title: N-methyl-D-aspartate raises cytosolic calcium concentration in rat cerebellar granule cells in culture.
abstract: The effects of glutamate receptor agonists on cytosolic calcium concentration in freshly isolated cerebellar granule cells and cells maintained in short term culture were determined using the fluorescent indicator fura-2. In freshly isolated cells depolarisation with high-K+ or addition of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) had no or only small effects on cytosolic calcium. After cells had been grown in monolayer culture for 20 h marked increases in cytosolic calcium concentration in response to 25 mm K+ or NMDA were detected. Other glutamate agonists had no (quisqualate) or small (kainate) effects on cytosolic calcium concentration. NMDA elevated cytosolic calcium concentration in the absence or presence of Mg2+ both before and after depolarisation by high K+. The results suggest that the effect of NMDA on granule cell differentiation and survival could be mediated by elevation of cytosolic calcium levels.
authors.affiliation: MRC Secretory Control Research Group, University of Liverpool, U.K.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Burgoyne
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cambray-Deakin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001572:Benzofurans; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D003600:Cytosol / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D016257:Fura-2; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D051381:Rats; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001572:Benzofurans; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2