scholarly journals Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in the Main Olfactory Bulb Drive Granule Cell-Mediated Inhibition

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 858-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Heinbockel ◽  
Nora Laaris ◽  
Matthew Ennis

Main olfactory bulb (MOB) granule cells (GCs) express high levels of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR), mGluR5. We investigated the role of mGluRs in regulating GC activity in rodent MOB slices using whole cell patch-clamp electrophysiology. The group I/II mGluR agonist (±)-1-aminocyclopentane- trans-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) or the selective group I agonist (RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) depolarized (∼20 mV) and increased the firing rate of GCs. In the presence of ionotropic glutamate and GABA receptor antagonists, DHPG evoked a more modest depolarization (∼8 mV). In voltage clamp, DHPG, but not group II [(2S,2′R,3)-2-(2′,3′-dicarboxycyclopropyl)glycine, DCG-IV] or group III [L(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid, L-AP4] mGluR agonists, induced an inward current. The inward current reversed polarity near the potassium equilibrium potential, suggesting mediation by closure of potassium channels. The DHPG-evoked inward current was unaffected by the mGluR1 antagonist ( S)-(+)-α-amino-4-carboxy-2-methylbenzeneacetic acid (LY367385), was blocked by the group I/II mGluR antagonist (α S)-α-amino-α-[(1 S,2 S)-2-carboxycyclopropyl]-9H-xanthine-9-propanoic acid (LY341495), and was absent in GCs from mGluR5 knockout mice. LY341495 also attenuated mitral cell-evoked voltage-sensitive dye signals in the external plexiform layer and mitral cell-evoked spikes in GCs. These results suggest that activation of mGluR5 increases GC excitability, an effect that should increase GC-mediated GABAergic inhibition of mitral cells. In support of this: DHPG increased the frequency of spontaneous GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents in mitral cells and LY341495 attenuated the feedback GABAergic postsynaptic potential elicited by intracellular depolarization of mitral cells. Our results suggest that activation of mGluR5 participates in feedforward and/or feedback inhibition at mitral cell to GC dendrodendritic synapses, possibly to modulate lateral inhibition and contrast in the MOB.

2006 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 2233-2241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Ennis ◽  
Mingyan Zhu ◽  
Thomas Heinbockel ◽  
Abdallah Hayar

The group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) subtype, mGluR1, is highly expressed on the apical dendrites of olfactory bulb mitral cells and thus may be activated by glutamate released from olfactory nerve (ON) terminals. Previous studies have shown that mGluR1 agonists directly excite mitral cells. In the present study, we investigated the involvement of mGluR1 in ON-evoked responses in mitral cells in rat olfactory bulb slices using patch-clamp electrophysiology. In voltage-clamp recordings, the average EPSC evoked by single ON shocks or brief trains of ON stimulation (six pulses at 50 Hz) in normal physiological conditions were not significantly affected by the nonselective mGluR antagonist LY341495 (50–100 μΜ) or the mGluR1-specific antagonist LY367385 (100 μM); ON-evoked responses were attenuated, however, in a subset (36%) of cells. In the presence of blockers of ionotropic glutamate and GABA receptors, application of the glutamate uptake inhibitors THA (300 μM) and TBOA (100 μM) revealed large-amplitude, long-duration responses to ON stimulation, whereas responses elicited by antidromic activation of mitral/tufted cells were unaffected. Magnitudes of the ON-evoked responses elicited in the presence of THA–TBOA were dependent on stimulation intensity and frequency, and were maximal during high-frequency (50-Hz) bursts of ON spikes, which occur during odor stimulation. ON-evoked responses elicited in the presence of THA–TBOA were significantly reduced or completely blocked by LY341495 or LY367385 (100 μM). These results demonstrate that glutamate transporters tightly regulate access of synaptically evoked glutamate from ON terminals to postsynaptic mGluR1s on mitral cell apical dendrites. Taken together with other findings, the present results suggest that mGluR1s may not play a major role in phasic responses to ON input, but instead may play an important role in shaping slow oscillatory activity in mitral cells and/or activity-dependent regulation of plasticity at ON–mitral cell synapses.


2004 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 3085-3096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Heinbockel ◽  
Philip Heyward ◽  
François Conquet ◽  
Matthew Ennis

In the rodent main olfactory bulb (MOB), mitral cells (MCs) express high levels of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) subtype, mGluR1. The significance of this receptor in modulating MC excitability is unknown. We investigated the physiological role of mGluR1 in regulating MC activity in rat and mouse MOB slices. The selective group I agonist (RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG), but not group II or III agonists, induced potent, dose-dependent, and reversible depolarization and increased firing of MCs. These effects persisted in the presence of blockers of fast synaptic transmission, indicating that they are due to direct activation of mGluRs on MCs. Voltage-clamp recordings showed that DHPG elicited a voltage-dependent inward current consisting of multiple components sensitive to potassium and calcium channel blockade and intracellular calcium chelation. MC excitatory responses to DHPG were absent in mGluR1 knockout mice but persisted in mGluR5 knockout mice. Broad-spectrum LY341495 , MCPG, as well as preferential mGluR1 LY367385 antagonists blocked the excitatory effects of DHPG and also potently modulated MC spontaneous and olfactory nerve-evoked excitability. mGluR antagonists altered spontaneous membrane potential bistability, increasing the duration of the up and down states. mGluR antagonists also substantially attenuated MC responses to sensory input, decreasing the probability and increasing the latency of olfactory nerve-evoked spikes. These findings suggest that endogenous glutamate tonically modulates MC excitability and responsiveness to olfactory nerve input, and hence the operation of the MOB circuitry, via activation of mGluR1.


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 3136-3141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Heinbockel ◽  
Kathryn A. Hamilton ◽  
Matthew Ennis

In the main olfactory bulb, several populations of granule cells (GCs) can be distinguished based on the soma location either superficially, interspersed with mitral cells within the mitral cell layer (MCL), or deeper, within the GC layer (GCL). Little is known about the physiological properties of superficial GCs (sGCs) versus deep GCs (dGCs). Here, we used patch-clamp recording methods to explore the role of Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in regulating the activity of GCs in slices from wildtype and mGluR−/− mutant mice. In wildtype mice, bath application of the selective Group I mGluR agonist DHPG depolarized and increased the firing rate of both GC subtypes. In the presence of blockers of fast synaptic transmission (APV, CNQX, gabazine), DHPG directly depolarized both GC subtypes, although the two GC subtypes responded differentially to DHPG in mGluR1−/− and mGluR5−/− mice. DHPG depolarized sGCs in slices from mGluR5−/− mice, although it had no effect on sGCs in slices from mGluR1−/− mice. By contrast, DHPG depolarized dGCs in slices from mGluR1−/− mice but had no effect on dGCs in slices from mGluR5−/− mice. Previous studies showed that mitral cells express mGluR1 but not mGluR5. The present results therefore suggest that sGCs are more similar to mitral cells than dGCs in terms of mGluR expression.


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.


2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 2173-2182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdallah Hayar ◽  
Phillip M. Heyward ◽  
Thomas Heinbockel ◽  
Michael T. Shipley ◽  
Matthew Ennis

The main olfactory bulb receives a significant modulatory noradrenergic input from the locus coeruleus. Previous in vivo and in vitro studies showed that norepinephrine (NE) inputs increase the sensitivity of mitral cells to weak olfactory inputs. The cellular basis for this action of NE is not understood. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of NE and noradrenergic agonists on the excitability of mitral cells, the main output cells of the olfactory bulb, using whole cell patch-clamp recording in vitro. The noradrenergic agonists, phenylephrine (PE, 10 μM), isoproterenol (Isop, 10 μM), and clonidine (3 μM), were used to test for the functional presence of α1-, β-, and α2-receptors, respectively, on mitral cells. None of these agonists affected olfactory nerve (ON)–evoked field potentials recorded in the glomerular layer, or ON-evoked postsynaptic currents recorded in mitral cells. In whole cell voltage-clamp recordings, NE (30 μM) induced an inward current (54 ± 7 pA, n= 16) with an EC50 of 4.7 μM. Both PE and Isop also produced inward currents (22 ± 4 pA, n = 19, and 29 ± 9 pA, n = 8, respectively), while clonidine produced no effect ( n = 6). In the presence of TTX (1 μM), and blockers of excitatory and inhibitory fast synaptic transmission [gabazine 5 μM, 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) 10 μM, and (±)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (APV) 50 μM], the inward current induced by PE persisted (EC50 = 9 μM), whereas that of Isop was absent. The effect of PE was also observed in the presence of the Ca2+ channel blockers, cadmium (100 μM) and nickel (100 μM). The inward current caused by PE was blocked when the interior of the cell was perfused with the nonhydrolyzable GDP analogue, GDPβS, indicating that the α1 effect is mediated by G-protein coupling. The current-voltage relationship in the absence and presence of PE indicated that the current induced by PE decreased near the equilibrium potential for potassium ions. In current-clamp recordings from bistable mitral cells, PE shifted the membrane potential from the downstate (−52 mV) toward the upstate (−40 mV), and significantly increased spike generation in response to perithreshold ON input. These findings indicate that NE excites mitral cells directly via α1 receptors, an effect that may underlie, at least in part, increased mitral cell responses to weak ON input during locus coeruleus activation in vivo.


1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 1468-1475 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. E. Schoppa ◽  
G. L. Westbrook

Schoppa, N. E. and G. L. Westbrook. Modulation of mEPSCs in olfactory bulb mitral cells by metabotropic glutamate receptors. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 1468–1475, 1997. Olfactory bulb mitral cells express group I (mGluR1), group II (mGluR2), and group III (mGluR7 and mGluR8) metabotropic glutamate receptors. We examined the role of these mGluRs on excitatory synaptic transmission in cultured mitral cells with the use of whole cell patch-clamp recordings. The effects of group-selective mGluR agonists and antagonists were tested on α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid-receptor-mediated miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs). (1S,3R)-1-amino-cyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylate (ACPD) or the group-I-selective agonist 3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine evoked an inward current accompanied by a decrease in membrane conductance, consistent with the previously described closure of potassium channels by group I agonists. The increased cellular excitability was accompanied by an increase in mEPSC frequency in some cells. When calcium entry was blocked by cadmium, ACPD or the group-II-selective agonist 2-(2,3-dicarboxycyclopropyl)-glycine reduced the mEPSC frequency. l-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (l-AP4), a group-III-selective agonist, caused a similar decrease. The concentration-dependence ofl-AP4-mediated inhibition was most consistent with activation of mGluR8. We investigated two possible effector mechanisms for the group III presynaptic receptor. Bath application of forskolin or 3-isobutyl-1-methylxantine had no effect on mEPSC frequency. Increasing calcium influx by raising extracellular K+ caused a large increase in the mEPSC frequency but did not enhance l-AP4-mediated inhibition. Thus inhibition of mEPSCs involves a mechanism downstream of calcium entry and appears to be independent of adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate. Our results indicate that both group II and III receptors can inhibit glutamate release at mitral cell terminals. Although group II/III receptors had a similar effect on mEPSCs, differences in location on nerve terminals and in glutamate sensitivity suggest that each mGluR may have discrete actions on mitral cell activity.


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