title: Metabotropic glutamate receptor expression in the rat superior cervical ganglion.
abstract: To begin to determine what role metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) play in the peripheral nervous system, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to probe RNA isolated from sympathetic neurons of the rat superior cervical ganglion (SCG). RT-PCR primers were designed to detect each of the eight rat mGluR transcripts. Only one, mGluR7, was detected in RNA from rat SCG, though each appeared to be present in RNA from whole rat brain. Although mGluR7 messenger RNA is apparently present in rat SCG, functional mGluR7 was not observed, as application of neither glutamate nor the group III mGluR agonist L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (L-AP4) produced calcium current modulation in isolated SCG neurons, as would be expected. However, following mGluR7 heterologous expression, application of L-AP4 did produce moderate calcium current modulation in isolated neurons, indicating that mGluR7 can express on the surface of SCG soma, and that its activation can modulate calcium currents.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Guthrie Research Institute, Sayre, PA 18840, USA. pkamms@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kammermeier
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ikeda
mesh_terms: D000613:Aminobutyrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D017931:DNA Primers; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D017783:Superior Cervical Ganglion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000613:Aminobutyrates; D017931:DNA Primers; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; C102719:metabotropic glutamate receptor 7; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C012729:2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid