title: Some receptor properties in motor neurons of an Aplysia withdrawal reflex.
abstract: Glutamate or a glutamate-related substance is the neurotransmitter used at the majority of the excitatory junctions of the neuronal network mediating the gill and siphon withdrawal reflex in Aplysia. In this report, we have studied some receptor properties of the major postsynaptic elements of the network, the motor neurons. We have examined the effect of a compound interfering with glutamate receptor, concanavalin A (con A). We found that con A treatment transforms the mainly hyperpolarizing responses to L-glutamate in motor neurons to prolonged depolarizing ones; these latter responses are sensitive to CNQX. We have also examined whether con A could enhance the CNQX sensitive excitatory postsynaptic potentials in these motor neurons. We found, by contrast, that con A did not alter the synaptic responses. The possible implications of the differential effect of con A on the glutamate responses and the synaptic responses are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, Centre de recherche en sciences neurologiques, Département de physiologie, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: M V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Storozhuk
authors.forename: V F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Castellucci
mesh_terms: D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001048:Aplysia / Q000502:physiology*; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D003208:Concanavalin A; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione