title: Evidence that functional glutamate receptors are not expressed on rat or human cerebromicrovascular endothelial cells.
abstract: Excitatory amino acids can modify the tone of cerebral vessels and permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by acting directly on endothelial cells of cerebral vessels or indirectly by activating receptors expressed on other brain cells. In this study we examined whether rat or human cerebromicrovascular endothelial cells (CEC) express ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors. Glutamate and the glutamate receptor agonists N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA), and kainate failed to increase [Ca2+]i in either rat or human microvascular and capillary CEC but elicited robust responses in primary rat cortical neurons, as measured by fura-2 fluorescence. The absence of NMDA and AMPA receptors in rat and human CEC was further confirmed by the lack of immunocytochemical staining of cells by antibodies specific for the AMPA receptor subunits GluR1, GluR2/3, and GluR4 and the NMDA receptor subunits NR1, NR2A, and NR2B. We failed to detect mRNA expression of the AMPA receptor subunits GluR1 to GluR4 or the NMDA receptor subunits NR1(1XX); NR1(0XX), and NR2A to NR2C in both freshly isolated rat and human microvessels and cultured CEC using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cultured rat CEC expressed mRNA for KA1 or KA2 and GluR5 subunits. Primary rat cortical neurons were found to express GluR1 to GluR3 and NR1, NR2A, and NR2B by both immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR and KA1, KA2, GluR5, GluR6, and GluR7 by RT-PCR. Moreover, the metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist 1-amino-cyclopentyl-1S, 3R-dicorboxylate (1S,3R-trans-ACPD), while eliciting both inositol trisphosphate and [Ca2+]i increases and inhibiting forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP in cortical neurons, was unable to induce either of these responses in rat or human CEC. These results strongly suggest that both rat and human CEC do not express functional glutamate receptors. Therefore, excitatory amino acid-induced changes in the cerebral microvascular tone and BBB permeability must be affected indirectly, most likely by mediators released from the adjacent glutamate-responsive cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biological Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Morley
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Mealing
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Poulter
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Durkin
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Stanimirovic
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005576:Colforsin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000502:physiology; D003515:Cycloleucine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000494:pharmacology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate / Q000502:physiology; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015290:Second Messenger Systems / Q000187:drug effects; D018350:alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium; D005576:Colforsin; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D003515:Cycloleucine; D019332:Endothelin-1; D015544:Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; D007608:Kainic Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D018350:alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid; C073111:metabotropic quisqualate receptor; C036361:1-amino-1,3-dicarboxycyclopentane