title: Glutamatergic calcium dynamics and deregulation of rat retinal ganglion cells.
abstract: A rise in intracellular calcium levels ([Ca(2+)](i)) is a key trigger for the lethal effects of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in various central neurons, but a consensus has not been reached on the pathways that mediate glutamate-dependent increases of [Ca(2+)](i) in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Using Ca(2+) imaging techniques we demonstrated that, in the absence of external Mg(2+), the Ca(2+) signal evoked by glutamate was predominantly mediated by NMDA-type glutamate receptors (NMDA-Rs) in immunopanned RGCs isolated from neonatal or adult rats. Voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels and AMPA/kainate-Rs contributed a smaller portion of the Ca(2+) response at saturating concentrations of glutamate. Consistent with NMDA-R involvement, extracellular Mg(2+) inhibited RGC glutamate responses, while glycine had a potentiating effect. With Mg(2+) present externally, the effect of AMPA/kainate-R antagonists was enhanced and both NMDA- and AMPA/kainate-R antagonists greatly reduced the glutamate-induced increases of RGC [Ca(2+)](i). This finding indicates that the primary contribution of AMPA/kainate-Rs to RGC glutamatergic Ca(2+) dynamics is through the depolarization-dependent relief of the Mg(2+) block of NMDA-R channels. The effect of glutamate receptor antagonists on glutamatergic Ca(2+) signals from RGCs in adult rat retinal wholemounts yielded results similar to those obtained using immunopanned RGCs. Additional experiments on isolated RGCs revealed that during a 1 h glutamate (10-1000 microm) exposure, 18-28% of RGCs exhibited delayed Ca(2+) deregulation (DCD) and the RGCs that underwent DCD were positive for the death marker annexin V. RGCs with larger glutamate-evoked Ca(2+) signals were more likely to undergo DCD, and NMDA-R blockade significantly reduced the occurrence of DCD. Identifying the mechanisms underlying RGC excitotoxicity aids in our understanding of the pathophysiology of retinal ischaemia, and this work establishes a major role for NMDA-R-mediated increases in [Ca(2+)](i) in glutamate-related RGC death.
authors.affiliation: Retina and Optic Nerve Research Laboratory, Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Andrew T E
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Hartwick
authors.forename: Claire M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Baldridge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005998:Glycine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology; D020960:omega-Conotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D020960:omega-Conotoxins; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D014700:Verapamil; D002118:Calcium; D005998:Glycine