title: Modulation of desensitization at glutamate receptors in isolated crucian carp horizontal cells by concanavalin A, cyclothiazide, aniracetam and PEPA.
abstract: In horizontal cells freshly dissociated from crucian carp (Carassius auratus) retina, we examined the effects of modulators of glutamate receptor desensitization, concanavalin A, cyclothiazide, aniracetam and 4-[2-(phenylsulfonylamino)ethylthio]-2,6-difluoro-phenoxyacetam ide (PEPA), on responses to rapid application of glutamate and kainate, using whole-cell voltage-clamp techniques. Incubation of concanavalin A suppressed the peak response but weakly potentiated the equilibrium response of horizontal cells to glutamate. Cyclothiazide blocked glutamate-induced desensitization in a dose-dependent manner, which resulted in a steady increase of the equilibrium current. The concentration of cyclothiazide causing a half-maximal potentiation for the equilibrium response was 85 microM. Furthermore, cyclothiazide shifted the dose-response relationship of the equilibrium current to the right, but slightly suppressed the kainate-induced sustained current. These effects of concanavalin A and cyclothiazide are consistent with the supposition that glutamate receptors of carp horizontal cells may be an alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA)-preferring subtype. In order to further characterize the AMPA receptors of horizontal cells, modulation by aniracetam and PEPA of glutamate- and kainate-induced currents was studied. Aniracetam, a preferential modulator of flop variants of AMPA receptors, considerably blocked desensitization of glutamate-induced currents, but only slightly potentiated kainate-induced currents. It was further found that PEPA, a flop-preferring allosteric modulator of AMPA receptor desensitization, slightly suppressed the peak current, while it dramatically potentiated the equilibrium current induced by glutamate in a dose-dependent manner. PEPA was much potent than aniracetam at these receptors and showed the effect on glutamate-induced desensitization even at a concentration as low as 3 microM. PEPA also potentiated non-desensitizing currents induced by kainate, but with much less extent. These modulatory effects of concanavalin A, cyclothiazide, aniracetam and PEPA on AMPA receptors in carp horizontal cells were rather similar to those obtained at AMPA receptors assembled from flop variants expressed in Xenopus oocyte and HEK cell. Consequently, we speculate that the AMPA receptor on carp horizontal cells may predominantly carry the flop splice variants.
authors: Shanghai Institute of Physiology and Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Shen
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Lu
authors: X L
authors: XL
authors: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001581:Benzothiadiazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006054:Goldfish / Q000378:metabolism*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D011760:Pyrrolidinones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000187:drug effects; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000187:drug effects*; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; D001581:Benzothiadiazines; D003208:Concanavalin A; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D011760:Pyrrolidinones; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; C036466:aniracetam; C022325:aspartic proteinase A; C004639:cyclothiazide