title: Group I and II metabotropic glutamate receptor expression in cultured rat spinal cord astrocytes.
abstract: We have examined the development of expression of group I and II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in pure rat spinal cord astrocyte cultures, using immunocytological and calcium imaging techniques. mGluR1alpha and mGluR2/3 antibodies were found to label roughly 10% of the total astrocyte population at all time points examined, whereas mGluR5 was poorly expressed in our culture system. Results from intracellular Ca2+ imaging experiments, measured using fura-2 ratio imaging, suggest that 20% of these cultured astrocytes express functional group I mGluRs (mGluR1 and/or 5). Our results contrast with previously published work in cultured cortical astrocytes where mGluR5 and not mGluR1 is expressed, suggesting that cultured astrocytes from different parts of the CNS exhibit different patterns of mGluR expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Theriault
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Pennefather
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Feeney
mesh_terms: D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003515:Cycloleucine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D016257:Fura-2; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D064529:Receptor, Metabotropic Glutamate 5; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000235:genetics*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; C578937:Grm5 protein, rat; D064529:Receptor, Metabotropic Glutamate 5; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; C108822:metabotropic glutamate receptor 2; C102718:metabotropic glutamate receptor 3; C104077:metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1; D003515:Cycloleucine; C036361:1-amino-1,3-dicarboxycyclopentane; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D002118:Calcium; D016257:Fura-2