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Functional identification of activity‐regulated, high‐affinity glutamine transport in hippocampal neurons inhibited by riluzole
Author(s) -
Erickson Jeffrey D.
Publication year - 2017
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 - 10.1111/jnc.14046
Subject(s) - glutamate receptor , glutamatergic , riluzole , glutamine , chemistry , excitatory postsynaptic potential , extracellular , biochemistry , neurotransmission , tetrodotoxin , biophysics , neurotransmitter , hippocampal formation , neuroscience , biology , receptor , amino acid
Abstract Glutamine (Gln) is considered the preferred precursor for the neurotransmitter pool of glutamate (Glu), the major excitatory transmitter in the mammalian CNS . Here, an activity‐regulated, high‐affinity Gln transport system is described in developing and mature neuron‐enriched hippocampal cultures that is potently inhibited by riluzole ( IC 50 1.3 ± 0.5 μM), an anti‐glutamatergic drug, and is blocked by low concentrations of 2‐(methylamino)isobutyrate (Me AIB ), a system A transport inhibitor. K + ‐stimulated Me AIB transport displays an affinity ( K m ) for Me AIB of 37 ± 1.2 μM, saturates at ~ 200 μM, is dependent on extracellular Ca 2+ , and is blocked by inhibition of voltage‐gated Ca 2+ channels. Spontaneous Me AIB transport is also dependent on extracellullar Ca 2+ and voltage‐gated calcium channels, but is also blocked by the Na + channel blocker tetrodotoxin, by Glu receptor antagonists, and by GABA indicating its dependence on intact neural circuits driven by endogenous glutamatergic activity. The transport of Me AIB itself does not rely on Ca 2+ , but on Na + ions, and is pH sensitive. Activity‐regulated, riluzole‐sensitive spontaneous and K + ‐stimulated transport is minimal at 7–8 days in vitro , coordinately induced during the next 2 weeks and is maximally expressed by days in vitro > 20; the known period for maturation of the Glu/Gln cycle and regulated pre‐synaptic Glu release. Competition analyses with various amino acids indicate that Gln is the most likely physiological substrate. Activity‐regulated Gln/Me AIB transport is not observed in astrocytes. The functional identification of activity‐regulated, high‐affinity, riluzole‐sensitive Gln/Me AIB transport in hippocampal neurons may have important ramifications in the neurobiology of activity‐stimulated pre‐synaptic Glu release, the Glu/Gln cycle between astrocytes and neurons, and neuronal Glu‐induced excitotoxicity.Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.13805 .