title: Chronic interleukin-6 alters NMDA receptor-mediated membrane responses and enhances neurotoxicity in developing CNS neurons.
abstract: Recent studies show that the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is expressed at elevated levels in the CNS in several disease states and contributes to the neuropathological process. The mechanisms through which IL-6 exerts its CNS effects are primarily unknown. We have investigated the pathophysiological effects of IL-6 on developing CNS neurons using a culture model system and a chronic treatment paradigm. Here, we show, using current- and voltage-clamp recordings, that chronic IL-6 treatment of developing cerebellar granule neurons increases the membrane and current response to NMDA and that these effects are the primary mechanism through which IL-6 produces an enhanced calcium signal to NMDA. We also show that calcium influx through voltage-sensitive calcium channels contributes to the enhanced calcium signal to NMDA in the IL-6-treated neurons in a developmentally regulated manner and that the membrane depolarization to NMDA is more sensitive to the NMDA receptor antagonist ifenprodil in the IL-6-treated neurons compared with control neurons at a late developmental stage, consistent with a larger proportion of NMDA receptors containing the NMDAR2B subunit in the IL-6-treated neurons. Additional studies show that IL-6 treatment reduces the number of granule neurons in culture and enhances neurotoxicity involving NMDA receptors. These results support a pathological role for IL-6 in the CNS and indicate that NMDA receptor-mediated functions are likely to play a critical role in neuropathological changes observed in CNS diseases associated with elevated CNS levels of IL-6.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropharmacology and AIDS Research Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Netzeband
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Gruol
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D015850:Interleukin-6; D010880:Piperidines; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; C010739:ifenprodil