title: N-methyl-D-aspartate enhancement of the glycine response in the rat sacral dorsal commissural neurons.
abstract: The effect of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) on the glycine (Gly) response was examined in neurons acutely dissociated from the rat sacral dorsal commissural nucleus (SDCN) using the nystatin-perforated patch-recording configuration under voltage-clamp conditions. The application of 100 microM NMDA to SDCN neurons reversibly potentiated Gly-activated Cl- currents (IGly) without affecting the Gly binding affinity and the reversal potential of IGly. A selective NMDA receptor antagonist, APV (100 microM), blocked the NMDA-induced potentiation of IGly, whereas 50 microM CNQX, a non-NMDA receptor antagonist, did not. The potentiation effect was reduced when NMDA was applied in a Ca2+-free extracellular solution or in the presence of BAPTA AM, and was independent of the activation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels. Pretreatment with KN-62, a selective Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) inhibitor, abolished the NMDA action. Inhibition of calcineurin (CaN) further enhanced the NMDA-induced potentiation of IGly. In addition, the GABAA receptor-mediated currents were suppressed by NMDA receptor activation in the SDCN neurons. The present results show that Ca2+ entry through NMDA receptors modulates the Gly receptor function via coactivation of CaMKII and CaN in the rat SDCN neurons. This interaction may represent one of the important regulatory mechanisms of spinal nociception. The results also suggest that GABAA and Gly receptors may be subject to different intracellular modulatory pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, PO Box 4, Hefei 230027, P. R. China. xutianle@ustc.edu.cn
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: X P
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate / Q000494:pharmacology; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000502:physiology; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015220:Calcium Channels; D018118:Chloride Channels; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; C063302:KN 62; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione; D015763:2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate; D019307:1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; C025603:1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid; D005998:Glycine