Extension of glial processes by activation of... : NeuroReport (original) (raw)

GLIAL CELLS

Extension of glial processes by activation of Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptor channels

Ishiuchi, Shogo1,6, CA; Tsuzuki, Keisuke2,6; Yamada, Nobuaki2,6; Okado, Haruo5,6; Miwa, Akiko5,6; Kuromi, Hiroshi3; Yokoo, Hideaki4; Nakazato, Yoichi4; Sasaki, Tomio1; Ozawa, Seiji2,6

Departments of 1Neurosurgery, 2Physiology and 4Pathology, and 3Institute for Behavioral Sciences, Gunma University School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511; 5Department of Neurobiology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, Fuchu 183-8526; 6Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan

CACorresponding Author

Received 22 September 2000; accepted 8 January 2001

Abstract

AMPA type-glutamate receptor channels (AMPARs) assembled without the GluR2 (GluR-B) subunit are characterized by high Ca2+ permeability, and are expressed abundantly in cerebellar Bergmann glial cells. Here we show that the morphology of cultured Bergmann glia-like fusiform cells derived from the rat cerebellum was changed by manipulating expression of Ca2+-permeable AMPARs using adenoviral vector-mediated gene transfer. Converting endogenous Ca2+-permeable AMPARs into Ca2+-impermeable channels by viral-mediated transfer of GluR2 gene induced retraction of glial processes. In contrast, overexpression of Ca2+-permeable AMPARs markedly elongated glial processes. The process extension was blocked by 2,3-Dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoylbenzo(F)quinoxaline (NBQX), a specific antagonist of AMPAR. These results indicate that glutamate regulates the morphology of glial processes by activating Ca2+-permeable AMPARs.