title: Substantia nigra osmoregulation: taurine and ATP involvement.
abstract: An extracellular nonsynaptic taurine pool of glial origin was recently reported in the substantia nigra (SN). There is previous evidence showing taurine as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the SN, but the physiological role of this nonsynaptic pool of taurine has not been explored. By using microdialysis methods, we studied the action of local osmolarity on the nonsynaptic taurine pool in the SN of the rat. Hypoosmolar pulses (285-80 mosM) administered in the SN by the microdialysis probe increased extrasynaptic taurine in a dose-dependent way, a response that was counteracted by compensating osmolarity with choline. The opposite effect (taurine decrease) was observed when osmolarity was increased. Under basal conditions, the blockade of either the AMPA-kainate glutamate receptors with 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dionine disodium or the purinergic receptors with pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid modified the taurine concentration, suggesting that both receptors modulate the extrasynaptic pool of taurine. In addition, these drugs decreased the taurine response to hypoosmolar pulses, suggesting roles for glutamatergic and purinergic receptors in the taurine response to osmolarity. The participation of purinergic receptors was also supported by the fact that ATP (which, under basal conditions, increased the extrasynaptic taurine in a dose-dependent way) administered in doses saturating purinergic receptors also decreased the taurine response to hypoosmolarity. Taken together, present data suggest osmoregulation as a role of the nonsynaptic taurine pool of the SN, a function that also involves glutamate and ATP and that could influence the nigral cell vulnerability in Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurobiology and Experimental Neurology, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Jose G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Dopico
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabate
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Hernandez
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
mesh_terms: D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D006982:Hypertonic Solutions / Q000378:metabolism; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D058919:Purinergic P2 Receptor Antagonists; D011732:Pyridoxal Phosphate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000378:metabolism; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D006982:Hypertonic Solutions; D007038:Hypotonic Solutions; D058919:Purinergic P2 Receptor Antagonists; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; C077792:pyridoxal phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid; D013654:Taurine; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D011732:Pyridoxal Phosphate; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D002794:Choline