Role of astrocytes in depolarization-coupled release of glutamate in cerebellar cultures

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Release of preloaded D-[3H]aspartate in response to depolarization induced by high potassium, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) or the endogenous agonist glutamate was studied using cultured glutamatergic cerebellar granule neurons, cerebellar astrocytes, and corresponding cocultures. Release from the vesicular and the cytoplasmic glutamate pools, respectively, was distinguished employing the competitive, non-transportable glutamate transport inhibitor DL-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate (DL-TBOA). The results indicate that the release in response to AMPA (30 microM) in the presence of cyclothiazide (50 microM) to block desensitization, was of a vesicular origin. Pulses of 55 mM K+ caused a DL-TBOA resistant efflux of preloaded D-[3H]aspartate from astrocytes, indicating that this release was not mediated by glutamate transporters. The results furthermore support the notion of an important function of the astrocytes in the uptake of released glutamate, because DL-TBOA caused a large, apparent increase in the depolarization-coupled release of preloaded D-[3H]aspartate in the cocultures, compared to neuronal monocultures.

    Original languageEnglish
    JournalNeurochemical Research
    Volume29
    Issue number1
    Pages (from-to)257-65
    Number of pages9
    ISSN0364-3190
    Publication statusPublished - Jan 2004

    Keywords

    • Animals
    • Aspartic Acid
    • Astrocytes
    • Cells, Cultured
    • Cerebellum
    • Glutamic Acid
    • Mice
    • Nocodazole
    • alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid

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