Effect of chronic gestational treatment with the adenosine A1 receptor agonist R-phenylisopropyladenosine on metabotropic glutamate receptors/phospholipase C pathway in maternal and fetal brain

Functional Cross-Talk between Adenosine and Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors

Abstract: G-protein coupled receptors are transmembrane proteins widely expressed in cells and their transduction pathways are mediated by controlling second messenger levels through different G-protein interactions. Many of these receptors have been described as involved in the physiopathology of neurodegenerative diseases and even considered as potential targets for the design of novel therapeutic strategies. Endogenous and synthetic allosteric and orthosteric selective ligands are able to modulate GPCRs at both gene and protein expression levels and can also modify their physiological function. GPCRs that coexist in the same cells can homo- and heteromerize, therefore, modulating their function. Adenosine receptors are GPCRs which stimulate or inhibit adenylyl cyclase activity through Gi/Gs protein and are involved in the control of neurotransmitter release as glutamate. In turn, metabotropic glutamate receptors are also GPCRs which inhibit adenylyl cyclase or stimulate phospholipase C activities through Gi or Gq proteins, respectively. In recent years, evidence of crosstalk mechanisms be-tween different GPCRs have been described. The aim of the present review was to summarize the described mechanisms of interaction and crosstalking between adenosine and metabotropic glutamate receptors, mainly of group I, in both in vitro and in vivo systems, and their possible use for the design of novel ligands for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Gender-specific desensitization of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors after maternal l-glutamate intake during lactation

In the present work we have studied the effect of maternal intake of l-Glutamate (l-Glu) (1 g/L) during lactation on group I mGluR transduction pathway in brain plasma membrane from 15 days-old neonates. Results obtained have shown that maternal l-glutamate intake did not significantly affect neither weights of pups nor negative geotaxis reflex, an index of neurobehavioral development, but increased l-Glu plasma level in both male and female neonates. In male neonates, maternal l-Glu intake evoked a loss of mGluR₁ whereas no variation on mGluR₅ was observed as revealed by Western-blotting assay. The loss of mGlu₁R was accompanied by a decrease on l-Glu-stimulated phospholipase C activity suggesting, therefore, a loss of group I mGluR functionality. Concerning female neonates, no variations were detected neither mGluR₁ nor mGluR₅ and group I mGluR functionality was also preserved.

Glutamate differently modulates excitatory and inhibitory adenosine receptors in neuronal and glial cells

Adenosine is a neuromodulator which acts through adenosine receptors regulating functions such as inhibition of glutamate release. Adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptor activations most often regulate opposing actions. Primary rat cortical neurons and rat C6 cells, an astrocytic derived cell line, were exposed to 100muM l-glutamate, and cell viability and transduction pathways mediated by both A(1) and A(2A) receptors were analyzed. Glutamate-induced excitotoxic damage was found only in cortical neurons, with C6 cells preserved. In C6 cells, adenosine A(1) and A(2A) receptors were increased and decreased, respectively. Consequently, A(1)-mediated adenylyl cyclase inhibition and A(2A)-mediated adenylyl cyclase stimulation were, respectively, increased and decreased after glutamate exposure. In cortical neurons, glutamate treatment increased both A(1) and A(2A) receptors. Moreover, adenylyl cyclase responsiveness to A(1) or A(2A) receptor agonists was heightened in these cells, in which pharmacological activation of AC induced cell death. Finally, activation of A(1) receptor or blockade of A(2A) receptor during glutamate treatment partially prevented the glutamate-induced cell death detected in cultured cortical neurons. Results show that adenosine receptors are regulated by glutamate, and that this regulation is dependent on the cell type, suggesting that adenosine receptors might be promising targets in the therapy against excitotoxic cell death.