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Glia Modulate NMDA‐Mediated Signaling in Primary Cultures of Cerebellar Granule Cells
Author(s) -
BeamanHall Carol M.,
Leahy J. Clancy,
Benmansour Saloua,
Vallano Mary Lou
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1998.71051993.x
Subject(s) - astrocyte , neurotoxicity , nmda receptor , glutamate receptor , biology , neuroglia , microbiology and biotechnology , cerebellum , neurotoxin , neuroscience , chemistry , biochemistry , central nervous system , toxicity , receptor , organic chemistry
Excessive activation of N ‐methyl‐ d ‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor channels (NRs) is a major cause of neuronal death associated with stroke and ischemia. Cerebellar granule neurons in vivo, but not in culture, are relatively resistant to toxicity, possibly owing to protective effects of glia. To evaluate whether NR‐mediated signaling is modulated when developing neurons are cocultured with glia, the neurotoxic responses of rat cerebellar granule cells to applied NMDA or glutamate were compared in astrocyte‐rich and astrocyte‐poor cultures. In astrocyte‐poor cultures, significant neurotoxicity was observed in response to NMDA or glutamate and was inhibited by an NR antagonist. Astrocyte‐rich neuronal cultures demonstrated three significant differences, compared with astrocyte‐poor cultures: (a) Neuronal viability was increased; (b) glutamate‐mediated neurotoxicity was decreased, consistent with the presence of a sodium‐coupled glutamate transport system in astrocytes; and (c) NMDA‐ but not kainate‐mediated neurotoxicity was decreased, in a manner that depended on the relative abundance of glia in the culture. Because glia do not express NRs or an NMDA transport system, the mechanism of protection is distinct from that observed in response to glutamate. No differences in NR subunit composition (evaluated using RT‐PCR assays for NR1 and NR2 subunit mRNAs), NR sensitivity (evaluated by measuring NR‐mediated changes in intracellular Ca 2+ levels), or glycine availability as a coagonist (evaluated in the presence and absence of exogenous glycine) were observed between astrocyte‐rich and astrocyte‐poor cultures, suggesting that glia do not directly modulate NR composition or function. Nordihydroguaiaretic acid, a lipoxygenase inhibitor, blocked NMDA‐mediated toxicity in astrocyte‐poor cultures, raising the possibility that glia effectively reduce the accumulation of highly diffusible and toxic arachidonic acid metabolites in neurons. Alternatively, glia may alter neuronal development/phenotype in a manner that selectively reduces susceptibility to NR‐mediated toxicity.