title: Cytosolic calcium transient increase through the AMPA/kainate receptor in cultured Müller cells.
abstract: The intracellular concentration of free calcium ions ([Ca2+]i) following administration of glutamate agonist was monitored for retinal Müller cells cultured from adult rabbits using a fluorescence microscope equipped with a video camera system. The calcium concentration was imaged with fura-2. The transient increase of [Ca2+]i was observed following the administration of L-glutamate (3 mM), kainate (0.07-7 mM) and L-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA, 0.07-7 mM), but not N-methyl-L-aspartate (NMDA, 0.7-7 mM) in Mg(2+)-free medium. The AMPA/kainate-induced increase of [Ca2+]i was blocked by the non-NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) or low concentrations of external calcium. High K+ solution induced a slight but definite increase in [Ca2+]i which was blocked by nifedipine, a voltage-dependent calcium channel blocker, at 100 microM, suggesting that L-type calcium channels are present in cultured Müller cells. The AMPA-induced transient increase of [Ca2+]i was not blocked at the same concentration of nifedipine. There must be an influx of calcium ions through non-NMDA AMPA-kainate receptors in Müller cells. In the retina, glutamate receptor-linked events are no longer considered as specific to neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wakakura
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003600:Cytosol / Q000378:metabolism; D005971:Glutamates / Q000494:pharmacology; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000378:metabolism*; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D005971:Glutamates; D007608:Kainic Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D011188:Potassium; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors