TY - JOUR
T1 - Mammalian motor neurons corelease glutamate and acetylcholine at central synapses
AU - Nishimaru, Hiroshi
AU - Restrepo, Carlos Ernesto
AU - Ryge, Jesper
AU - Yanagawa, Yuchio
AU - Kiehn, Ole
PY - 2005/4/5
Y1 - 2005/4/5
N2 - Motor neurons (MNs) are the principal neurons in the mammalian spinal cord whose activities cause muscles to contract. In addition to their peripheral axons, MNs have central collaterals that contact inhibitory Renshaw cells and other MNs. Since its original discovery > 60 years ago, it has been a general notion that acetylcholine is the only transmitter released from MN synapses both peripherally and centrally. Here, we show, using a multidisciplinary approach, that mammalian spinal MNs, in addition to acetylcholine, corelease glutamate to excite Renshaw cells and other MNs but not to excite muscles. Our study demonstrates that glutamate can be released as a functional neurotransmitter from mammalian MNs.
AB - Motor neurons (MNs) are the principal neurons in the mammalian spinal cord whose activities cause muscles to contract. In addition to their peripheral axons, MNs have central collaterals that contact inhibitory Renshaw cells and other MNs. Since its original discovery > 60 years ago, it has been a general notion that acetylcholine is the only transmitter released from MN synapses both peripherally and centrally. Here, we show, using a multidisciplinary approach, that mammalian spinal MNs, in addition to acetylcholine, corelease glutamate to excite Renshaw cells and other MNs but not to excite muscles. Our study demonstrates that glutamate can be released as a functional neurotransmitter from mammalian MNs.
KW - Spinal cord
KW - Synaptic transmission
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=17044381722&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0501331102
DO - 10.1073/pnas.0501331102
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 15781854
AN - SCOPUS:17044381722
SN - 0027-8424
VL - 102
SP - 5245
EP - 5249
JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
IS - 14
ER -