteric modulators and the opportunities and pitfalls offered by biased agonism and modulation.


1997 ◽  
Vol 200 (19) ◽  
pp. 2565-2573
Author(s):  
C Lohr ◽  
J W Deitmer

We have investigated the effects of glutamate and glutamate receptor ligands on the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and the membrane potential (Em) of single, identified neuropile glial cells in the central nervous system of the leech Hirudo medicinalis. Exposed glial cells of isolated ganglia were filled iontophoretically with the Ca2+ indicator dye Fura-2. Application of glutamate (200-500 mumoll-1) caused biphasic membrane potential shifts and increases in [Ca2+]i, which were only partly reduced by either removing extracellular Ca2+ or blocking ionotropic glutamate receptors with 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX, 50-100 mumol l-1. Metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) ligands had the following rank of potency in inducing a rise in [Ca2+]i: quisqualate (QQ, 200 mumol l-1) > glutamate (200 mumol l-1) > L(+)2-amino-3-phosphonopropionic acid (L-AP3, 200 mumol l-1 > trans-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (t-ACPD, 400 mumol l-1). The mGluR-selective antagonist (RS)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine [(RS)-MCPG, 1 mmol l-1] significantly reduced glutamate-evoked increases in [Ca2+]i by 20%. Incubation of the ganglia with the endoplasmic ATPase inhibitor cyclopiazonic acid (CPA, 10 mumol l-1) caused a significant (53%) reduction of glutamate-induced [Ca2+]i transients, while incubation with lithium ions (2 mmol l-1) resulted in a 46% reduction. The effects of depleting the Ca2+ stores with CPA and of CNQX were additive. We conclude that glutamate-induced [Ca2+]i transients were mediated by activation of both Ca(2+)-permeable ionotropic non-NMDA receptors and of metabotropic glutamate receptors leading to Ca2+ release from intracellular Ca2+ stores.


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