title: Group III metabotropic glutamate receptor activation inhibits Ca2+ influx and nitric oxide synthase activity in bone marrow stromal cells.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is pivotal to bone physiology. In the central nervous system constitutive, Ca(2+)-calmodulin regulated NO synthase activity and glutamate signalling are intimately linked. Since L-glutamate signalling occurs in bone and is implicated in bone regulation, we have investigated the effect of L-glutamate on NO synthase in bone-derived cells. Treatment of marrow stromal cells with L-glutamate reduced basal NO synthase activity by 40%. Imaging showed that L-glutamate caused a rapid, usually localised and slowly-reversible fall in [Ca(2+)](i). This effect was resistant to disruption of intracellular Ca(2+) stores but sensitive to extracellular La(3+) or omission of extracellular Ca(2+), demonstrating that glutamate acts by inhibition of membrane Ca(2+) influx. The only previous description of such an effect of L-glutamate is via activation of the group III receptor, mGluR6, in the retina. Using Western blotting and RT-PCR we detected mGluR6 protein and transcripts in marrow stromal cells. The effects of L-glutamate on NOS activity and [Ca(2+)](i) in marrow stromal cells were abolished by a group III mGluR inhibitor, (S)-2-amino-2-methyl-4-phosphonobutyric acid. Recording of membrane potential showed that, similarly to the effects of retinal mGluR6 activation, L-glutamate induced membrane hyperpolarisation (-16 +/- 2 mV), which was also sensitive to group III mGluR inhibition. L-glutamate had no effect on cAMP levels. We conclude that activation of a group III mGluR in bone marrow stromal cells inhibits a Ca(2+)-permeable plasma membrane channel, reducing [Ca(2+)](i) and suppressing generation of NO. These observations directly link bone L-glutamate signalling to processes central to bone growth and regulation.
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Megan A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Foreman
authors.forename: Yuchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Howl
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Publicover
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018094:Receptors, Metabotropic Glutamate; C102718:metabotropic glutamate receptor 3; C113897:metabotropic glutamate receptor 6; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D002118:Calcium