Presynaptic Glycine Receptors Influence Plasma Membrane Potential and Glutamate Release

Interactions Involving Glycine and Other Amino Acid Neurotransmitters: Focus on Transporter-Mediated Regulation of Release and Glycine-Glutamate Crosstalk

Glycine plays a pivotal role in the Central Nervous System (CNS), being a major inhibitory neurotransmitter as well as a co-agonist of Glutamate at excitatory NMDA receptors. Interactions involving Glycine and other neurotransmitters are the subject of different studies. Functional interactions among neurotransmitters include the modulation of release through release-regulating receptors but also through transporter-mediated mechanisms. Many transporter-mediated interactions involve the amino acid transmitters Glycine, Glutamate, and GABA. Different studies published during the last two decades investigated a number of transporter-mediated interactions in depth involving amino acid transmitters at the nerve terminal level in different CNS areas, providing details of mechanisms involved and suggesting pathophysiological significances. Here, this evidence is reviewed also considering additional recent information available in the literature, with a special (but not exclusive) focus on glycinergic neurotransmission and Glycine-Glutamate interactions. Some possible pharmacological implications, although partly speculative, are also discussed. Dysregulations in glycinergic and glutamatergic transmission are involved in relevant CNS pathologies. Pharmacological interventions on glycinergic targets (including receptors and transporters) are under study to develop novel therapies against serious CNS pathological states including pain, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative diseases. Although with limitations, it is hoped to possibly contribute to a better understanding of the complex interactions between glycine-mediated neurotransmission and other major amino acid transmitters, also in view of the current interest in potential drugs acting on "glycinergic" targets.

Interactions between Glycine and Glutamate through Activation of Their Transporters in Hippocampal Nerve Terminals

Evidence supports the pathophysiological relevance of crosstalk between the neurotransmitters Glycine and Glutamate and their close interactions; some reports even support the possibility of Glycine-Glutamate cotransmission in central nervous system (CNS) areas, including the hippocampus. Functional studies with isolated nerve terminals (synaptosomes) permit us to study transporter-mediated interactions between neurotransmitters that lead to the regulation of transmitter release. Our main aims here were: (i) to investigate release-regulating, transporter-mediated interactions between Glycine and Glutamate in hippocampal nerve terminals and (ii) to determine the coexistence of transporters for Glycine and Glutamate in these terminals. Purified synaptosomes, analyzed at the ultrastructural level via electron microscopy, were used as the experimental model. Mouse hippocampal synaptosomes were prelabeled with [3H]D-Aspartate or [3H]Glycine; the release of radiolabeled tracers was monitored with the superfusion technique. The main findings were that (i) exogenous Glycine stimulated [3H]D-Aspartate release, partly by activation of GlyT1 and in part, unusually, through GlyT2 transporters and that (ii) D-Aspartate stimulated [3H]glycine release by a process that was sensitive to Glutamate transporter blockers. Based on the features of the experimental model used, it is suggested that functional transporters for Glutamate and Glycine coexist in a small subset of hippocampal nerve terminals, a condition that may also be compatible with cotransmission; glycinergic and glutamatergic transporters exhibit different functions and mediate interactions between the neurotransmitters. It is hoped that increased information on Glutamate-Glycine interactions in different areas, including the hippocampus, will contribute to a better knowledge of drugs acting at "glycinergic" targets, currently under study in relation with different CNS pathologies.

Hetero-pentamerization determines mobility and conductance of Glycine receptor α3 splice variants

Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are ligand-gated pentameric chloride channels in the central nervous system. GlyR-α3 is a possible target for chronic pain treatment and temporal lobe epilepsy. Alternative splicing into K or L variants determines the subcellular fate and function of GlyR-α3, yet it remains to be shown whether its different splice variants can functionally co-assemble, and what the properties of such heteropentamers would be. Here, we subjected GlyR-α3 to a combined fluorescence microscopy and electrophysiology analysis. We employ masked Pearson’s and dual-color spatiotemporal correlation analysis to prove that GlyR-α3 splice variants heteropentamerize, adopting the mobility of the K variant. Fluorescence-based single-subunit counting experiments revealed a variable and concentration ratio dependent hetero-stoichiometry. Via cell-attached single-channel electrophysiology we show that heteropentamers exhibit currents in between those of K and L variants. Our data are compatible with a model where α3 heteropentamerization fine-tunes mobility and activity of GlyR-α3 channels, which is important to understand and tackle α3 related diseases.

Autocrine inhibition by a glutamate-gated chloride channel mediates presynaptic homeostatic depression

Homeostatic modulation of presynaptic neurotransmitter release is a fundamental form of plasticity that stabilizes neural activity, where presynaptic homeostatic depression (PHD) can adaptively diminish synaptic strength. PHD has been proposed to operate through an autocrine mechanism to homeostatically depress release probability in response to excess glutamate release at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. This model implies the existence of a presynaptic glutamate autoreceptor. We systematically screened all neuronal glutamate receptors in the fly genome and identified the glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluClα) to be required for the expression of PHD. Pharmacological, genetic, and Ca2+ imaging experiments demonstrate that GluClα acts locally at axonal terminals to drive PHD. Unexpectedly, GluClα localizes and traffics with synaptic vesicles to drive presynaptic inhibition through an activity-dependent anionic conductance. Thus, GluClα operates as both a sensor and effector of PHD to adaptively depress neurotransmitter release through an elegant autocrine inhibitory signaling mechanism at presynaptic terminals.

High Concentration of Ketone Body β-Hydroxybutyrate Modifies Synaptic Vesicle Cycle and Depolarizes Plasma Membrane of Rat Brain Synaptosomes

Ketoacidosis is a dangerous complication of diabetes mellitus in which plasma levels of ketone bodies can reach 20-25 mM. This condition is life-threatening. In contrast, a ketogenic diet, achieving plasma levels of ketone bodies of about 4-5 mM, can be used for treating different brain diseases. However, the factors leading to the conversion of the neuroprotective ketone bodies' action to the neurotoxic action during ketoacidosis are still unknown. We investigated the influence of high concentration (25 mM) of the main ketone body, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), on intrasynaptosomal pH (pHi), synaptic vesicle cycle, plasma membrane, and mitochondrial potentials. Using the fluorescent dye BCECF-AM, it was shown that BHB at concentrations of 8 and 25 mM did not influence pHi in synaptosomes. By means of the fluorescent dye acridine orange, it was demonstrated that 25 mM of BHB had no effect on exocytosis but inhibited compensatory endocytosis by 5-fold. Increasing buffer capacity with 25 mM HEPES did not affect endocytosis. Glucose abolished BHB-induced endocytosis inhibition. Using the fluorescent dye DiSC3(5), it was shown that 25 mM of BHB induced a significant plasma membrane depolarization. This effect was not impacted by glucose. Using the fluorescent dye rhodamine-123, it was shown that BHB alone (25 mМ) did not alter the potential of intrasynaptosomal mitochondria.Importantly, the high concentration of BHB (25 mМ) causes the depolarization of the plasma membrane and stronger inhibition of endocytosis compared with the intermediate concentration (8 mM).

RNA Editing-Systemic Relevance and Clue to Disease Mechanisms?

Recent advances in sequencing technologies led to the identification of a plethora of different genes and several hundreds of amino acid recoding edited positions. Changes in editing rates of some of these positions were associated with diseases such as atherosclerosis, myopathy, epilepsy, major depression disorder, schizophrenia and other mental disorders as well as cancer and brain tumors. This review article summarizes our current knowledge on that front and presents glycine receptor C-to-U RNA editing as a first example of disease-associated increased RNA editing that includes assessment of disease mechanisms of the corresponding gene product in an animal model.

Hyperammonemia alters glycinergic neurotransmission and modulation of the glutamate-nitric oxide-cGMP pathway by extracellular glycine in cerebellum in vivo

The glutamate-nitric oxide (NO)-cGMP pathway modulates some forms of learning. How glycine modulates this pathway is unclear. Glycine could modulate the pathway biphasically, enhancing its function through NMDA receptor activation or reducing it through glycine receptor activation. Chronic hyperammonemia impairs the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway in the cerebellum and induces cognitive impairment. The possible alterations in hyperammonemia of glycinergic neurotransmission and of glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway modulation by glycine remain unknown. The aims were to assess, by in vivo microdialysis in cerebellum: (i) the effects of different glycine concentrations, administered through the microdialysis probe, on the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway function; (ii) the effects of tonic glycine receptors activation on the pathway function, by blocking them with strychnine; (iii) whether hyperammonemia alters the pathway modulation by glycine; (iv) and whether hyperammonemia alters extracellular glycine concentration and/or glycine receptor membrane expression. In control rats, low glycine levels reduce the pathway function, likely by activating glycine receptors, while 20 μM glycine enhances the pathway function, likely by enhancing NMDA receptor activation. In hyperammonemic rats, glycine did not reduce the pathway function, but enhanced it when administered at 1-20 μM. Hyperammonemia reduces extracellular glycine concentration by approximately 50% and glycine receptor membrane expression. However, tonic glycine receptor activation seems to be enhanced in hyperammonemic rats, as indicated by the larger increase in extracellular cGMP induced by strychnine. These data show that glycine modulates the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway biphasically and that hyperammonemia strongly alters glycinergic neurotransmission and modulation by glycine of the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway. These alterations may contribute to the cerebellar aspects of cognitive alterations in hyperammonemia. The findings reported in this study show that hyperammonemia alters glycinergic neurotransmission and the glutamate-NO-cGMP pathway modulation by glycine. In control rats, low glycine levels reduced the pathway function, likely by activating glycine receptors, while 20 μM glycine enhanced the pathway, likely by enhancing NMDA receptor activation. In hyperammonemic rats, glycine (administered at 1-20 μM) enhances the pathway, likely by activating NMDA receptors.

β-Hydroxybutyrate supports synaptic vesicle cycling but reduces endocytosis and exocytosis in rat brain synaptosomes

The ketogenic diet is used as a prophylactic treatment for different types of brain diseases, such as epilepsy or Alzheimer's disease. In such a diet, carbohydrates are replaced by fats in everyday food, resulting in an elevation of blood-borne ketone bodies levels. Despite clinical applications of this treatment, the molecular mechanisms by which the ketogenic diet exerts its beneficial effects are still uncertain. In this study, we investigated the effect of replacing glucose by the ketone body β-hydroxybutyrate as the main energy substrate on synaptic vesicle recycling in rat brain synaptosomes. First, we observed that exposing presynaptic terminals to nonglycolytic energy substrates instead of glucose did not alter the plasma membrane potential. Next, we found that synaptosomes were able to maintain the synaptic vesicle cycle monitored with the fluorescent dye acridine orange when glucose was replaced by β-hydroxybutyrate. However, in presence of β-hydroxybutyrate, synaptic vesicle recycling was modified with reduced endocytosis. Replacing glucose by pyruvate also led to a reduced endocytosis. Addition of β-hydroxybutyrate to glucose-containing incubation medium was without effect. Reduced endocytosis in presence of β-hydroxybutyrate as sole energy substrate was confirmed using the fluorescent dye FM2-10. Also we found that replacement of glucose by ketone bodies leads to inhibition of exocytosis, monitored by FM2-10. However this reduction was smaller than the effect on endocytosis under the same conditions. Using both acridine orange in synaptosomes and the genetically encoded sensor synaptopHluorin in cortical neurons, we observed that replacing glucose by β-hydroxybutyrate did not modify the pH gradient of synaptic vesicles. In conclusion, the nonglycolytic energy substrates β-hydroxybutyrate and pyruvate are able to support synaptic vesicle recycling. However, they both reduce endocytosis. Reduction of both endocytosis and exocytosis together with misbalance between endocytosis and exocytosis could be involved in the anticonvulsant activity of the ketogenic diet.

Role of iron, zinc and reduced glutathione in oxidative stress induction by low pH in rat brain synaptosomes

Brain ischemia leads to a decrease in pH_o. We have shown previously in synaptosomes that the extracellular acidification induces depolarization of mitochondria followed by synthesis of superoxide anions and oxidative stress. Here, we investigated the effects of lowered pH_o on oxidative stress and membrane potentials in synaptosomes treated by the iron chelator deferoxamine and zinc chelator TPEN. We demonstrated that chelating of metals has no impact on superoxide anion synthesis and intrasynaptosomal mitochondria depolarization. Meanwhile, deferoxamine was able to inhibit oxidative stress induced by low pH_o and hydrogen peroxide application. Compared to deferoxamine, TPEN was less effective but it decreased the DCF fluorescence induced by pH_o 6.0 which had no effects in other oxidative stress models. We found that the chelators were able to inhibit slightly plasma membrane depolarization. Synaptosomes preincubation at low pH_o caused no effects on the reduced glutathione level. Depletion of glutathione by CDNB produced no additional increase in the DCF fluorescence induced by pH_o 7.0. Our results suggest that free iron is crucial for the development of oxidative stress elicited by acidification in synaptosomes. Chelating of this metal seems to be a promising strategy for protecting the neuronal presynaptic terminals against oxidative stress developed at stroke.

Presynaptic mechanisms of neuronal plasticity and their role in epilepsy

Synaptic communication requires constant adjustments of pre- and postsynaptic efficacies. In addition to synaptic long term plasticity, the presynaptic machinery underlies homeostatic regulations which prevent out of range transmitter release. In this minireview we will discuss the relevance of selected presynaptic mechanisms to epilepsy including voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels as well as cannabinoid and adenosine receptor signaling.

Glycine receptors control the generation of projection neurons in the developing cerebral cortex

The development of the cerebral cortex requires coordinated regulation of proliferation, specification, migration and differentiation of cortical progenitors into functionally integrated neurons. The completion of the neurogenic program requires a dynamic interplay between cell intrinsic regulators and extrinsic cues, such as growth factor and neurotransmitters. We previously demonstrated a role for extrasynaptic glycine receptors (GlyRs) containing the α2 subunit in cerebral cortical neurogenesis, revealing that endogenous GlyR activation promotes interneuron migration in the developing cortical wall. The proliferative compartment of the cortex comprises apical progenitors that give birth to neurons directly or indirectly through the generation of basal progenitors, which serve as amplification step to generate the bulk of cortical neurons. The present work shows that genetic inactivation of Glra2, the gene coding the α2 subunit of GlyRs, disrupts dorsal cortical progenitor homeostasis with an impaired capability of apical progenitors to generate basal progenitors. This defect results in an overall reduction of projection neurons that settle in upper or deep layers of the cerebral cortex. Overall, the depletion of cortical neurons observed in Glra2-knockout embryos leads to moderate microcephaly in newborn Glra2-knockout mice. Taken together, our findings support a contribution of GlyR α2 to early processes in cerebral cortical neurogenesis that are required later for the proper development of cortical circuits.

Changes in neural network homeostasis trigger neuropsychiatric symptoms

The mechanisms that regulate the strength of synaptic transmission and intrinsic neuronal excitability are well characterized; however, the mechanisms that promote disease-causing neural network dysfunction are poorly defined. We generated mice with targeted neuron type-specific expression of a gain-of-function variant of the neurotransmitter receptor for glycine (GlyR) that is found in hippocampectomies from patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. In this mouse model, targeted expression of gain-of-function GlyR in terminals of glutamatergic cells or in parvalbumin-positive interneurons persistently altered neural network excitability. The increased network excitability associated with gain-of-function GlyR expression in glutamatergic neurons resulted in recurrent epileptiform discharge, which provoked cognitive dysfunction and memory deficits without affecting bidirectional synaptic plasticity. In contrast, decreased network excitability due to gain-of-function GlyR expression in parvalbumin-positive interneurons resulted in an anxiety phenotype, but did not affect cognitive performance or discriminative associative memory. Our animal model unveils neuron type-specific effects on cognition, formation of discriminative associative memory, and emotional behavior in vivo. Furthermore, our data identify a presynaptic disease-causing molecular mechanism that impairs homeostatic regulation of neural network excitability and triggers neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Glycine receptors and brain development

Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are ligand-gated chloride ion channels that mediate fast inhibitory neurotransmission in the spinal cord and the brainstem. There, they are mainly involved in motor control and pain perception in the adult. However, these receptors are also expressed in upper regions of the central nervous system, where they participate in different processes including synaptic neurotransmission. Moreover, GlyRs are present since early stages of brain development and might influence this process. Here, we discuss the current state of the art regarding GlyRs during embryonic and postnatal brain development in light of recent findings about the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control brain development.

Glycine receptors support excitatory neurotransmitter release in developing mouse visual cortex

Glycine receptors (GlyRs) are found in most areas of the brain, and their dysfunction can cause severe neurological disorders. While traditionally thought of as inhibitory receptors, presynaptic-acting GlyRs (preGlyRs) can also facilitate glutamate release under certain circumstances, although the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. In the current study, we sought to better understand the role of GlyRs in the facilitation of excitatory neurotransmitter release in mouse visual cortex. Using whole-cell recordings, we found that preGlyRs facilitate glutamate release in developing, but not adult, visual cortex. The glycinergic enhancement of neurotransmitter release in early development depends on the high intracellular to extracellular Cl(-) gradient maintained by the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter and requires Ca(2+) entry through voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels. The glycine transporter 1, localized to glial cells, regulates extracellular glycine concentration and the activation of these preGlyRs. Our findings demonstrate a developmentally regulated mechanism for controlling excitatory neurotransmitter release in the neocortex.

Targeting of glycine site on NMDA receptor as a possible new strategy for autism treatment

The exact pathophysiology of the neurodevelopment disorder of autism is not clear and there is not any curative approach for it. There is only one FDA-approved medication for its management. Therefore, providing of novel treatments is highly required. The hypofunction of GABAergic system and glutamate toxicity are generally believed to have a causal role for autism. The antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) glutamate receptor improves autism. Glycine is required for the activation of NMDA receptor. The antagonist of glycine site decreases NMDA receptor conductance. It is hypothesis that glycine site antagonists can be tested as a new strategy for the management of autism.