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The receptor subunits generating NMDA receptor mediated currents in oligodendrocytes
Author(s) -
Burzomato Valeria,
Frugier Guillaume,
PérezOtaño Isabel,
Kittler Josef T.,
Attwell David
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.195503
Subject(s) - nmda receptor , glutamate receptor , receptor , chemistry , oligodendrocyte , biophysics , myelin , cerebellum , protein subunit , ionotropic effect , neuroscience , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , biochemistry , central nervous system , gene
NMDA receptors have been shown to contribute to glutamate‐evoked currents in oligodendrocytes. Activation of these receptors damages myelin in ischaemia, in part because they are more weakly blocked by Mg 2+ than are most neuronal NMDA receptors. This weak Mg 2+ block was suggested to reflect an unusual subunit composition including the NR2C and NR3A subunits. Here we expressed NR1/NR2C and triplet NR1/NR2C/NR3A recombinant receptors in HEK cells and compared their currents with those of NMDA‐evoked currents in rat cerebellar oligodendrocytes. NR1/NR2C/3A receptors were less blocked by 2 m m Mg 2+ than were NR1/NR2C receptors (the remaining current was 30% and 18%, respectively, of that seen without added Mg 2+ ) and showed less channel noise, suggesting a smaller single channel conductance. NMDA‐evoked currents in oligodendrocytes showed a Mg 2+ block (to 32%) similar to that observed for NR1/NR2C/NR3A and significantly different from that for NR1/NR2C receptors. Co‐immunoprecipitation revealed interactions between NR1, NR2C and NR3A subunits in a purified myelin preparation from rat brain. These data are consistent with NMDA‐evoked currents in oligodendrocytes reflecting the activation of receptors containing NR1, NR2C and NR3A subunits.