N-Acetylaspartylglutamate: possible role as the neurotransmitter of the lateral olfactory tract

The olfactory striae: A historical perspective on the inconsistent anatomy of the bulbar projections

Central olfactory pathways (i.e., projection axons of the mitral and tufted cells), and especially olfactory striae, lack common terminology. This is due to their high degree of intra- and interindividual variability, which has been studied in detail over the past century by Beccari, Mutel, Klass, Erhart, and more recently, by Duque Parra et al. These variations led to some confusion about their number and anatomical arrangement. Recent advances in fiber tractography have enabled the precise in vivo visualization of human olfactory striae and the study of their projections. However, these studies require their algorithms to be set up according to the presumed anatomy of the analyzed fibers. A more precise definition of the olfactory striae is therefore needed, not only to allow a better analysis of the results but also to ensure the quality of the data obtained. By studying the various published works on the central olfactory pathways from the first systematic description by Soemmerring to the present, I have traced the different discussions on the olfactory tracts and summarized them here. This review adopts a systematic approach by addressing each stria individually and tracing the historical background of what was known about it in the past, compared to the current knowledge. The chronological and organized approach used provides a better understanding of the anatomy of these essential structures of the olfactory system.

Hippocampal Sector-Specific Metabolic Profiles Reflect Endogenous Strategy for Ischemia-Reperfusion Insult Resistance

The gerbil is a well-known model for studying cerebral ischemia. The CA1 of the hippocampus is vulnerable to 5 min of ischemia, while the CA2–4 and dentate gyrus (DG) are resistant to it. Short-lasting ischemia, a model of transient ischemic attacks in men, results in CA1 neuron death within 2–4 days of reperfusion. Untargeted metabolomics, using LC-QTOF-MS, was used to enrich the knowledge about intrinsic vulnerability and resistance of hippocampal regions and their early post-ischemic response (IR). In total, 30 significant metabolites were detected. In controls, taurine was significantly lower and guanosine monophosphate was higher in CA1, as compared to that in CA2–4,DG. LysoPG and LysoPE were more abundant in CA1, while LysoPI 18:0 was detected only in CA2–4,DG. After IR, a substantial decrease in the citric acid level in CA1, an accumulation of pipecolic acid in both regions, and opposite changes in the amount of PE and LysoPE were observed. The following metabolic pathways were identified as being differentially active in control CA1 vs. CA2–4,DG: metabolism of taurine and hypotaurine, glycerophospholipid, and purine. These results may indicate that a regulation of cell volume, altered structure of cell membranes, and energy metabolism differentiate hippocampal regions. Early post-ischemia, spatial differences in the metabolism of aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and amino acids and their metabolites with a predominance of those which upkeep their well-being in CA2–4,DG are shown. Presented results are consistent with genetic, morphological, and functional data, which may be useful in further study on endogenous mechanisms of neuroprotection and search for new targets for therapeutic interventions.

Looking for Drugs in All the Wrong Places: Use of GCPII Inhibitors Outside the Brain

In tribute to our friend and colleague Michael Robinson, we review his involvement in the identification, characterization and localization of the metallopeptidase glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII), originally called NAALADase. While Mike was characterizing NAALADase in the brain, the protein was independently identified by other laboratories in human prostate where it was termed prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and in the intestines where it was named Folate Hydrolase 1 (FOLH1). It was almost a decade to establish that NAALADase, PSMA, and FOLH1 are encoded by the same gene. The enzyme has emerged as a therapeutic target outside of the brain, with the most notable progress made in the treatment of prostate cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). PSMA-PET imaging with high affinity ligands is proving useful for the clinical diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer. A molecular radiotherapy based on similar ligands is in trials for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. New PSMA inhibitor prodrugs that preferentially block kidney and salivary gland versus prostate tumor enzyme may improve the clinical safety of this radiotherapy. The wide clinical use of PSMA-PET imaging in prostate cancer has coincidentally led to clinical documentation of GCPII upregulation in a wide variety of tumors and inflammatory diseases, likely associated with angiogenesis. In IBD, expression of the FOLH1 gene that codes for GCPII is strongly upregulated, as is the enzymatic activity in diseased patient biopsies. In animal models of IBD, GCPII inhibitors show substantial efficacy, suggesting potential theranostic use of GCPII ligands for IBD.

Activity-dependent plasticity of electrical synapses: increasing evidence for its presence and functional roles in the mammalian brain

Gap junctions mediate electrical synaptic transmission between neurons. While the actions of neurotransmitter modulators on the conductance of gap junctions have been extensively documented, increasing evidence indicates they can also be influenced by the ongoing activity of neural networks, in most cases via local interactions with nearby glutamatergic synapses. We review here early evidence for the existence of activity-dependent regulatory mechanisms as well recent examples reported in mammalian brain. The ubiquitous distribution of both neuronal connexins and the molecules involved suggest this phenomenon is widespread and represents a property of electrical transmission in general.

The Good and Bad Sides of NAAG

Why has such a small peptide been the source of controversy in neuroscience over the last 5 decades? Is N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG) a neurotransmitter? Is NAAG located in neuronal tissue or in astrocytes? Is NAAG involved in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders? Is NAAG therapeutically beneficial in the treatment of stroke or in initiating cascades of events leading to psychosis? After many years of intense research there is no clear consensus within the scientific community on how NAAG behaves in the brain. One of the major controversies about NAAG is its physiological action at N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. While some researchers strongly argue that NAAG acts as a weak agonist at NMDA receptors, others have suggested that NAAG could behave as a potent antagonist. Published data from our laboratory demonstrate that the effect of NAAG on NMDA receptors could be influenced by a number of factors including the subcellular localization and subunit composition of NMDA receptors, as well as protons. In this chapter, we will summarize the knowledge of the literature on NAAG, however, we will place emphasis on our recently published data. More specifically, we have reported interesting findings on the effects of NAAG on NMDA receptors at synaptic and extrasynaptic sites using a pharmacological paradigm to distinguish the two populations of NMDA receptors. Additionally, we have evaluated the role of NAAG on GluN2A- and GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors using a HEK293 cell recombinant system. Finally, we have studied the effects of NAAG on GluN2A- and GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors in different extracellular pH conditions. We believe that our findings could potentially resolve some aspects of the debate regarding the role of NAAG at NMDA receptors.

A pathway map of glutamate metabolism

Glutamate metabolism plays a vital role in biosynthesis of nucleic acids and proteins. It is also associated with a number of different stress responses. Deficiency of enzymes involved in glutamate metabolism is associated with various disorders including gyrate atrophy, hyperammonemia, hemolytic anemia, γ-hydoxybutyric aciduria and 5-oxoprolinuria. Here, we present a pathway map of glutamate metabolism representing metabolic intermediates in the pathway, 107 regulator molecules, 9 interactors and 3 types of post-translational modifications. This pathway map provides detailed information about enzyme regulation, protein-enzyme interactions, post-translational modifications of enzymes and disorders due to enzyme deficiency. The information included in the map was based on published experimental evidence reported from mammalian systems.

Kainic acid: insights into excitatory mechanisms causing selective neuronal degeneration

Kainic acid, an acidic pyrolidine isolated from the seaweed Digenea simplex, is the most potent of the commonly used exogenous excitotoxins. The neurotoxic threshold of kainic acid is nearly two magnitudes lower than that of the other receptor-specific agonists, N-methyl-D-aspartic acid and quisqualic acid. Neurophysiological and ligand-binding studies indicate that the neurotoxic action of kainic acid is mediated by a specific receptor which exhibits a remarkably broad phylogenetic distribution in the nervous system of vertebrates and invertebrates. The mechanism of neurotoxicity of kainic acid appears to be indirect and requires the functional integrity of excitatory afferents to vulnerable neurons. Consistent with the excitotoxin hypothesis, kainic acid depletes high-energy phosphates and glucose at sites of neurotoxic action; nevertheless, the proximate cause of neurotoxicity may involve increases in intraneuronal calcium levels and the activation of calcium-dependent proteases. Kainic acid neurotoxicity provides a useful animal model for selective neuronal vulnerability that may shed light on the pathophysiology of a number of neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington's disease and temporal lobe epilepsy.

Immunohistochemical Localization of Glutamate in the Gerbil Main Olfactory Bulb Using an Antiserum Directed against Glutamate

Information on the localization and the roles of glutamate in the nervous system is becoming valuable because the axon terminals of the olfactory sensory neurons and the synapses of the mitral and tufted output cells appear to be glutamatergic. In this study, we have analysed the distribution of glutamate immunoreactivity in the main olfactory bulb (MOB) of the Mongolian gerbil using an antiserum directed against glutamate. Glutamate immunoreactivity in the MOB was present in the olfactory nerve layer (Onl), glomerular layer (GL), external plexiform layer (EPL) and mitral cell layer (ML), but not in the granule cell layer (GCL). Glutamate immunoreactivity detected in the Onl was thought to be terminal ramifications of glomeruli. Some neurons in the periglomerular region showed glutamate immunoreactivity. In the EPL, glutamate immunoreactivity was found in some neuronal somata (tufted cells) and processes. In addition, mitral cells in the ML were labelled by the glutamate antibody. The pattern of glutamate immunoreactivity in the mitral cells was similar to that in the tufted cells. In brief, glutamate in the gerbil MOB is the neurotransmitter used by primary afferents and output neurons.

Localization and Synaptic Release of N-acetylaspartylglutamate in the Chick Retina and Optic Tectum

The neuropeptide, N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG), was identified in the chick retina (1.4 nmol/retina) by HPLC, radioimmunoassay and immunohistochemistry. This acidic dipeptide was found within retinal ganglion cell bodies and their neurites in the optic fibre layer of the retina. Substantial, but less intense, immunoreactivity was detected in many amacrine-like cells in the inner nuclear layer and in multiple bands within the inner plexiform layer. In addition, NAAG immunoreactivity was observed in the optic fibre layer and in the neuropil of the superficial layers of the optic tectum, as well as in many cell bodies in the tectum. Using a newly developed, specific and highly sensitive (3 fmol/50 microl) radioimmunoassay for NAAG, peptide release was detected in isolated retinas upon depolarization with 55 mM extracellular potassium. This assay also permitted detection of peptide release from the optic tectum following stimulation of action potentials in retinal ganglion cell axons of the optic tract. Both of these release processes required the presence of extracellular calcium. Electrically stimulated release from the tectum was reversibly blocked by extracellular cadmium. These findings suggest that NAAG serves an extracellular function following depolarization-induced release from retinal amacrine neurons and from ganglion cell axon endings in the chick optic tectum. These data support the hypothesis that NAAG functions in synaptic communication between neurons in the visual system.

Circuit analysis of NMDAR hypofunction in the hippocampus, in vitro, and psychosis of schizophrenia

NMDA antagonists provide the best pharmacological model of psychosis-related schizophrenia. Data from circuit analysis of the effects of the antagonism of NMDA receptors in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of rats in vitro suggest a hypothesis concerning cortical circuit dysfunction responsible for NMDA antagonist-dependent psychosis, relevant to the psychosis associated with schizophrenia. The NMDA antagonists may act by causing a selective, partial, disinhibition of cortical projection cells. The effects are partially due to the partial role of NMDA-dependent transmission in the excitatory glutamate drive of interneurons. Characterization of the selectivity is incomplete, but includes disinhibition of the recurrent inhibitory circuit and is concentration-sensitive. It may result from differences in NMDA receptors (NMDARs) on interneurons. At higher concentrations, antagonism of all NMDA-dependent transmission results in anesthesia. At low concentration, selective blockade of NMDA-dependent LTP of the recurrent inhibitory circuit may disrupt particular aspects of information processing involving learning and/or memory, consistent with the generation of abnormal associations. An endogenous peptide, NAAG, is shown to antagonize NMDARs in a manner similar to known psychotogenic agents like ketamine or phencyclidine. Finally, mechanisms that could enhance NMDAR function are discussed as possible therapeutic strategies for psychosis.

N -Acetylaspartylglutamate acts as an agonist upon homomeric NMDA receptor (NMDAR1) expressed in Xenopus oocytes

The electrophysiological effects of N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG), an endogenous peptide restrictively distributed in the central nervous system, were studied using Xenopus oocytes injected with RNAs transcribed from cloned glutamate receptor cDNAs. NAAG induced an inward current, dose dependently, in oocytes injected with RNA for an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit (NMDAR1). In contrast, the oocytes injected with RNAs for AMPA-selective glutamate receptors (GluR1, GluR3, GluR1+GluR2 and GluR2+GluR3) scarcely responded to NAAG, and the oocytes injected with RNA for kainate receptor (GluR6) did not respond to NAAG. The half-maximal response (ED50) value of NAAG on expressed NMDAR1 was 185 microM, which shows that NAAG is about 115-times less potent than L-glutamate (Glu), the ED50 of which value was 1.6 microM. The maximal current amplitude induced by NAAG was about 70% of that by Glu. NAAG-induced current in NMDAR1-injected oocytes was potentiated by glycine, dose-dependently antagonized by DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid, and blocked by magnesium ions in a voltage-dependent fashion. These results suggest that NAAG is one of the endogenous agonists selective for NMDAR1.

N-Acetylaspartylglutamate: the most abundant peptide neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system

In the progress of science, as in life, timing is important. The acidic dipeptide, N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG), was discovered in the mammalian nervous system in 1965, but initially was not considered to be a neurotransmitter candidate. In the mid-1980s, a few laboratories revisited the question of NAAG's role in the nervous system and pursued hypotheses regarding its function that ranged from a precursor for the transmitter pool of glutamate to a direct role as a peptide transmitter. Since that time, NAAG has been tested against nearly all of the established criteria for identification of a neurotransmitter. It successfully meets each of these tests, including a concentrated presence in neurons and synaptic vesicles, release from axon endings in a calcium-dependent manner following initiation of action potentials, and extracellular hydrolysis by membrane-bound peptidase activity. NAAG is the most prevalent and widely distributed neuropeptide in the mammalian nervous system. NAAG activates NMDA receptors with a low potency that may vary among receptor subtypes, and it is a highly selective agonist at the type 3 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR3). Acting through this receptor, NAAG reduces cyclic AMP levels, decreases voltage-dependent calcium conductance, suppresses excitotoxicity, influences long-term potentiation and depression, regulates GABA(A) receptor subunit expression, and inhibits synaptic release of GABA from cortical neurons. Cloning of peptidase activities against NAAG provides opportunities to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which synaptic NAAG peptidase activity is controlled. Given the codistribution of this peptide with a spectrum of traditional transmitters and its ability to activate mGluR3, we speculate that one role for NAAG following synaptic release is the activation of metabotropic autoreceptors that inhibit subsequent transmitter release. A second role is the production of extracellular glutamate following NAAG hydrolysis.

Immunocytochemical localization of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid in the accessory olfactory bulb of the rat

The synaptic organization of the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) was studied in the rat with antibodies against the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate (Glu) and the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). To a large extent, the immunoreactivity patterns produced by the two antibodies were complementary. Glu-like immunoreactivity (-LI) was observed in the glomerular neuropil, in the mitral cells, and in large neurons located in the periglomerular region. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed particularly high levels of Glu-LI in the axon terminals of vomeronasal neurons. GABA-LI was present in granule and periglomerular cells and in their processes. The dendritic spines of granule cells, which were presynaptic to mitral cells, were strongly labelled by the antiserum against GABA. Labelling of serial semithin sections showed that the GABA-positive and Glu-positive neurons of the periglomerular region are generally distinct, and colocalization of Glu and GABA occurred only in a few cells. These results are consistent with electrophysiological studies indicating that the synaptic organization of the AOB is similar to that of the main olfactory bulb. In both systems, Glu is the neurotransmitter used by primary afferents and output neurons, whereas GABA is involved in the circuits underlying lateral and feed-back inhibition.

The nagging question of the function of N-acetylaspartylglutamate

N-Acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) is a neuropeptide found in millimolar concentrations in brain that is localized to subpopulations of glutamatergic, cholinergic, GABAergic, and noradrenergic neuronal systems. NAAG is released upon depolarization by a Ca(2+)-dependent process and is an agonist at mGluR3 receptors and an antagonist at NMDA receptors. NAAG is catabolized to N-acetylaspartate and glutamate primarily by glutamate carboxypeptidase II, which is expressed on the extracellular surface of astrocytes. The levels of NAAG and the activity of carboxypeptidase II are altered in a regionally specific fashion in several neuropsychiatric disorders.

Light and electron microscopic immunohistochemical localization of N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) in the olivocerebellar pathway of the rat

The inferior olive (IO) is the sole contributor of climbing fibers (CF) to the Purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex. Although the anatomy and the connectivity between the IO and the cerebellum have been well established, there is still controversy regarding the neurotransmitter systems mediating olivocerebellar projections. The excitatory amino acids, glutamate (Glu) and aspartate (Asp), have both been considered as neurotransmitter candidates of olivocerebellar projections in the rat. More recently N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) has also been proposed as a transmitter of cerebellar climbing fibers based on biochemical and electrophysiological data. The aim of the present study was to determine whether NAAG immunoreactivity is present in the IO and CF at the light and electron microscopic levels and to quantitate the amount of immunogold labeling in olivary neurons and climbing fiber terminals containing this dipeptide. A polyclonal antisera against NAAG was utilized with a peroxidase-labeled avidin-biotin procedure to demonstrate these immunoreactive neurons in the IO at the light microscopic level. Approximately 45% of olivary neurons display NAAG-like immunoreactivity, and their distribution is unevenly clustered throughout the inferior olive. Using postembedding immunogold electron microscopy in combination with quantitative procedures, we found the highest densities of gold particles in the axonal terminals synapsing on olivary neurons (101.0 particles/microns2), in CF terminals (96.3 particles/microns2), and in some mossy fiber terminals (101.0 particles/microns2). Approximately half of the climbing fiber terminals examined were unlabeled. Moderate labeling occurred in CF axons (70.8 particles/microns2), while IO neuronal perikarya were lightly but significantly labeled (41.6 particles/microns2). The localization of NAAG in the subset of cerebellar climbing fiber terminals provides anatomical support for the hypothesis that NAAG may serve as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator candidate in the olivocerebellar pathway.

The lateral and medial compartments of the olfactory tubercle and their relation to olfactory-related input as determined by artificial neural network

The current literature indicates that olfactory bulbar input projects throughout layer IA of the entire olfactory tubercle, with apparently more fibres in the lateral part than in the medial part of the tubercle. In addition, olfactory cortical association fibers project to layers IB, II, and III in all regions of the tubercle. This study exploited the phenomenon of transsynaptic transfer of WGA-HRP after injection into the olfactory bulb or rats to explore the degree of olfactory-related input to the tubercle. A computerized image analysis system was employed to quantify the amount of tracer transferred to layer II neurons of the tubercle. Qualitative analysis of the data indicates that the lateral tubercle consists of areas that receive little olfactory-related input. Nonparametric statistical tests and a novel application of artificial neural networks indicate regionally heterogeneous labeling across the tubercle and broad connections between homologous regions of the bulb and tubercle. These results have implications for understanding how olfactory sensory information is integrated into limbic-motor circuits by the olfactory tubercle.

Presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors in adult and developing neurons: autoexcitation in the olfactory bulb

The mitral cell of the olfactory bulb is the primary relay neuron that transmits information from the olfactory receptors to the rest of the brain. This excitatory neuron releases glutamate from presynaptic dendrites and axon terminals. All rat mitral cells studied showed strong, selective, and widespread metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR1 alpha immunoreactivity on the presynaptic membrane of dendrites, often at the synaptic vesicle release site, when examined with light and electron microscopy. The finding of glutamate receptors on mitral cell secondary dendrites supports the conclusion that not all dendritic membrane with glutamate receptors necessarily have gray type I asymmetrical synaptic specializations. In contrast, the metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR5 was not found in mitral cells but was expressed by granule cells and astrocytes around mitral dendrites. Both mGluR1 alpha and mGluR5 were expressed early in development, with strong immunostaining present by postnatal day 1. MGluR1 alpha staining at birth mirrored the adult staining pattern. MGluR5 staining at birth showed different patterns of immunostaining than that found in the adult, particularly in the external plexiform layer. In vitro olfactory bulb neurons and their dendrites from embryonic day (E) 18 olfactory bulbs responded to t-ACPD and quisqualate, selective and nonselective metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists, and to several ionotropic glutamate agonists with increases in intracellular Ca2+ as studied with fura-2 digital imaging. These data indicate that the receptors were functionally active at an early stage of development. Application of the glutamate receptor blockers d-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (AP5) and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline (CNQX) to E17 olfactory bulb neurons after only 4 days in vitro resulted in a dramatic decrease in Ca2+ levels in 70% of 128 cells tested, suggesting that embryonic neurons after a short time in vitro can actively secrete glutamate. The presence of glutamate receptors on the long mitral cell dendrite suggests that it would be able to respond to release of its own excitatory transmitter, probably at an early stage of development. In the probable absence of other excitatory input to the secondary mitral dendrites, it would be the only excitatory "input." This autoexcitatory response would be modulated by release of GABA from olfactory interneurons occurring milliseconds after glutamate release induced by olfactory nerve activation. This novel type of neuronal microcircuitry would potentially amplify signal transmission and current spread along the long mitral dendrites and could play an important role in lateral inhibition of olfactory neurons.

Quantitative immunogold evidence for enrichment of glutamate but not aspartate in synaptic terminals of retino-geniculate, geniculo-cortical, and cortico-geniculate axons in the cat

A postembedding immunogold procedure was used on thin sections of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and perigeniculate nucleus (PGN) of the cat to estimate qualitatively and quantitatively, at the electron-microscopic (EM) level, the intensity of glutamate or aspartate immunoreactivities on identifiable synaptic terminals and other profiles of the neuropil. On sections incubated with a glutamate antibody, terminals of retinal and cortical axons in the LGN, and of collaterals of geniculo-cortical axons in the PGN, contain significantly higher density of immunogold particles than GABAergic terminals, glial cells, dendrites, and cytoplasm of geniculate cells. By contrast, in sections incubated with an aspartate antibody, terminals of retino-geniculate, cortico-geniculate, and geniculo-cortical axons did not show a selective enrichment of immunoreactivity, but instead the density of immunogold particles was generally low in the different profiles of the neuropil, with the exception of nucleoli. These results suggest that glutamate, but not aspartate, is a neurotransmitter candidate in the retino-geniculo-cortical pathways.

Aspartate aminotransferase and glutaminase activities in rat olfactory bulb and cochlear nucleus; comparisons with retina and with concentrations of substrate and product amino acids

The quantitative distributions of aspartate aminotransferase and glutaminase were mapped in subregions of olfactory bulb and cochlear nucleus of rat, and were compared with similar data for retina and with the distributions of their substrate and product amino acids aspartate, glutamate, and glutamine. The distributions of both enzymes paralleled that of aspartate in the olfactory bulb and that of glutamate in the cochlear nucleus. In retina (excluding inner segments), there were similarities between aspartate aminotransferase and both glutamate and aspartate distributions. The distribution of gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA) was similar to those of both enzymes in olfactory bulb, to aspartate aminotransferase in cochlear nucleus, and to glutaminase in retina (excluding inner segments). The results are consistent with significant involvement of aspartate aminotransferase, especially the cytosolic isoenzyme, and glutaminase in accumulation of the neurotransmitter amino acids glutamate, aspartate, and GABA, although with preferential accumulation of different amino acids in different brain regions.

Uptake, Metabolism, and Release of N-[3H]-Acetylaspartylglutamate by the Avian Retina

N-Acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) is a nervous system-specific dipeptide that is released from retinal neurons on depolarization. In the present study, extracellular metabolism, uptake, and release of [3H]NAAG were examined in the chick retina. After in vitro incubation with NAAG radiolabeled in the glutamate moiety, [3H]glutamate and [3H]NAAG increased in retinal cells through time- and temperature-dependent processes, which were reduced in the absence of extracellular sodium. Coincubation of cells with [3H]NAAG and aspartylglutamate or phosphate resulted in the decreased extracellular appearance of [3H]glutamate, produced by hydrolysis of radiolabeled NAAG, and a consequent increased availability of [3H]NAAG for transport into the retinal cells. When this tissue was incubated with radiolabeled NAAG, glutamate, glutamine, or aspartate under similar conditions, only [3H]NAAG served as a significant source for the appearance of intracellular [3H]NAAG. These data support the conclusion that [3H]NAAG can be transported into retinal cells, whereas [3H]glutamate transport is the predominant process after release of this amino acid from NAAG by extracellular peptidase activities. After uptake, [3H]NAAG entered a cellular pool, from which the peptide was secreted under depolarizing conditions and in a calcium-dependent manner.

Localization of corticotropin-releasing factor-like immunoreactivity in monkey olfactory bulb and secondary olfactory areas

Electrophysiological and anatomical observations suggest that terminals of olfactory bulb mitral cells ending in rat primary olfactory cortex exert certain postsynaptic effects via an excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter. Recent anatomical studies have shown that several peptides, most notably corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) (Imaki et al., '89) Brain Res., 496: 35-44), are also localized within rat olfactory bulb projection neurons, thus raising the possibility that there is a peptide cotransmitter in this system. In contrast to the availability of data for rodents, very little is known about the distribution of peptides and other putative transmitters in the olfactory systems of primate species. In the present study, sections through the olfactory bulb and its target areas were obtained from two monkey species (Saimiri sciureus and Macaca fascicularis) and processed for immunohistochemistry with a well-characterized polyclonal antiserum directed against the human form of CRF. Virtually identical results were obtained in the two species. Within the olfactory bulb, nearly all mitral and many tufted cells contained CRF-like immunoreactivity. CRF-positive fibers were seen within the olfactory tract and olfactory stria, which contain the axons of mitral and tufted cells. Within the anterior olfactory nucleus and layer Ia of the olfactory tubercle and piriform cortex, immunoreactivity was seen within fine processes, as well as in coarse, varicose fibers and isolated puncta. CRF-positive cells were seen within layer III of the olfactory tubercle and piriform cortex. Immunoreactive fibers and varicosities were also seen within olfactory-recipient regions of the amygdala and entorhinal cortex. These observations suggest that CRF may act as a transmitter and/or neuromodulator in primate olfactory system.

Immunocytochemical localization of the N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG) hydrolyzing enzyme N-acetylated alpha-linked acidic dipeptidase (NAALADase)

N-acetylated alpha-linked acidic dipeptidase (NAALADase) is a membrane bound enzyme that cleaves glutamate from the endogenous neuropeptide N-acetyl-aspartyl-glutamate (NAAG). We report the immunocytochemical localization of NAALADase in rat brain and kidney by using specific anti-NAALADase antiserum. NAALADase-immunoreactivity (NAALADase-IR) was widely distributed, abundant in neuropil, absent from neuronal cytoplasm, and displayed regional heterogeneity. Staining was selectively enriched in several structures previously reported to contain NAAG-immunoreactivity (NAAG-IR) including the amygdala, caudate-putamen, central gray, dorsal raphe, globus pallidus, hippocampus, hypothalamus, locus coerulus, medial and lateral geniculate, olfactory bulb, periaqueductal gray, solitary nucleus, spinal trigeminal nucleus, substantia nigra, superior colliculus, and thalamus. Staining within these structures was enriched in neuropil; no intracellular staining was detected, even after colchicine treatment. In addition, NAALADase-IR was observed in some NAAG-containing fiber tracts including the corpus callosum, fornix, habenular commissure, solitary tract, stria medularis, and stria terminalis. The co-localization of NAALADase-IR and NAAG-IR support the hypothesis that NAALADase is responsible for the catabolism of NAAG in vivo. NAALADase-IR was also detected in brain regions that, to date, have not revealed NAAG-IR, including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the median eminence. In addition, NAALADase-IR was detected in the rat kidney cortex, specifically in the brush border of the proximal convoluted tubules. The observation that NAALADase-IR was more widespread than NAAG-IR suggests that NAALADase may also be involved in the catabolism of other structurally related neural and renal peptides.

N-acetylaspartylglutamate immunoreactivity in neurons of the monkey's visual pathway

The acidic dipeptide N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) was identified immunohistochemically within neurons of the visual pathways of two adult macaque monkeys which had undergone midsagittal sectioning of the optic chiasm 6 or 9 years earlier. In both temporal and nasal retinae, amacrine cells, including some displaced amacrine cells, expressed NAAG immunoreactivity. In temporal but not nasal retina, retinal ganglion cells were stained, as were their dendrites in the inner plexiform layer, and their axons in the optic nerve fiber layer. In nasal retina, the ganglion cells had degenerated because they were axotomized by the optic chiasm section. In the target regions of the retinal ganglion cells, the superior colliculus and the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), both neuropil and cell bodies were stained. In LGN, staining was confined to layers 2, 3, and 5, that is, to the layers innervated by the intact ipsilateral pathway. Immunoreactivity was also seen in the cells of layers 2, 3A, 4B, 5, and 6 of area 17 and layers 3 and 5 of area 18. The neuropil was stained in all layers of area 17, but more heavily in layers 1, 2, 4B, the bottom of 4C beta, 5B, and 6B. Within 4C the staining was patchy; in tangential sections there were alternating bands of light and dark label which matched the ocular dominance bands demonstrated by cytochrome oxidase histochemistry in adjacent sections. This banding pattern is consistent with the presence of NAAG in geniculocortical terminals of the intact ipsilateral pathway and the absence of such terminals for the contralateral pathway, which had undergone transneuronal degeneration due to the optic chiasm sectioning. Overall, our results for monkey are very similar to those in cat and suggest that NAAG or a structurally related molecule may have a prominent role in the communication of visual signals at retinal, thalamic, and cortical levels.

Olfactory recognition: a simple memory system

Mice have an olfactory (pheromone) recognition memory located at the first relay in the sensory system. It is acquired with one-trial learning, contingent upon norepinephrine activation at mating, and lasts for several weeks. The mechanism involves Hebbian (association-dependent) changes in synaptic efficacy at dendrodendritic synapses in the accessory olfactory bulb. As a result of this memory, males made familiar by mating are recognized by the females, thereby mitigating pregnancy block. Such a memory function is biologically important to the female, as it is required to sustain pregnancy in the presence of her stud male's odors.

Role of NMDA and non-NMDA receptors in synaptic transmission in rat piriform cortex

The pharmacology of synaptic transmission was studied in slices of rat piriform cortex using the selective non-NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist 6.7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX) and the selective NMDA receptor antagonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (D-AP5). DNQX produced a dose-dependent blockade of synaptic transmission at both lateral olfactory tract and associational system synapses with half-maximal effects at about 2.5 microM. D-AP5 had no significant effects on field potentials recorded in medium containing 2.5 mM Mg++. However in low Mg++ (100-200 microM) medium, D-AP5 did reduce a slow component of postsynaptic responses in both synaptic systems. In Mg(++)-free medium, 20 microM DNQX did not completely block transmission; the remaining response components were blocked by D-AP5. These results suggest that normal synaptic transmission in the two main inputs to the superficial layers of piriform cortex is mediated by non-NMDA receptors but that NMDA receptors can also participate under conditions where the Mg++ block of the NMDA channel is alleviated.

Competitive inhibition of N-acetylated-alpha-linked acidic dipeptidase activity by N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-beta-linked L-glutamate

The endogenous neuropeptide N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-glutamate (NAAG) fulfills several criteria required to be accepted as a neurotransmitter. NAAG inactivation may proceed through enzymatic hydrolysis into N-acetyl-L-aspartate and glutamate by an N-acetylated-alpha-linked acidic dipeptidase (NAALADase). Therefore, some properties of NAALADase activity were investigated using crude membranes from the rat forebrain. Kinetic parameters of the hydrolysis of [Glu-3H]NAAG were determined first (Km = 0.40 +/- 0.05 microM; Vmax = 155 +/- 20 pmol/min/mg of protein). The enzymatic activity, i.e., NAALADase, was inhibited noncompetitively by the glutamatergic agonist quisqualate (Ki = 1.9 +/- 0.3 microM), and competitively by N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-beta-linked L-glutamate (beta-NAAG; Ki = 0.70 +/- 0.05 microM). To determine whether glutamate-containing dipeptides, such as NAAG, beta-NAAG, N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-D-glutamate, L-aspartyl-L-glutamate, L-alanyl-L-glutamate, L-glutamyl-L-glutamate, and L-glutamyl-gamma-linked L-glutamate, were substrates of NAALADase, rat brain membranes were immobilized on a C-8 column. Thus, endogenous trapped glutamate was washed away and formation of unlabelled glutamate could be estimated using an o-phthaldialdehyde/reverse-phase HPLC detection procedure. beta-NAAG was shown to be a nonhydrolyzable competitive inhibitor of NAALADase. L-Aspartyl-L-glutamate was hydrolyzed faster than NAAG, suggesting that the acetylated moiety is not essential for NAALADase specificity. Rat brain membranes also contained nonspecific peptidase activities (insensitive to both quisqualate and beta-NAAG), which, in the case of L-alanyl-L-glutamate, for instance, accounted for all observed hydrolysis.

Release of glutamate and aspartate from the visual cortex of the cat following activation of afferent pathways

To test the possibility that glutamate (Glu) and aspartate (Asp) are transmitters at geniculo-cortical synapses in the visual cortex of the cat, we studied the release of amino acids from the striate cortex consequent upon visual and electrical stimulation of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and of the optic tract, using push-pull cannulae. We perfused a discrete region that included layer IV of the cortex with an artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) and analysed the amino acid content of these perfusates by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Significant increases only of Glu and Asp were obtained among all 17 amino acids measured, except for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), during electrical stimulation of the afferent pathways. Visual stimulation by stroboscopic diffuse flashes of light increased the level of Glu released, but did not change that of Asp significantly. The level of GABA released did not change during diffuse flash stimulation, suggesting that the increase in Glu was not derived from cortical neurons. The increases in release of Glu/Asp were not seen when the perfusion medium was replaced with a Ca2(+)-free, high-Mg2(+)-containing solution. The basal (resting) release of Glu/Asp in the absence of stimulation also was decreased during perfusion with Ca2(+)-free/high-Mg2+ solutions. Intraocular injections of a sodium channel blocker, tetrodotoxin (TTX), resulted in a remarkable decrease in the basal release of Glu. These results suggest that Glu is released as in excitatory synaptic transmitter at least from terminals of geniculo-cortical afferents and Asp from axons of a certain type of visual cortical neuron.

Involvement of specific placental antigen X-P2 in rat olfaction: an immunohistochemical study in the olfactory bulb

Human placental antigen X-P2 (hPAX-P2), an antigen complex associated with cytochrome P-450 of aromatase within estrogen synthesizing tissues, has been reported to be present in a distinct group of rat primary olfactory receptors involved in suckling behavior. In this study, most of the mitral and tufted cells in the rat olfactory bulb were found to possess hPAX-P2 immunoreactivity. This suggests that the activity of these cells can be hormonally modulated and that hPAX-P2 is involved in rat olfaction not only at the receptor level but also at integrative brain levels via the secondary projecting neurons of the olfactory pathway.

Pharmacological evidence that protein kinase C modulates monosynaptic excitations in the olfactory cortex

The possible occurrence and role of protein kinase C at the lateral olfactory tract (LOT)-pyramidal cell synapse of the rat olfactory cortex slice has been investigated by determining the effects of both activators (4-beta-phorbol-12,13,diacetate [PDAc] and 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol) and inhibitors (5-isoquinolinylsulphonyl)-2-methylpiperazine [H-7], sangivamycin and polymyxin B) of the enzyme on the surface field potential known as the N-wave. PDAc (0.3 to 20 mumol/l) and 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (25 to 250 mumol/l) increased the area and amplitude of the potential. In control slices in which a population spike was recorded, PDAc also triggered the appearance of multiple spikes. In a series of input-output experiments, PDAc (2.5 or 5 mumol/l) increased the area and amplitude of the N-wave relative to that of the action potential but did not significantly affect pyramidal cell excitability. The effects of PDAc on the N-wave were antagonised by all three protein kinase C inhibitors but not by the calmodulin antagonist calmidazolium and were greater in slices perfused with solution containing 10 rather than 1 mmol/l Mg2+ or 1.25 rather than 5 mmol/l Ca2+. The effect of PDAc on the amplitude but not area of the N-wave was blocked by the potassium channel blocker tetraethylammonium (10 mmol/l) but not by 4-aminopyridine (0.25 mmol/l). In a series of conditioning experiments, PDAc (1 to 5 mumol/l) reduced the amplitude of the N-wave evoked by a second stimulus compared to that evoked by the first conditioning pulse.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Glutamate-positive neurons and axon terminals in cat sensory cortex: a correlative light and electron microscopic study

Immunocytochemical methods were used to perform a correlative light and electron microscopic study of neurons and axon terminals immunoreactive to the antiglutamate (Glu) serum of Hepler et al. ('88) in the visual and somatic sensory areas of cats. At the light microscopic level, numerous Glu-positive neurons were found in all layers except layer I of both cortical areas. On the basis of the dendritic staining of Glu-positive cells, two major morphological categories were found: pyramidal cells, which were the most frequent type of immunostained neuron, and multipolar neurons, which were more numerous in layer IV of area 17 than in any other layer. A large number of Glu-positive neurons, however, did not display dendritic labelling and were considered unidentified neurons. Counts of labelled neurons were performed in the striate cortex; approximately 40% were Glu-positive. Numerous lightly stained punctate structures were observed in all cortical layers: the majority of these Glu-positive puncta were in the neuropil. After resectioning the plastic sections for electron microscopy it was observed that: 1) the majority of neurons unidentifiable at light microscopic level were indeed pyramidal neurons except in layer IV of area 17, where many stained cells were probably spiny stellate neurons. Some Glu-positive neurons, however, exhibited clear ultrastructural features of nonspiny nonpyramidal cells; 2) all synaptic contacts made by Glu-positive axon terminals were of the asymmetric type, but not all asymmetric synaptic contacts were labelled. The vast majority of postsynaptic targets of Glu-positive axons were unlabelled dendritic spines and shafts. The present results provide further evidence that Glu (or a closely related compound) is probably the neurotransmitter of numerous excitatory neurons in the neocortex.

An explanation for the purported excitation of piriform cortical neurons by N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-glutamic acid (NAAG)

The excitation of piriform cortical neurons by iontophoresis of N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-glutamic acid (NAAG) isolated from rat brain is frequently cited as major support for the possible neurotransmitter role of NAAG in the CNS [ffrench-Mullen, J. M. H., Koller, K., Zaczek, R., Coyle, J. T., Hori, N. & Carpenter, D. O. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82, 3897-3900]. However, we have been unable to reproduce this observation using synthetic NAAG, and instead we offer an alternative explanation. In our experiments, iontophoresis of the sodium salt of synthetic NAAG did not induce single-unit spiking at sites in slices of rat piriform cortex that responded vigorously to L-glutamate. In contrast, iontophoresis of the potassium salt of synthetic NAAG or of potassium ions alone induced single unit activity. The responses to both NAAG/KCl and KCl alone were inhibited by L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid and desensitized rapidly, as previously reported for NAAG. These results suggest that residual potassium ions, remaining after the original purification of NAAG, were responsible for the excitations attributed to NAAG.

The olfactory system and Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered to be the number one health problem and seems to be reaching epidemic proportion in the USA. The cause of AD is not known, a reliable animal model of the disease has not been found and appropriate treatment of this dementia is wanting. The present review focuses on the possibility that a virus or exogenous toxic materials may gain access to the CNS using the olfactory mucosa as a portal of entry. Anterograde and retrograde transport of the virus/zeolites to olfactory forebrain regions, which receive primary and secondary projections from the main olfactory bulb (MOB) and which, in turn, project centrifugal axons to the MOB, may initiate cell degeneration at such loci. Pathological changes may, thus, be initially confined to projecting and intrinsic neurons localized in cortical and subcortical olfactory structures; arguments are advanced which favor the view that excitotoxic phenomena could be mainly responsible for the overall degenerative picture. Neurotoxic activity may follow infection by the virus itself, be facilitated by loss of GABAergic terminals in olfactory cortex, develop following repeated episodes of physiological long term potentiation (which unmasks NMDA receptors) or be due to excessive release, faculty re-uptake or altered glutamate receptor sensitivity. Furthermore, a reduction in central inhibitory inputs to the MOB might then result in disinhibition of mitral/tufted neurons and enhance the excitotoxic phenomena in the MOB projecting field. Within this context, and in line with recent studies, it is believed that pathology begins at cortical (mainly olfactory) regions, basal forebrain neurons being secondarily affected due to retrograde degeneration. In addition, failure to produce a critical level of neurotrophic factors by a damaged MOB and olfactory cortex, could adversely affect survival of basal cholinergic neurons which innervate both regions. Support for these hypothesis is provided, first, by recent reports on pathological findings in AD brains which seem to involve preferentially the olfactory and entorhinal cortices, the olfactory amygdala and the hippocampus, all of which receive primary or secondary projections from the MOB; secondly, by the presence of severe olfactory deficits in the early stages of the disease, mainly of a discriminatory nature, which points to a malfunction of central olfactory structures.

CGS-19755 and MK-801 selectively prevent rat striatal cholinergic and gabaergic neuronal degeneration induced by N-methyl-D-aspartate and ibotenate in vivo

The in vivo efficacies and potencies of various excitatory amino acid agonists in inducing cholinergic neuronal degeneration were compared following unilateral injections into the rat striatum. Kainic acid (KA), alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), ibotenic acid (IBO), and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) all produced dose-related decreases in choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity. The relative order of potency was KA greater than AMPA greater than IBO greater than NMDA. Quisqualic acid (QUIS) was about as potent as NMDA, but the maximal decrease in ChAT activity was less (36%). N-acetylaspartyl-L-glutamate (NAAG) did not significantly decrease ChAT activity when up to 1,000 nmoles was injected. Approximate equitoxic doses of agonists were then used to examine the ability of i.p. administered CGS-19755 and MK-801 to prevent in vivo excitatory amino acid-induced cholinergic and GABAergic neuronal degeneration. NMDA-induced decreases in ChAT and glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) activities were prevented by CGS-19755 (10-40 mg/kg) and MK-801 (1-10 mg/kg). CGS-19755 (40 mg/kg) and MK-801 (10 mg/kg) did not prevent loss of ChAT or GAD induced by KA or AMPA, but did prevent the degenerative effects of IBO. This study shows that CGS-19755 and MK-801, two NMDA receptor antagonists that act by different mechanisms, are completely selective following systemic administration. Moreover, the in vivo excitotoxic effects of IBO are mediated at NMDA receptor sites that are blocked by these compounds.

Comparison of excitatory amino acid-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and N-[3H]acetylaspartylglutamate binding in rat brain: selective inhibition of phosphoinositide hydrolysis by 2-amino-3-phosphonopropionate

The activation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis by ibotenate (IBO) in brain slices and the binding of N-[3H]acetylaspartyl-L-glutamate (NAAG) to brain membranes are biochemical parameters previously shown to be selectively inhibited by 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (AP4). We have examined whether the binding of [3H]NAAG and stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis by IBO are indexing the same or different populations of AP4-sensitive excitatory amino acid sites in brain. L-AP4 and D,L-2-amino-3-phosphonopropionate (D,L-AP3) were found to be about equipotent inhibitors of IBO-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis. L-AP4 and D,L-AP3 did not inhibit stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis by the cholinoceptor agonist carbachol. The L-isomers of serine-O-phosphate and alpha-aminoadipate were selective inhibitors of IBO-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis, but were less potent than L-AP4 or D,L-AP3. When these compounds were examined for their ability to inhibit [3H]NAAG binding to membranes of rat forebrain, the relative order of potency was L-alpha-aminoadipate = D-alpha-aminoadipate greater than L-AP4 greater than L-serine-O-phosphate greater than D-AP4 much greater than D,L-AP3. Concentrations of NAAG up to 10(-2) M did not stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis. Thus, although both assays are sensitive to L-AP4 inhibition, they appear to represent disparate excitatory amino acid sites in brain. Furthermore, D,L-AP3 appears to be a more selective inhibitor of excitatory amino acid-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis than L-AP4, and might be a more useful pharmacological tool to define the function of these receptor sites in brain.

Cysteine: depolarization-induced release from rat brain in vitro

Compounds released on depolarization in a Ca2+-dependent manner from rat brain slices were screened to identify candidates for neuroactive substances. Lyophilized superfusates were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC after derivatization with 9-fluorenyl N-succinimidyl carbonate. One of the compounds that showed an increase of concentration in superfusates in the presence of iodoacetamide was identified as the cysteine (Cys) derivative, S-carboxamidomethylcysteine, by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry and other methods. This stable Cys derivative originates from endogenous, extracellular Cys. The finding led to a method for quantification of Cys in superfusates by immediate cooling of the superfusates to 0 degrees C and reaction of Cys with N-ethylmaleimide. Depolarization-induced Ca2+-dependent release of Cys was most prominent in the neocortex, followed by the mesodiencephalon, striatum, and cerebellum. This suggests that Cys is released from a neuronal compartment and might be involved in neurotransmission.

Glutamate-like immunoreactivity revealed in rat olfactory bulb, hippocampus and cerebellum by monoclonal antibody and sensitive staining method

Although there is good evidence favoring L-glutamate as a major excitatory amino acid transmitter, relatively little is known about the distribution of nerve terminals using this substance. A method visualizing glutamate-like immunoreactivity at the light microscopic level by means of a monoclonal antibody, mAb 2D7, is described. --The antigen used for immunization was a glutaraldehyde-linked glutamate-BSA conjugate, and hybridomas were differentially screened by ELISA for production of antibodies recognizing glutamate- but not aspartate-BSA. The crossreactivity of 'anti-glutamate' mAb 2D7 as estimated in absorption tests was low even with conjugates closely related to glutamate-BSA.--Semithin sections from rapidly perfusion-fixed, plastic-embedded rat brain tissues were etched and stained by a combination of the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method and silver enhancement of the diaminobenzidine reaction product. Only this amongst several other immunohistochemical methods tried produced labeling patterns which showed terminal-like elements in brain regions such as olfactory bulb, hippocampus and cerebellum, and which were mostly consistent with already available information on systems using glutamate as neurotransmitter. Particularly striking was the staining of elements reminiscent of mossy fiber terminals in hippocampus and cerebellum as well as of cerebellar parallel fiber terminals.

Calcium-dependent evoked release of N-[3H]acetylaspartylglutamate from the optic pathway

N-Acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) is a neuropeptide localized to several putative glutamatergic neuronal systems, including the rodent optic pathway. To determine whether the peptide is released by depolarization, the superior colliculus of the rat was perfused with 2 microCi of [3H]NAAG, then with Krebs-bicarbonate buffer for 1 h, using a microdialysis system. Subsequently, 10-min fractions were collected and analyzed by HPLC for [3H]NAAG. Addition of 100 microM veratridine resulted in a several-fold increase in the evoked release of [3H]NAAG that was virtually abolished by coperfusion with Ca2+-free Krebs buffer containing 1 mM EGTA. When [3H]glutamate was used as the precursor, veratridine depolarization resulted in only an 80% increase in the release of [3H]NAAG. Prior enucleation of the right eye reduced the spontaneous release of [3H]NAAG by 50%, and the veratridine-evoked release by greater than 85%, from the left superior colliculus. These results suggest that NAAG is released upon depolarization and may serve as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in the optic tract.

Release of N-acetylaspartylglutamate on depolarization of rat brain slices

In a great number of investigations, evidence in favor of a neurotransmitter role of the N-terminal-blocked, acidic dipeptide N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) has been accumulating. In fact, in some systems of the mammalian brain, almost all of the classical criteria for neurotransmitters have been fulfilled by NAAG except for the demonstration of its release from nervous tissue on depolarization. For quantification of NAAG in superfusates of brain slices, we have developed an analytical procedure consisting of an ion exchange prepurification, followed by a derivatization procedure and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with chemical ionization and selected ion monitoring. Deuterated NAAG was used as an internal standard to provide a high degree of reliability for the analytical method. Detection limits of less than 1 pmol were achieved. A statistically highly significant increase of NAAG concentration in superfusates from rat neocortex, piriform cortex/amygdala, and hippocampus on depolarization with 50 mM K+ could be demonstrated and was shown to be largely Ca2+ dependent. These results support the hypothesis that NAAG is a neurotransmitter. Especially with respect to the piriform cortex, the present demonstration of NAAG release is consistent with electrophysiological and immunohistochemical evidence for its neurotransmitter function at terminals of the lateral olfactory tract.

Putative glutamatergic and/or aspartatergic cells in the main and accessory olfactory bulbs of the rat

The "transmitter-specific" retrograde axonal tracer 3H-D-aspartate has been used to demonstrate neurons in the olfactory bulb which putatively utilize aspartate and/or glutamate as their neurotransmitter and which send an axon either to the piriform cortex or within the bulb itself. Injections of 3H-D-aspartate into layer I of the anterior piriform cortex, in the zone of termination of axons from the olfactory bulb, labeled only a few cells in the main olfactory bulb, located in the mitral and external plexiform layers. Although these cells resembled mitral and tufted cells, they tended to have smaller somata than other mitral or tufted cells and apparently form a distinct subpopulation of relay cells. In contrast, many of the mitral cells of the accessory olfactory bulb were labeled by the same injections of 3H-D-aspartate, probably as a result of involvement of the accessory olfactory tract or its bed nucleus in the injection site. Similar injections of the "nonspecific" tracer HRP into the anterior piriform cortex labeled most of the cells in the mitral cell layer of both the main and accessory olfactory bulbs, and some tufted cells in the external plexiform layer. It is concluded that only a small, distinct subpopulation of the mitral or tufted cells of the main olfactory bulb are aspartatergic and/or glutamatergic, while many (at least) of the mitral cells of the accessory olfactory bulb use the excitatory amino acids as transmitters. Injections of 3H-D-aspartate directly into the main olfactory bulb also failed to label the mitral and deeply situated tufted cells. However, a few cells were labeled in the periglomerular region, the superficial external plexiform layer, and the granule cell layer near the injection site. These labeled cells were smaller than mitral and tufted cells but generally larger than periglomerular or granule cells. They may represent a population of glutamatergic or aspartatergic short axon cells. In addition, small cells of an unknown type were labeled in the olfactory nerve layer following injections in the deepest part of the bulb. These cells do not correspond to any of the well characterized cell types of the olfactory bulb.

Hydrolysis of the brain dipeptide N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-glutamate: subcellular and regional distribution, ontogeny, and the effect of lesions on N-acetylated-alpha-linked acidic dipeptidase activity

N-Acetylated-alpha-linked acidic dipeptidase (NAALADase) is a Cl- dependent, membrane bound, metallopeptidase that cleaves the endogenous neuropeptide N-acetyl-L-aspartyl-L-glutamate (NAAG) in vitro. To examine the pattern of NAALADase expression in the CNS, subcellular, regional, and developmental studies were conducted. Subcellular fractionation of lysed synaptosomal membranes revealed a substantial enrichment of the peptidase in synaptic plasma membranes as compared to mitochondrial or myelin subfractions. Regional studies reveal an apparent restriction of peptidase activity to kidney and brain. A threefold variation in specific activity was observed among brain regions, with highest specific activity in the cerebellum and lowest in telencephalic structures, a pattern that does not, in general, correlate with NAAG levels. Ontogenetic studies demonstrate a region-dependent, postnatal pattern of expression of NAALADase activity, with adult levels attained earliest in brainstem, as was previously reported for NAAG. Postnatal NAALADase expression would not appear to support a role for the peptidase in constitutive protein processing, but rather suggests that NAALADase may play a role in synaptic peptide degradation. Glutamate (Glu) excised from NAAG by NAALADase could be transported efficiently by uptake processes. Lesion studies, however, do not support a close structural association between NAALADase activity and the corticostriatal sodium-dependent, high-affinity, Glu uptake system. Similar to in vitro data documenting the route of NAAG degradation by NAALADase, after intrastriatal injection, NAAG was rapidly cleaved to two major products, N-acetyl-aspartate and Glu, with a t1/2 of approximately 10 min. Thus, the route of in vivo catabolism of NAAG parallels results from studies on NAALADase activity in vitro. These results are consistent with a role of NAALADase in the synaptic processing of NAAG. However, certain discrepancies in the regional and ontogenetic profiles of NAAG and NAALADase suggest that this relationship is not an exclusive one and may reflect a role for NAALADase on additional N-acetylated acidic peptides in vivo.

The involvement of excitatory amino acid receptors within the prepiriform cortex in pilocarpine-induced limbic seizures in rats

The prepiriform cortex (PPCx) shows high sensitivity to the epileptogenic action of chemo-convulsants and to the protective action of the NMDA receptor antagonist, 2-amino-7-phosphono-heptanoate (APH) against pilocarpine-induced (motor) limbic seizures in rats. In this study the interaction between agonists acting selectively on the three main excitatory amino acid receptor subtypes in the PPCx and the muscarinic agonist, pilocarpine, within the PPCx have been investigated. Kainate (KA) or quisqualate (QUIS) injected focally into the PPCx (100 pmoles or 5 nmoles per side respectively) induced motor limbic seizures when administered after a subconvulsant dose of pilocarpine (250 mg/kg, i.p.). KA, 100 pmoles injected into the same site in olfactory-bulboectomized rats (bulbectomy results in protection against pilocarpine-induced seizures) also facilitated seizures. However, activation of the NMDA receptor in the PPCx by focal injection of NMDA (250 fmoles-10 nmoles) failed to produce seizures after a subconvulsant dose of pilocarpine. Moreover NMDA in the same range of doses injected into the PPCx protected rats against the seizures induced by a fully convulsant dose of pilocarpine.

Immunohistochemistry and biosynthesis of N-acetylaspartylglutamate in spinal sensory ganglia

N-Acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) is a nervous system-specific dipeptide which has been implicated in chemical neurotransmission. Antisera were prepared against NAAG in order to study its cellular distribution. When these antisera were applied to tissue sections of rat spinal sensory ganglia, NAAG-like immunoreactivity was detected within a subpopulation of relatively large neuronal cell bodies in cervical, lumbar, and thoracic ganglia. In order to confirm the presence of NAAG within these neurons, the dipeptide was extracted and purified from spinal ganglia using high-performance liquid chromatography and its composition confirmed by amino acid analysis. Further, the biosynthesis of NAAG was studied in vitro by following the incorporation of either [3H]glutamine or [3H]glutamate into the glutamate residue of the purified dipeptide. [3H]Aspartate was not incorporated efficiently into NAAG under these conditions, suggesting a precursor role for the large N-acetylaspartate pool. The incorporation of radiolabeled amino acids into newly synthesized NAAG by spinal sensory ganglia was not inhibited by incubation of the cells with anisomycin or cycloheximide at concentrations which significantly inhibited protein synthesis. These data suggest that NAAG is present in a subpopulation of primary afferent spinal neurons and that its biosynthesis is mediated by a dipeptide synthetase.

Possible presynaptic actions of 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate in rat olfactory cortex

1 The effect of 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (APB) on facilitation at the lateral olfactory tract (LOT)-superficial pyramidal cell synapse of the olfactory cortex has been studied by recording the relative changes in amplitude of the N-waves evoked on stimulation of the LOT by pairs of stimuli. 2 Although APB (0.01 to 5 mM) reduced the amplitude of the conditioning response there was an overall increase in facilitation over conditioning intervals of up to 1700 ms which was concentration-dependent and inversely related to the concentration of extracellular calcium (1.25 to 5 mM). 3 The L-(+)-isomer of APB was more potent than the D-(-)-form in increasing synaptic facilitation. 4 The potassium channel blockers 4-aminopyridine (0.25 mM), 3,4-diaminopyridine (0.1 mM), tetraethylammonium (10 mM) and catechol (1 mM) all reduced facilitation but failed to antagonize the increase in facilitation produced by APB (1 mM). In contrast, all 4 drugs antagonized APB-induced reductions in the amplitude of the conditioning response. 5 APB (1 mM) significantly reduced the K+-evoked release of endogenous aspartate and glutamate but not of gamma-aminobutyric acid from slices of olfactory cortex. 6 It is suggested that APB reduces the amplitude of the conditioning response and increases synaptic facilitation by reducing transmitter release from the LOT terminals. The mechanism is unlikely to involve activation of terminal potassium currents.