title: Expression and function of glycine receptors in striatal cholinergic interneurons from rat and mouse.
abstract: Although glycine receptors are widely expressed in the forebrain their function is obscure. We studied their activation by two possible endogenous ligands, glycine and taurine, and demonstrate a different expression pattern of glycine receptors in neostriatal cholinergic interneurons from two rodent species. Single-cell-reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of glycine receptor-subunit expression was combined with whole-cell recordings from acutely isolated cholinergic interneurons. All cells expressed the alpha2-glycine receptor subunit, the majority (72%) in mice but none in young and aged rats expressed the alpha3-subunit. The beta-subunit expression was associated with both a higher efficacy and a higher potency of the partial agonist taurine. Cells expressing the alpha3-subunit displayed a slower desensitization of taurine responses than of glycine responses, in contrast to cells expressing the alpha2-, beta-subunits where desensitization time constants were similar. Glycine responses were reduced by preapplication of taurine; this effect was more pronounced in cells lacking the alpha3-subunit. We demonstrate interspecies differences and heterogeneity in expression and function of glycine receptors within the same neuronal population in the neostriatum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurophysiology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, D-40001 Düsseldorf, Germany. olga.sergeeva@uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Sergeeva
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Haas
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D048429:Cell Size / Q000502:physiology; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005998:Glycine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D018684:Glycine Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D007395:Interneurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D018009:Receptors, Glycine / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013331:Strychnine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D018118:Chloride Channels; D018684:Glycine Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018009:Receptors, Glycine; D013654:Taurine; D013331:Strychnine; D000109:Acetylcholine; D005998:Glycine