Experiments with kainate and quisqualate agonists and antagonists in relation to the sub-classification of 'non-NMDA' receptors

Circuits and Synapses: Hypothesis, Observation, Controversy and Serendipity - An Opinion Piece

More than a century of dedicated research has resulted in what we now know, and what we think we know, about synapses and neural circuits. This piece asks to what extent some of the major advances - both theoretical and practical - have resulted from carefully considered theory, or experimental design: endeavors that aim to address a question, or to refute an existing hypothesis. It also, however, addresses the important part that serendipity and chance have played. There are cases where hypothesis driven research has resulted in important progress. There are also examples where a hypothesis, a model, or even an experimental approach - particularly one that seems to provide welcome simplification - has become so popular that it becomes dogma and stifles advance in other directions. The nervous system rejoices in complexity, which should neither be ignored, nor run from. The emergence of testable "rules" that can simplify our understanding of neuronal circuits has required the collection of large amounts of data that were difficult to obtain. And although those collecting these data have been criticized for not advancing hypotheses while they were "collecting butterflies," the beauty of the butterflies always enticed us toward further exploration.

Metazoan evolution and diversity of glutamate receptors and their auxiliary subunits

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems. Proteins involved in glutamatergic neurotransmission, and chiefly glutamate receptors and their auxiliary subunits, play key roles in nervous system function. Thus, understanding their evolution and uncovering their diversity is essential to comprehend how nervous systems evolved, shaping cognitive function. Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of these proteins across metazoans have revealed that their evolution is much more complex than what can be anticipated from vertebrate genomes. This is particularly true for ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), as their current classification into 6 classes (AMPA, Kainate, Delta, NMDA1, NMDA2 and NMDA3) would be largely incomplete. New work proposes a classification of iGluRs into 4 subfamilies that encompass 10 classes. Vertebrate AMPA, Kainate and Delta receptors would belong to one of these subfamilies, named AKDF, the NMDA subunits would constitute another subfamily and non-vertebrate iGluRs would be organised into the previously unreported Epsilon and Lambda subfamilies. Similarly, the animal evolution of metabotropic glutamate receptors has resulted in the formation of four classes of these receptors, instead of the three currently recognised. Here we review our current knowledge on the animal evolution of glutamate receptors and their auxiliary subunits. This article is part of the special issue on 'Glutamate Receptors - Orphan iGluRs'.

Intermittent hypoxia training: Powerful, non-invasive cerebroprotection against ethanol withdrawal excitotoxicity

Ethanol intoxication and withdrawal exact a devastating toll on the central nervous system. Abrupt ethanol withdrawal provokes massive release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, which over-activates its postsynaptic receptors, causing intense Ca2+ loading, p38 mitogen activated protein kinase activation and oxidative stress, culminating in ATP depletion, mitochondrial injury, amyloid β deposition and neuronal death. Collectively, these mechanisms produce neurocognitive and sensorimotor dysfunction that discourages continued abstinence. Although the brain is heavily dependent on blood-borne O2 to sustain its aerobic ATP production, brief, cyclic episodes of moderate hypoxia and reoxygenation, when judiciously applied over the course of days or weeks, evoke adaptations that protect the brain from ethanol withdrawal-induced glutamate excitotoxicity, mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress and amyloid β accumulation. This review summarizes evidence from ongoing preclinical research that demonstrates intermittent hypoxia training to be a potentially powerful yet non-invasive intervention capable of affording robust, sustained neuroprotection during ethanol withdrawal.

Determining synaptic parameters using high-frequency activation

BACKGROUND

The specific properties of a synapse determine how neuronal activity evokes neurotransmitter release. Evaluating changes in synaptic properties during sustained activity is essential to understanding how genetic manipulations and neuromodulators regulate neurotransmitter release. Analyses of postsynaptic responses to high-frequency stimulation have provided estimates of the size of the readily-releasable pool (RRP) of vesicles (N0) and the probability of vesicular release (p) at multiple synapses.

NEW METHOD

Here, we introduce a model-based approach at the calyx of Held synapse in which depletion and the rate of replenishment (R) determine the number of available vesicles, and facilitation leads to a use-dependent increase in p when initial p is low.

RESULTS

When p is high and R is low, we find excellent agreement between estimates based on all three methods and the model. However, when p is low or when significant replenishment occurs between stimuli, estimates of different methods diverge, and model estimates are between the extreme estimates provided by the other approaches.

COMPARISON WITH OTHER METHODS

We compare our model-based approach to three other approaches that rely on different simplifying assumptions. Our findings suggest that our model provides a better estimate of N0 and p than previously-established methods, likely due to inaccurate assumptions about replenishment. More generally, our findings suggest that approaches commonly used to estimate N0 and p at other synapses are often applied under experimental conditions that yield inaccurate estimates.

CONCLUSIONS

Careful application of appropriate methods can greatly improve estimates of synaptic parameters.

Use of the hydantoin isostere to produce inhibitors showing selectivity toward the vesicular glutamate transporter versus the obligate exchange transporter system x(c)(-)

Evidence was acquired prior to suggest that the vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) but not other glutamate transporters were inhibited by structures containing a weakly basic α-amino group. To test this hypothesis, a series of analogs using a hydantoin (pK(a)∼9.1) isostere were synthesized and analyzed as inhibitors of VGLUT and the obligate cystine-glutamate transporter (system x(c)(-)). Of the hydantoin analogs tested, a thiophene-5-carboxaldehyde analog 2l and a bis-hydantoin 4b were relatively strong inhibitors of VGLUT reducing uptake to less than 6% of control at 5mM but few inhibited system x(c)(-) greater than 50% of control. The benzene-2,4-disulfonic acid analog 2b and p-diaminobenzene analog 2e were also good hydantoin-based inhibitors of VGLUT reducing uptake by 11% and 23% of control, respectively, but neither analog was effective as a system x(c)(-) inhibitor. In sum, a hydantoin isostere adds the requisite chemical properties needed to produce selective inhibitors of VGLUT.

Excitatory synaptic transmission persists independently of the glutamate-glutamine cycle

The glutamate-glutamine cycle is thought to be integral in continuously replenishing the neurotransmitter pool of glutamate. Inhibiting glial transfer of glutamine to neurons leads to rapid impairment in physiological and behavioral function; however, the degree to which excitatory synaptic transmission relies on the normal operation of this cycle is unknown. In slices and cultured neurons from rat hippocampus, we enhanced the transfer of glutamine to neurons, a fundamental step in this cycle, by adding exogenous glutamine. Although raising glutamine augments synaptic transmission by increasing vesicular glutamate, access to this synthetic pathway by exogenously applied glutamine to neurons is delayed and slow, challenging mechanisms linking the rapid effects of pharmacological inhibitors to decreased vesicular glutamate. We find that pharmacological inhibitors of glutamine synthetase or system A transporters cause an acute depression of basal synaptic transmission that is rapidly reversible, which is unlikely to be attributable to the rapid loss of vesicular glutamate. Furthermore, release of vesicular glutamate remains robust even during the prolonged removal of glutamine from pure neuronal cultures. We conclude that neurons have the capacity to store or produce glutamate for long periods of time, independently of glia and the glutamate-glutamine cycle.

Vesicular glutamate transport at a central synapse limits the acuity of visual perception in zebrafish

The neural circuitry that constrains visual acuity in the CNS has not been experimentally identified. We show here that zebrafish blumenkohl (blu) mutants are impaired in resolving rapid movements and fine spatial detail. The blu gene encodes a vesicular glutamate transporter expressed by retinal ganglion cells. Mutant retinotectal synapses release less glutamate, per vesicle and per terminal, and fatigue more quickly than wild-type in response to high-frequency stimulation. In addition, mutant axons arborize more extensively, thus increasing the number of synaptic terminals and effectively normalizing the combined input to postsynaptic cells in the tectum. This presumably homeostatic response results in larger receptive fields of tectal cells and a degradation of the retinotopic map. As predicted, mutants have a selective deficit in the capture of small prey objects, a behavior dependent on the tectum. Our studies successfully link the disruption of a synaptic protein to complex changes in neural circuitry and behavior.

The influence of multivesicular release and postsynaptic receptor saturation on transmission at granule cell to Purkinje cell synapses

The properties of a synapse are crucially dependent on whether an action potential can trigger the release of multiple vesicles at an individual release site [multivesicular release (MVR)] and whether fusion of a single vesicle leads to receptor saturation. MVR and receptor saturation both occur at some high p synapses, but it is not known whether they also occur at low p synapses. Here we examine this issue at the low p synapse between parallel fibers and Purkinje cells using the low-affinity antagonist DGG (gamma-D-glutamylglycine) to relieve AMPA receptor saturation. We find that the presence of MVR and receptor saturation at this synapse alters the calcium dependence of synaptic transmission and reduces the extent of facilitation. These findings establish that MVR and postsynaptic receptor saturation can influence transmission even at synapses with a low initial probability of release and suggest that these properties may be common at synapses in the mammalian brain.

Multivesicular release at Schaffer collateral-CA1 hippocampal synapses

Whether an individual synapse releases single or multiple vesicles of transmitter per action potential is contentious and probably depends on the type of synapse. One possibility is that multivesicular release (MVR) is determined by the instantaneous release probability (Pr) and therefore can be controlled by activity-dependent changes in Pr. We investigated transmitter release across a range of Pr at synapses between Schaffer collaterals (SCs) and CA1 pyramidal cells in acute hippocampal slices using patch-clamp recordings. The size of the synaptic glutamate transient was estimated by the degree of inhibition of AMPA receptor EPSCs with the rapidly equilibrating antagonist gamma-D-glutamylglycine. The glutamate transient sensed by AMPA receptors depended on Pr but not spillover, indicating that multiple vesicles are essentially simultaneously released from the same presynaptic active zone. Consistent with an enhanced glutamate transient, increasing Pr prolonged NMDA receptor EPSCs when glutamate transporters were inhibited. We suggest that MVR occurs at SC-CA1 synapses when Pr is elevated by facilitation and that MVR may be a phenomenon common to many synapses throughout the CNS.

Glutamate neurotransmission in the cerebellar interposed nuclei: involvement in classically conditioned eyeblinks and neuronal activity

The cerebellar interposed nuclei (IN) are critical components of a neural network that controls the expression of classically conditioned eyeblinks. The IN receive 2 major inputs: the massive, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated input from the Purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex and the relatively weaker, glutamate-mediated input from collaterals of mossy and climbing fiber cerebellar afferent systems. To elucidate the role of IN glutamate neurotransmission in conditioned response (CR) expression, effects of blocking fast glutamatergic neurotransmission in the IN with gamma-d-glutamylglycine (DGG) on the expression of conditioned eyeblinks and on cerebellar nuclear neuronal activity were examined. Surprisingly, blocking fast glutamate receptors in the IN did not abolish CRs. DGG decreased CR incidence and slightly increased CR latency. In contrast, identical amounts of DGG applied to the cerebellar cortex abolished CRs. Similar to the behavioral effects, DGG had unexpectedly mild effects on IN neurons. At the population level, the baseline firing frequency of IN cells was not affected. After DGG injections, the incidence of excitatory modulation of cell activity in the interstimulus interval decreased but was not abolished. A combined block of fast glutamate and GABA(A) neurotransmission using a mixture of DGG and picrotoxin dramatically reduced CR incidence, increased the firing frequency of all cell types, and virtually abolished all modulation of neuronal activity. These results indicate that fast glutamate neurotransmission in the IN plays only an accessory role both in the expression of behavioral CRs and in the generation of associated neuronal activity in the IN.

Variance-Mean Analysis in the Presence of a Rapid Antagonist Indicates Vesicle Depletion Underlies Depression at the Climbing Fiber Synapse

Many types of synapses throughout the nervous system are transiently depressed during high-frequency stimulation. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for this depression, including depletion of release-ready vesicles. However, numerous studies have raised doubts about the importance of depletion in depression of central synapses and have implicated alternative mechanisms, such as decreased release probability. We use variance-mean analysis to determine the mechanism of depression at the climbing fiber to Purkinje cell synapse. We find that postsynaptic receptor saturation makes it difficult to distinguish between a decrease in available vesicles and a reduction in release probability. When AMPA receptor saturation is relieved with a low-affinity antagonist, variance-mean analysis reveals that depression arises from a decrease in the number of release-ready vesicles. Vesicle depletion is prominent, despite numerous docked vesicles at each release site, due to multivesicular release. We conclude that vesicle depletion can contribute significantly to depression of central synapses.

Morphology and electrophysiology of neurons in dog paraventricular nucleus: in vitro study

The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus plays an important role in regulating gut motility. To date, there have been no intracellular electrophysiological studies of dog PVN neurons in vitro. The aims of this study were to: (1) adapt brain slice methods developed for studies of rodent CNS tissue to canine CNS tissue; and (2) study the electrophysiology and morphology of single neurons of the dog paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Coronal hypothalamic slice preparations (400 microm thick) of dog brain were used. Three groups of PVN neurons were classified based on their firing pattern. Continuous firing neurons (n=32) exhibited continuous ongoing action potentials (APs). Burst firing neurons generated bursts of APs (n=19). Intermittent firing neurons had only a few spontaneous APs. In contrast to continuous firing neurons, 14 of 19 burst firing neurons and 3 of 7 intermittent firing neurons responded to depolarizing current with a Ca2+-dependent low-threshold potential. Twenty-one PVN neurons studied electrophysiologically were filled with biocytin. Continuous firing neurons (n=12) had oval-shaped soma with two or three sparsely branched dendrites. Branched axons were found in two continuous firing neurons, in which one branch appeared to terminate locally. Burst firing neurons (n=8) generally had triangular soma with 2 to 5 branched dendrites. In summary, the brain slice technique was used to study the morphology and electrophysiology of single neurons of the dog brain. Electrophysiological and morphological properties of the three neuron groups were identified and discussed.

Interaction of postsynaptic receptor saturation with presynaptic mechanisms produces a reliable synapse

Synapses that reliably activate their postsynaptic targets typically release neurotransmitter with high probability, are not very sensitive to changes in calcium entry, and depress. We have determined the mechanisms that give rise to these characteristic features at the climbing fiber to Purkinje cell synapse. We find that saturation of presynaptic calcium entry, of presynaptic release, and of postsynaptic receptors combine to produce a postsynaptic response that is near maximal. Postsynaptic receptor saturation also accelerates recovery from depression, in part by accentuating a rapid calcium-dependent recovery phase. Thus, postsynaptic receptor saturation interacts with presynaptic mechanisms to produce highly reliable synapses that can effectively drive their targets even during sustained activation.

Variability of neurotransmitter concentration and nonsaturation of postsynaptic AMPA receptors at synapses in hippocampal cultures and slices

To understand the elementary unit of synaptic communication between CNS neurons, one must know what causes the variability of quantal postsynaptic currents and whether unitary packets of transmitter saturate postsynaptic receptors. We studied single excitatory synapses between hippocampal neurons in culture. Focal glutamate application at individual postsynaptic sites evoked currents (I(glu)) with little variability compared with quantal excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs). The maximal I(glu) was >2-fold larger than the median EPSC. Thus, variations in [glu]cleft are the main source of variability in EPSC size, and glutamate receptors are generally far from saturation during quantal transmission. This conclusion was verified by molecular antagonism experiments in hippocampal cultures and slices. The general lack of glutamate receptor saturation leaves room for increases in [glu]cleft as a mechanism for synaptic plasticity.

Functions of ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors in sensory transmission in the mammalian thalamus

The thalamic relay nuclei play a pivotal role in gating and processing sensory information en route to the cerebral cortex. The major ascending sensory afferents and the descending cortico-fugal afferents to the thalamus almost certainly use the excitatory amino acid L-glutamate as their transmitter. This paper reviews the nature of this transmission in terms of the receptor types which may be used (NMDA, AMPA, kainate and metabotropic glutamate receptors), their electrophysiological and pharmacological properties, and their differential location in the thalamus on neurones, terminals and glial elements. Whilst AMPA receptors, probably of more than one variety, are likely to mediate fast transmission in the thalamus, the contributions of NMDA receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors to sensory responses under different stimulus conditions may be more varied. This is discussed in the context of the possible functional significance of the interplay of L-glutamate-gated currents with intrinsic membrane currents of thalamic neurones. The interaction of L-glutamate transmission with other modulators (acetylcholine, noradrenaline, serotonin, glycine, D-serine, nitric oxide, arginine, redox agents) is considered.

Neurotoxicity of acromelic acid in cultured neurons from rat spinal cord

Acromelic acid A, which contains the kainic acid structure in its molecule, is known to cause selective damage of interneurons in the rat lower spinal cord. In the present study, the potent neurotoxicity of acromelic acid A was demonstrated in cultured rat spinal neurons in terms of the activity of lactate dehydrogenase that was released from degenerated neurons into the culture medium. Acromelic acid A increased the lactate dehydrogenase activity in time- and concentration-dependent manners, and its EC50 was about 2.5 microM, which was much lower than that of kainic acid (70 microM) and (RS)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (EC50; 11 microM). The maximum level of lactate dehydrogenase released by acromelic acid A was quite similar to that by kainic acid, but was about twice the level produced by (RS)-alpha-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid. Exposure to acromelic acid A caused release of L-glutamate from the cells into the medium; however, the concentration of L-glutamate released was far below the level for inducing the neurotoxic effects. The neurotoxicity of 10 microM acromelic acid A was almost completely inhibited by 30 microM 6-nitro-7-sulphamoylbenzo(F)quinoxaline-2,3-dione and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, potent antagonists for non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, but was partly (35%) reduced by 30 microM dizocilpine maleate. In cultured hippocampal neurons, the toxicity of acromelic acid A was significantly less effective (EC50: 18 microM) than that in spinal neurons, whereas the toxicity of kainic acid was almost the same in both neurons. These results suggest that acromelic acid A directly activates non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors on the cultured spinal neurons to induce neuronal death. A new type of non-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors which is specific to acromelic acid A is suggested to be present at least in spinal neurons.

Role of kainate/AMPA receptors in induction of striatal zif/268 and preprodynorphin mRNA by a single injection of amphetamine

The role of kainate/AMPA excitatory amino acid receptors in D-amphetamine (AMPH)-induced behavioral changes and the induction of immediate early gene and preprodynorphin (PPD) mRNA in various regions of rat forebrain was investigated with quantitative in situ hybridization histochemistry. Three hours after a single injection of AMPH (5 mg/kg, i.p.), PPD mRNA and mRNA of the transcription factor zif/268, but not c-fos, was increased in dorsal striatum (caudate). Zif/268 mRNA was also increased in the sensorimotor cortex. Pretreatment of rats with DNQX, a kainate/AMPA receptor antagonist, did not affect the behaviors elicited by AMPH. However, the AMPH-stimulated increase in PPD and zif/268 mRNA levels in striatum, but not zif/268 mRNA in cortex, was blocked by DNQX pretreatment. In contrast, DNQX alone attenuated basal (constitutive) levels of zif/268 mRNA expression in sensorimotor cortical, but not in striatal, neurons. These studies indicate that kainate/AMPA receptors mediate the induction of zif/268 and PPD mRNA expression in the caudate nucleus induced by a single injection of AMPH. The fact that DNQX blocked genomic, but not behavioral, responses to acute AMPH suggests that kainate/AMPA receptor mechanisms may be involved in the long-term (possibly sensitizing) effects, rather than the acute effects, of the drug. In addition, tonic kainate/AMPA receptor stimulation may play a key role in maintaining constitutive expression of the zif/268 gene in cortical neurons.

Autoradiographic characterization of the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate binding sites in human cerebellum using the antagonist [3H]6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione

Using quantitative autoradiography, we have characterized the binding properties of the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor antagonist [3H]6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) in adult human cerebellum. Saturation experiments revealed [3H]CNQX binding to a single class of sites with similar affinity in the molecular and granule cell layer (Kd = 89.0 +/- 6.4 and 83.3 +/- 9.9 nM, respectively). The maximum number of [3H]CNQX binding sites was much higher in the molecular compared to the granule cell layer (Bmax = 16.2 +/- 1.1 and 2.8 +/- 0.5 pmol/mg protein, respectively). Inhibition experiments were performed in order to examine the pharmacological profile of [3H]CNQX binding in the molecular layer. [3H]CNQX labeled sites with high affinity for both non-NMDA agonists, (RS)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) and kainate. Dose-response curves for inhibition of [3H]CNQX by AMPA and kainate were biphasic. The potency of AMPA for displacement of [3H]CNQX binding (Ki: 2.8 +/- 0.8 nM and 12.5 +/- 0.8 microM) was 4- to 6-fold greater than the corresponding potency of kainate (Ki: 18.1 +/- 5.7 nM and 48.7 +/- 9.3 microM). In conclusion, the pharmacological analysis of [3H]CNQX binding in the human cerebellar molecular layer reflects the existence of multiple binding sites of the non-NMDA receptor that have different affinities for both AMPA and kainate.

A comparison of the actions of agonists and antagonists at non-NMDA receptors of C fibres and motoneurones of the immature rat spinal cord in vitro

1. The shift in d.c. potential in dorsal roots (EC50 8.0 microM +/- 0.9 s.e. mean, n = 5) or depression of the C elevation of the compound action potential (EC50 3.0 microM +/- 0.3, n = 7) have been used to measure the depolarizing action of kainate on dorsal root C fibres of immature (3 to 5 day old) rats. Depolarization of motoneurones was measured from the shift in d.c. potential in ventral roots. 2. 6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline,2-3,dione (CNQX) (pA2 5.78 +/- 0.06, n = 8) and 6-nitro-7-suplhamobenzo(f)quinoxaline-2,3-dione (NBQX) (pA2 5.75 +/- 0.04, n = 7) had similar potencies as antagonists of kainate at dorsal root fibres. The potency of NBQX as a kainate antagonist was similar also at motoneurones (pA2 5.72 +/- 0.07, n = 3). At motoneurones, NBQX was less potent as an antagonist of domoate (pA2 5.29 +/- 0.05) and more potent as an antagonist of S-alpha-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) (pA2 6.80 +/- 0.09) than as an antagonist of kainate. 3. Application of L-glutamate, quisqualate and RS-AMPA to dorsal roots produced only short lasting depolarizations but kainate concentration-effect plots were shifted to the right in the presence of these three agonists (pA2 5.08 +/- 0.08, (n = 3), 5.59 +/- 0.04, (n = 4) and 4.46 +/- 0.04 (n = 4) respectively). Slopes of dose-ratio against concentration were significantly less than one for the latter antagonism. 4. The amplitude of depolarizations induced by L-glutamate, AMPA and quisqualate were increased up to ten fold and those induced by kainate up to two fold following treatment of dorsal roots with concanavalin A. The duration of the responses was increased also by the latter treatment. Folowing 85 s applications of glutamate, quisqualate, AMPA and kainate the mean respective times (s +/- s.e.mean (n))taken for responses to decay to half the peak amplitude were increased from 63 +/- 7 (10), 86 +/- 17 (4),95 +/- 19 (4) and 135 +/- 3 (12) to 202 +/- 49 (10), 147 +/- 7 (4), 160 +/- 13 (6) and 163 +/- 10 (10). Under similar conditions the mean decay time of y-aminobutyric acid-induced responses was 145 +/- 7 (10). This was not significantly altered by concanavalin A treatment.5. Application to dorsal roots of L-aspartate at concentrations up to 5 mm (with or without concanavalin A treatment), the selective metabotropic agonist 1S,3R-trans-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylate (1 mM,) and D-serine (20 pM) in the presence or absence of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA,500 pM) neither depolarized the preparations nor shifted the kainate concentration-effect plot.6. It is concluded that primary afferent C fibres possess only one type of non-NMDA receptor which is activated strongly by domoate or kainate but only weakly by AMPA. This receptor is readily desensitized by glutamate, quisqualate or AMPA and it is less readily desensitized by kainate.

Pharmacological characterization of non-NMDA subtypes of glutamate receptor in the neonatal rat hemisected spinal cord in vitro

1. A grease-gap technique was used to record depolarizing responses to alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA), kainate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) in the hemisected spinal cord of the neonatal rat. The pharmacology of non-NMDA subtypes of glutamate receptor was investigated with the novel quinoxalinedione, 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulphamoyl-benzo (F)-quinoxaline (NBQX) and with a series of barbiturates. 2. NBQX antagonized AMPA- and kainate-, but not NMDA- induced depolarizations. The near parallel shifts of the major part of the dose-response curves for AMPA and kainate by NBQX gave pA2 values (+/- s.e.) of 6.7 +/- 0.2 and 6.8 +/- 0.2 respectively, consistent with a common site of action for these two agonists. 3. Below the 50% level at which these pA2 values were calculated, however, an NBQX-resistant plateau was seen within the kainate, but not the AMPA, dose-response curve. 4. In decreasing order of potency, methohexitone, secobarbitone, thiopentone, pentobarbitone and phenobarbitone preferentially reduced kainate-, rather than AMPA- and NMDA-, induced depolarizations. Methohexitone was also the most selective with IC50S against kainate, AMPA and NMDA of 31 +/- 7, 172 +/- 47 and greater than 200 microM respectively. 5. The NBQX-resistant plateau seen within the kainate dose-response curve was reduced by methohexitone. Kainate antagonism by methohexitone was not reduced by 50 microM picrotoxin. 6. We conclude that, while mixed agonist actions may hamper demonstration of antagonist selectivity, depolarizations induced by the non-NMDA ionotropic agonists, AMPA and kainate, are mediated in part via distinct receptors.

Novel kainate derivatives: potent depolarizing actions on spinal motoneurones and dorsal root fibres in newborn rats

1. Neuropharmacological actions of several kainate derivatives (kainoids) were examined for electrophysiological effects in the isolated spinal cord and the dorsal root fibre of the newborn rat. 2. Some kainoids caused depolarization of the motoneurone much more effectively than kainic acid or domoic acid and others were weaker. The rank order of the depolarizing activities of the kainoids tested here is as follows: 4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-carboxy-3-pyrrolidineacetic acid (MFPA) greater than acromelic acid A greater than domoic acid greater than or equal to 4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-2-carboxy-3-pyrrolidineacetic acid (HFPA) greater than or equal to acromelic acid B greater than kainic acid. 3. In the isolated dorsal root fibre, domoic acid caused the most significant depolarization. There were distinct differences with regard to the rank order of the depolarizing activity between the motoneurone and the dorsal root fibre. The rank order in the dorsal root fibre is domoic acid greater than acromelic acid B greater than 5-bromowillardiine greater than or equal to MFPA greater than acromelic acid A greater than HFPA greater than kainic acid. 4. Significant desensitization of kainate receptors was observed in the isolated dorsal root fibre during prolonged application of L-glutamate, kainate and its derivatives. Cross desensitization was also observed among these excitatory amino acids. Receptors desensitized by kainate did not respond to MFPA, HFPA and acromelic acids, suggesting that these kainate derivatives activated common kainate receptors in the dorsal root fibre.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)