Molecular biology of excitatory amino acid receptors: subtypes and subunits

Immunoexcitotoxicity as a central mechanism in chronic traumatic encephalopathy-A unifying hypothesis

Some individuals suffering from mild traumatic brain injuries, especially repetitive mild concussions, are thought to develop a slowly progressive encephalopathy characterized by a number of the neuropathological elements shared with various neurodegenerative diseases. A central pathological mechanism explaining the development of progressive neurodegeneration in this subset of individuals has not been elucidated. Yet, a large number of studies indicate that a process called immunoexcitotoxicity may be playing a central role in many neurodegenerative diseases including chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The term immunoexcitotoxicity was first coined by the lead author to explain the evolving pathological and neurodevelopmental changes in autism and the Gulf War Syndrome, but it can be applied to a number of neurodegenerative disorders. The interaction between immune receptors within the central nervous system (CNS) and excitatory glutamate receptors trigger a series of events, such as extensive reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species generation, accumulation of lipid peroxidation products, and prostaglandin activation, which then leads to dendritic retraction, synaptic injury, damage to microtubules, and mitochondrial suppression. In this paper, we discuss the mechanism of immunoexcitotoxicity and its link to each of the pathophysiological and neurochemical events previously described with CTE, with special emphasis on the observed accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau.

Differential expression of kainate receptors in the basal ganglia of the developing and adult rat brain

Glutamate is the principal excitatory transmitter of the mammalian brain and plays a particularly important role in the physiology of the basal ganglia structures responsible for movement regulation. Using in situ hybridization with oligonucleotide probes, we examined the expression patterns of the five known kainate type glutamate receptor subunit genes, KA1, KA2 and GluR5-7, in the basal ganglia of adult and developing rat brain. In the adult rat, a highly organized and selective pattern of expression of the kainate subunits was observed in the basal ganglia and associated structures as well as in other regions of the brain. KA2 mRNA was abundant in the striatum, nucleus accumbens, subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra pars compacta, and was present at lower levels in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata. Neither KA1 nor GluR5 expression was observed in the basal ganglia of adult rats, although these messages were present in other regions. GluR6 was highly expressed in the striatum and subthalamic nucleus and to a lesser extent in the substantia nigra pars reticulata, while no hybridization signal was detectable in the large, presumably dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. In contrast, GluR7 was strongly expressed in the substantia nigra pars compacta, was present at lower levels in the striatum, globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata, and was not detectable in the subthalamic nucleus. During postnatal development, expression of the kainate receptor subunits was characteristically highest on postnatal day 1 and declined to adult levels by day 20; however, in the globus pallidus we did observe the transient expression of KA1 and GluR5 between day 1 and day 10. These results demonstrate that the neuronal structures comprising the basal ganglia express a distinct combination of kainate receptor subunit genes, suggesting that the pharmacological properties of the resultant glutamate receptors are likely to be regionally specific. The organization of expression of these genes is established early in life, which is consistent with the important role they may play in establishing the functions of the motor system.

Glutamate as a putative neurotransmitter in the mollusc, Lymnaea stagnalis

Bath-applied glutamate (10-1000 microM) produced excitatory and inhibitory responses on numerous identified neurons of the mollusc Lymnaea stagnalis. Using both in situ and in vitro preparations, glutamate or glutamate agonists produced a depolarization in identified neurons right pedal dorsal 1 and right pedal dorsal 2 and 3. However, attempts to block glutamate-evoked responses with glutamate antagonists were unsuccessful. We examined a potential glutamatergic neuron, visceral dorsal 4. Exogenous application of the peptides (GDPFLRFamide and SDPFLRFamide) could mimic the inhibitory, but not the excitatory effects of visceral dorsal 4 on its postsynaptic cells, implying the presence of a second transmitter. We tested the possibility that glutamate is this second neurotransmitter by using excitatory synapses between visceral dorsal 4 and postsynaptic cells right pedal dorsal 2 and 3, right pedal dorsal 1, visceral F group and right parietal B group neurons. Of all the putative neurotransmitters tested, only glutamate had consistent excitatory effects on these postsynaptic cells. Also, the amplitude of the right pedal dorsal 2 and 3 excitatory postsynaptic potentials was reduced in the presence of N-methyl-D-aspartate and other glutamate agonists, suggesting desensitization of the endogenous transmitter receptor. In conclusion, some identified Lymnaea neurons respond to glutamate via a receptor with novel pharmacological properties. Furthermore, a Lymnaea interneuron may employ glutamate as a transmitter at excitatory synapses.