AB1551 Sigma-AldrichAnti-Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 1α Antibody, pain, CT

Changes in glutamatergic transmission in the nucleus accumbens play a key role in mediating reward-related behaviors and addiction to psychostimulants. Glutamatergic inputs to the accumbens originate from multiple sources, including the prefrontal cortex, basolateral amygdala, and midline thalamus. The group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are found throughout the core and shell of the nucleus accumbens, but their localization and function at specific glutamatergic synapses remain unknown. To further characterize the substrate that underlies group I mGluR functions in the accumbens, we combined anterograde tract tracing method with electron microscopy immunocytochemistry to study the ultrastructural relationships between specific glutamatergic afferents and mGluR1a- or mGluR5-containing neurons in the rat nucleus accumbens. Although cortical, thalamic, and amygdala glutamatergic terminals contact both mGluR1a- and mGluR5-immunoreactive dendrites and spines in the shell and core of the accumbens, they do so to varying degrees. Overall, glutamatergic terminals contact mGluR1a-positive spines about 30% of the time, whereas they form synapses twice as frequently with mGluR5-labeled spines. At the subsynaptic level, mGluR5 is more frequently expressed perisynaptically and closer to the edges of glutamatergic axospinous synapses than mGluR1a, suggesting a differential degree of activation of the two group I mGluRs by transmitter spillover from glutamatergic synapses in the rat accumbens. These results lay the foundation for a deeper understanding of group I mGluR-mediated effects in the ventral striatum, and their potential therapeutic benefits in drug addiction and other neuropsychiatric changes in reward-related behaviors.

We have recently developed a novel method for the affinity purification of the complete suite of translating mRNA from genetically labeled cell populations. This method permits comprehensive quantitative comparisons of the genes employed by each specific cell type. We provide a detailed description of tools for analysis of data generated with this and related methodologies. An essential question that arises from these data is how to identify those genes that are enriched in each cell type relative to all others. Genes relatively specifically employed by a cell type may contribute to the unique functions of that cell, and thus may become useful targets for development of pharmacological tools for cell-specific manipulations. We describe here a novel statistic, the specificity index, which can be used for comparative quantitative analysis to identify genes enriched in specific cell populations across a large number of profiles. This measure correctly predicts in situ hybridization patterns for many cell types. We apply this measure to a large survey of CNS cell-specific microarray data to identify those genes that are significantly enriched in each population Data and algorithms are available online (www.bactrap.org).

Somatodendritic dopamine (DA) release in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) shows a limited dependence on extracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](o)), suggesting the involvement of intracellular Ca(2+) stores. Here, using immunocytochemistry we demonstrate the presence of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase 2 (SERCA2) that sequesters cytosolic Ca(2+) into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), as well as inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptors (IP(3)Rs) and ryanodine receptors (RyRs) in DAergic neurons. Notably, RyRs were clustered at the plasma membrane, poised for activation by Ca(2+) entry. Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to monitor evoked extracellular DA concentration ([DA](o)) in midbrain slices, we found that SERCA inhibition by cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) decreased evoked [DA](o) in the SNc, indicating a functional role for ER Ca(2+) stores in somatodendritic DA release. Implicating IP(3)R-dependent stores, an IP(3)R antagonist, 2-APB, also decreased evoked [DA](o). Moreover, DHPG, an agonist of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1s, which couple to IP(3) production), increased somatodendritic DA release, whereas CPCCOEt, an mGluR1 antagonist, suppressed it. Release suppression by mGluR1 blockade was prevented by 2-APB or CPA, indicating facilitation of DA release by endogenous glutamate acting via mGluR1s and IP(3)R-gated Ca(2+) stores. Similarly, activation of RyRs by caffeine increased [Ca(2+)](i) and elevated evoked [DA](o). The increase in DA release was prevented by a RyR blocker, dantrolene, and by CPA. Importantly, the efficacy of dantrolene was enhanced in low [Ca(2+)](o), suggesting a mechanism for maintenance of somatodendritic DA release with limited Ca(2+) entry. Thus, both mGluR1-linked IP(3)R- and RyR-dependent ER Ca(2+) stores facilitate somatodendritic DA release in the SNc.

Caldesmon (Cd) and calponin (Cp) are two actin/calmodulin-binding proteins involved in 'actin-linked' regulation of smooth muscle and non-muscle Mg(2+) actin-activated myosin II ATPase activity. However, in the brain, Cd and Cp are associated with the regulation of the neuronal cytoskeleton. In this study we investigated the subcellular distribution of Cd and Cp in the amygdala and their possible relationship to metabotropic glutamate (mGluR1 alpha and 5) and TrkB receptors which interact with inputs from the cortex and are involved in associative learning. Cd and Cp immunoreactivity (IR) was mainly found in dendritic spines, along dendritic microtubules, and in neuronal perikarya but never in axon terminals. Punctate labeling representing spine labeling was restricted to small patches in the lateral nucleus of amygdala, intercalated cell masses (ICM), and the lateral subdivision of central nucleus. This restricted distribution may reflect local afferent activation. In addition, Cd, Cp, mGluR1 alpha and cortical afferents are co-distributed in the ICM distributed in the lateral nucleus and lateral capsular division of the central nucleus, and the lateral division of the central nucleus itself. Consistent with our previous studies, TrkB IR in the central nucleus was associated with Cd and Cp-immunoreactive spines whereas mGluR1 alpha IR and mGluR5 IR were almost exclusively associated with the PSDs of asymmetric synapses, in most cases apposed by cortical terminals. mGluR1 alpha and TrkB immunoreactivities were invariably associated with each other. Overall, these findings suggest that caldesmon and calponin in the amygdala are closely associated with afferents and receptors that have been strongly implicated in associative learning.

We studied the localization of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) in the goldfish outer plexiform layer by light-and electron-microscopical immunohistochemistry. The mGluR1alpha antibody labeled putative ON-type bipolar cell dendrites and horizontal cell processes in both rod spherules and cone triads. Immunolabeling for mGluR2/3 was absent in the rod synaptic complex but was found at horizontal cell dendrites directly opposing the cone synaptic ribbon. The mGluR5 antibody labeled Müller cell processes wrapping rod terminals and horizontal cell somata. The mGluR7 antibody labeled mainly horizontal cell dendrites invaginating rods and cones and some putative bipolar cell dendrites in the cone synaptic complex. The finding of abundant expression of various mGluRs in bipolar and horizontal cell dendrites suggests multiple sites of glutamatergic modulation in the outer retina.

Striatal parvalbumin-containing fast-spiking (FS) interneurons provide a powerful feedforward GABAergic inhibition on spiny projection neurons, through a widespread arborization and electrical coupling. Modulation of FS interneuron activity might therefore strongly affect striatal output. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) exert a modulatory action at various levels in the striatum. We performed electrophysiological recordings from a rat striatal slice preparation to investigate the effects of group I mGluR activation on both the intrinsic and synaptic properties of FS interneurons. Bath-application of the group I mGluR agonist, (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (3,5-DHPG), caused a dose-dependent depolarizing response. Both (S)-(+)-alpha-amino-4-carboxy-2-methylbenzeneacetic acid (LY367385) and 7-(hydroxyimino)cyclopropa[b]chromen-1a-carboxylate ethyl ester (CPCCOEt), selective mGluR1 antagonists, significantly reduced the amplitude of the membrane depolarization caused by 3,5-DHPG application. Conversely, mGluR5 antagonists, 2-methyl-6-(phenylethylnyl)pyridine hydrochloride (MPEP) and 6-methyl-2-(phenylazo)-3-pyridinol (SIB1757), were unable to affect the response to 3,5-DHPG, suggesting that only mGluR1 contributes to the 3,5-DHPG-mediated excitatory action on FS interneurons. Furthermore, mGluR1 blockade significantly decreased the amplitude of the glutamatergic postsynaptic potentials, whereas the mGluR5 antagonist application produced a small nonsignificant inhibitory effect. Surprisingly, our electron microscopic data demonstrate that the immunoreactivity for both mGluR1a and mGluR5 is expressed extrasynaptically on the plasma membrane of parvalbumin-immunoreactive dendrites of FS interneurons. Together, these results suggest that despite a common pattern of distribution, mGluR1 and mGluR5 exert distinct functions in the modulation of FS interneuron activity.

Potassium channels comprise the most diverse family of ion channels. In nerve cells, their critical roles in synaptic integration and output generation have been demonstrated. Here, we provide evidence for a distribution that predicts a novel role of K+ channels in the CNS. Our experiments revealed a highly selective clustering of the Kv4.3 A-type K+ channel subunits at specialized junctions between climbing fibers and cerebellar GABAergic interneurons. High-resolution ultrastructural and immunohistochemical experiments demonstrated that these junctions are distinct from known chemical and electrical (gap junctions) synapses and also from puncta adherentia. Each cerebellar interneuron contains many such K+ channel-rich specializations, which seem to be distributed throughout the somatodendritic surface. We also show that such K+ channel-rich specializations are not only present in the cerebellum but are widespread in the rat CNS. For example, mitral cells of the main olfactory bulb establish Kv4.2 subunit-positive specializations with each other. At these specializations, both apposing membranes have a high density of K+ channels, indicating bidirectional signaling. Similar specializations with pronounced coclustering of the Kv4.2 and 4.3 subunits were observed between nerve cells in the medial nucleus of the habenula. Based on our results and on the known properties of A-type K+ channels, we propose that strategically clustered K+ channels at unique membrane specializations could mediate a novel type of communication between nerve cells.

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are G protein-coupled receptors involved in the regulation of glutamatergic transmission. Recent studies indicate that excitatory group I mGluRs (mGluR1 and mGluR5) contribute to neurotoxicity and hyperexcitability during epileptogenesis. In this study, we examined the distribution of mGluR1alpha and mGluR5 immunoreactivity (IR) in hippocampal resection tissue from pharmaco-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients. IR was detected with panels of receptor subtype specific antisera in hippocampi from TLE patients without (non-HS group) and with hippocampal sclerosis (HS group) and was compared with that of non-epileptic autopsy controls (control group). By immunohistochemistry and immunoblot analysis, we found a marked increase of mGluR5 IR in hippocampi from the non-HS compared with the control group. High mGluR5 IR was most prominent in the cell bodies and apical dendrites of hippocampal principal neurons and in the dentate gyrus molecular layer. In the HS group, this increase in neuronal mGluR5 IR was even more pronounced, but owing to neuronal loss the number of mGluR5-immunoreactive neurons was reduced compared with the non-HS group. IR for mGluR1alpha was found in the cell bodies of principal neurons in all hippocampal subfields and in stratum oriens and hilar interneurons. No difference in mGluR1alpha IR was observed between neurons in both TLE groups and the control group. However, owing to neuronal loss, the number of mGluR1alpha-positive neurons was markedly reduced in the HS group. The up-regulation of mGluR5 in surviving neurons is probably a consequence rather than a cause of the epileptic seizures and may contribute to the hyperexcitability of the hippocampus in pharmaco-resistant TLE patients. Thus, our data point to a prominent role of mGluR5 in human TLE and indicate mGluR5 signalling as potential target for new anti-epileptic drugs.

In investigating the effect of spinal injury on cord-projection central neurons, we found that rat rubrospinal neurons retained glutamatergic afferents and, in general, ionotropic glutamate receptor expression following spinal axotomy. Since glutamate also acts on second-messenger-coupled metabotropic receptors, the expression of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors, mGluR1 and mGluR5, was examined following similar treatment. mGluR1 expression began to decline in the perikarya 2 days postlesion and a day later in the neuropil. The decline slowed down by the fifth day and recovered in both the perikarya and neuropil 1 week postlesion. However, expression in both the perikarya and neuropil declined again and persisted up to 2 years postlesion. Similarly, the mGluR5 displayed an early transient decrease and returned to normal levels by 7 days post-lesion. However, rather than progressing to a secondary decline, the expression of mGluR5 increased to levels dramatically higher than those of control nuclei at 2-4 weeks postlesion, subsiding again by 8 weeks, and remaining low up to 2 years postinjury. Although mGluR5 has been shown to save cultured neurons from excitotoxic cell death, its elevated expression in the present model corresponds in time to an increased input/output relationship and excitability of the injured neurons as well as a period of maximal somatic shrinkage and cell loss. In addition to the cell bodies and dendrites, axon-like profiles also contain mGluR1. Their decrease following rubrospinal axotomy suggests that axonal injury may also compromise the presynaptic regulation of afferent activities onto injured cord-projection central neurons.

Previously, we determined the crystal structures of the dimeric ligand binding region of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 1. Each protomer binds l-glutamate within the crevice between the LB1 and LB2 domains. We proposed that the two different conformations of the dimer interface between the two LB1 domains define the activated and resting states of the receptor protein. In this study, the residues in the ligand-binding site and the dimer interface were mutated, and the effects were analyzed in the full-length and truncated soluble receptor forms. The variations in the ligand binding activities of the purified truncated receptors are comparable with those of the full-length form. The mutated full-length receptors were also analyzed by inositol phosphate production and Ca(2+) response. The magnitude of the ligand binding capacities and the amplitude of the intracellular signaling were almost correlated. Alanine substitutions of four residues, Thr(188), Asp(208), Tyr(236), and Asp(318), which interact with the alpha-amino group of glutamate in the crystal, abolished their responses both to glutamate and quisqualate. The mutations of the Tyr(74), Arg(78), and Gly(293) residues, which interact with the gamma-carboxyl group of glutamate, lost their responsiveness to glutamate but not to quisqualate. Furthermore, a mutant receptor containing alanine instead of isoleucine at position 120 located within an alpha helix constituting the dimer interface showed no intracellular response to ligand stimulation. The results demonstrate the crucial role of the dimer interface in receptor activation.