A derivative of a rigid glutamate analog protects the retina from excitotoxicity

"mGlu Receptors in the Retina" - WIREs Membrane Transport and Signaling

Glutamate, a key neurotransmitter in the vertebrate retina, acts via ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. Retina expresses mRNA for all metabotropic glutamate receptors and proteins for all but mGluR3. Every retinal cell class expresses one or more of these receptors. In general, these receptors are present presynaptically and serve to modulate synaptic transmission. While mGluRs on the photoreceptor terminal act as autoreceptors to titer glutamate levels, those on horizontal cell processes seem to shape the light response. Similarly, autoreceptors on bipolar axon terminals modulate glutamate release and the receptors on amacrine and ganglion cells modulate feedforward signals by modulating K+ or Ca2+ current to fine tune light responses. Since most of the mGluR sub-types are present in amacrine and ganglion cells that belong to many cell types, the pathways downstream of mGluRs are highly diverse with primarily modulatory effects. An exception to most mGluRs which have modulatory function is mGluR6 because it plays a key role in the feedforward transmission from photoreceptors to ON bipolar cells and is also required for the correct localization of the synaptic proteins in the dendritic tips. In humans, mutations in the gene encoding mGluR6 cause autosomal recessive night blindness. In addition, mGluRs appear to play a trophic role in development and after retinal damage, suggesting potential future therapeutic implications.

Human, bovine, and rabbit retinal glutamate-induced [3H]D-aspartate release: role in excitotoxicity

The pharmacological basis of glutamate-induced [3H]D-aspartate release was investigated in isolated human, bovine and rabbit retinas. Isolated mammalian retinas were preloaded with [3H]D-aspartate and then prepared for studies of neurotransmitter release using the superfusion method. Release of [3H]D-aspartate was elicited by K+ (50 mM) or by L-glutamate. In bovine retinas, L-glutamate, but not D-glutamate induced an overflow of [3H]D-aspartate that was partially inhibited by low external calcium, omega-conotoxin (10 nM) or nitrendipine (1 microM). Metabotropic glutamate receptor (GLUR) agonists also evoked [3H]D-aspartate release in both bovine and human retinas whereas polyamines only enhanced the excitatory effects of L-glutamate on [3H]D-aspartate release. Antagonists of GLURs and the polyamine site inhibited L-glutamate evoked [3H]D-aspartate overflow with the following rank order of potency: MCPG >ifenprodil > AP-5 > arcaine> MK-801. In conclusion, L-glutamate-induces a stereoselective, calcium-dependent release of [3H]D-aspartate from isolated mammalian retinas that can be mimicked by GLUR agonists (and blocked by both receptor and polyamine site antagonists).

Metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes differentially influence neuronal recovery from in vitro hypoxia/hypoglycemia in rat hippocampal slices

Hippocampal slices were transiently exposed to an oxygen- and glucose-free environment which causes a pronounced drop of both ATP and creatine phosphate, an anoxic depolarization, and an incomplete recovery of synaptically evoked population spike in the CA1 region after 1 h (48.5 +/- 3.6% of baseline values). This recovery could be markedly enhanced by the application of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists. To examine the influence of metabotropic glutamate receptors on neuronal recovery from hypoxia/hypoglycemia, we applied various antagonists and agonists of the metabotropic glutamate receptors to the bath during the interval from 20 min before to 10 after hypoxia/hypoglycemia. The metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists (+)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine and L-2-3- amino-phosphonopropionic acid were both able to enhance the population spike recovery significantly. However, the mixed metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist 1S,3R-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid also exhibited a protective effect on population spike recovery, leaving the anoxic depolarization and N-methyl-D-aspartate responses during the hypoxia/hypoglycemia untouched. With the help of more subtype-specific agonists, we found that an activation of phospholipase C coupled (class 1) metabotropic glutamate receptors prior to hypoxia/hypoglycemia may be responsible for the protective effect seen with 1S, 3R-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid, because the specific class 1 metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist trans-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid appeared to be highly protective, but only if it was applied 20 min before the hypoxia/hypoglycemia. An activation of class 2 metabotropic glutamate receptors by (2S,1'R,2'R,3'R)-2-(2,3-dicarboxycyclopropyl)glycine, which inhibits adenylyl cyclase activity, led to a marked deterioration of the population spike recovery and even to a total prevention of the protective effect of the N-methyl-D-aspartate agonist D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid. Our data suggest that prior activation of class 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors is beneficial, while their activation during hypoxia/hypoglycemia is detrimental. Furthermore, the activation of class 2 metabotropic glutamate receptors decreases the recovery from hypoxia/hypoglycemia.

Profiling of trans-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid at the human metabotropic glutamate receptors mGlu1b, -2, -4a and -5a

We have tested the two enantiomers of trans-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid, (2S,4S)-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid ((2S,4S)-ADA) and (2R,4R)-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid ((2R,4R)-ADA) for activity at the human metabotropic glutamate receptors mGlu1b, mGlu2, mGlu4a and mGlu5a expressed in mammalian cells. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing human mGlu2 receptors, 500 microM (2S,4S)-ADA inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP accumulation by 33 +/- 3% while 100 microM (1S,3R)-1-Aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid induced an inhibition by 66 +/- 5%. The (2R,4R)-ADA enantiomer was inactive at human mGlu2 receptors. In CHO cells expressing human mGlu4a receptors, 10 microM L-AP4 inhibited forskolin-stimulated cAMP levels by 37 +/- 4% whereas both ADA enantiomers of trans-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (500 microM) had no such effect. In CHO cells expressing human mGlu1b receptors and L cells expressing human mGlu5a receptors, both enantiomers, applied at 500 microM or 1 mM, were ineffective in stimulating inositolmonophosphate accumulation and did not affect quisqualate-stimulated inositolmonophosphate accumulation. We conclude that (2S,4S)-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid is a weak human mGlu2 receptor agonist and that (2R,4R)-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid is inactive at human mGlu2 receptors. Trans-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid has no significant agonistic effect on human mGlu4a receptors and neither agonistic nor antagonistic effects on human mGlu1b and mGlu5a receptors.