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International audience; Transient peaks of quisqualate (QA)-, but not 1S,3R-1-amino-3-cyclopentane dicarboxylate (1S,3R-ACPD)- and carbachol-induced inositol phosphate formation occur between 2 and 5 days in vitro (DIV) in hippocampal neurons in culture. In order to elucidate the putative origin of such developmental activity differences, the effect of PKC on metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) and muscarinic receptor responses was investigated at 3 and 10 DIV. (i) Stimulation of PKC by phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate inhibited QA, 1S,3R-ACPD and carbachol responses at 3 DIV. At 10 DIV, only 1S,3R-ACPD response was still inhibited by phorbol esters. (ii) Inhibition of PKC by staurosporine at 3 DIV potentiated 1S,3R-ACPD-induced inositol phosphate formation, but had no effect on QA and carbachol responses. At 10 DIV, all responses were potentiated by staurosporine. These data strongly suggest that PKC differently modulates 1S,3R-ACPD- and QA-induced inositol phosphate accumulations during in vitro development. The specific activity of mGluRs during development, vs that of muscarinic receptor, and the peculiar modes of regulation by PKC of these two mGluR activities further suggest their particular involvement in the maturation of neuronal culture.

International audience; Microiontophoretic application of selective agonists for the three major excitatory amino acid receptors, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), quisqualate and kainate, increased the discharge rate of noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) neurons in vivo. NMDA activation was selectively attenuated by iontophoretic application of 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (AP5), an antagonist at NMDA receptors, whereas kainate- and quisqualate-evoked responses were attenuated by both NMDA and non-NMDA antagonists iontophoresis. NMDA- and quisqualate-evoked responses were significantly decreased by co-iontophoresis of serotonin (5-HT). When the NMDA receptor-mediated component of the response to kainate was blocked with AP5 iontophoresis, 5-HT increased the response of LC neurons to kainate. These results revealed that 5-HT differentially modulates the responsiveness of LC neurons to excitatory amino acids, depending on the receptor subtypes responsible for the neuronal activation.

International audience; Midbrain dopamine neurons in vivo discharge in a single-spike firing pattern or in a burst-firing pattern. Such activity in vivo strikingly contrasts with the pacemaker activity of the same dopamine neurons recorded in vitro. We have recently shown that burst activity in vivo of midbrain dopamine neurons is due to the local activation of excitatory amino acid receptors, as microapplication of the broad-spectrum antagonist of excitatory amino acids, kynurenic acid, strongly regularized the spontaneous firing pattern of these dopamine neurons. In the present study, we investigated which subtypes of excitatory amino acid receptors are involved in the burst-firing of midbrain dopamine neurons in chloral hydrate-anaesthetized rats, iontophoretic or pressure microejections of 6-cyano, 7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX), a non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, did not alter the spontaneous burst firing of dopamine neurons (n = 36). In contrast, similar ejections of (+-)2-amino,5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP-5), a specific antagonist at NMDA receptors, markedly regularized the firing pattern by reducing the occurrence of bursts (n = 52). In addition, iontophoretic ejections of NMDA, but not kainate or quisqualate, elicited a discharge of these dopamine neurons in bursts (n = 20, 12 and 14, respectively). These data suggest that burst-firing of midbrain dopamine neurons in vivo results from the tonic activation of NMDA receptors by endogenous excitatory amino acids. In view of the critical dependency of catecholamine release on the discharge pattern of source neurons, excitatory amino acid inputs to midbrain dopamine neurons may constitute a major physiological substrate in the control of the dopamine level in target areas.

International audience; We investigated the modulation by growth factors of phospholipase C (PLC)-linked glutamate receptors during in vitro development of hippocampal cultures. In defined medium, glial cells represent between 3 and 14% of total cell number. When we added basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) 2 h after plating, we found: (i) a neuroprotection from naturally occurring death for up to 5 days; (ii) a proliferation of glial cells from day 3; and (iii) a potentiation of quisqualate (QA)-induced inositol phosphate (IP) formation from 1 to 10 days in vitro (DIV) and 1S, 3R-amino-cyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylate (ACPD) response from 3 to 10 DIV. The antimitotic cytosine-beta,D-arabinofuranoside (AraC) blocked glial cell proliferation induced by bFGF, but not neuroprotection. Under these conditions, the early potentiation of the QA response (1-3 DIV) was not changed, while the ACPD and late QA response potentiations were prevented (5-10 DIV). Epidermal growth factor was not neuroprotective but it induced both glial cell proliferation and late QA or ACPD potentiation. Surprisingly, the early bFGF-potentiated QA-induced IP response was blocked by 6, 7-dinitro-quinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), suggesting the participation of ionotropic (RS)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA)/kainate (KA) receptors. The delayed bFGF-potentiated ACPD-induced IP response is inhibited by (S)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG), indicating possible activation of glial metabotropic receptors. These results suggest that, in hippocampal cultures, bFGF modulates AMPA and metabotropic glutamate receptors linked to the IP cascade, possibly in relation to the regulation of neuronal survival and glial cell proliferation, respectively.

International audience; In this article, we demonstrate that an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration may represent a specific common step(s) in the mechanism(s) of action of glutamate (Glu) and depolarizing agents on formation of inositol phosphates (IPs) in 8-day-old rat forebrain synaptoneurosomes. In fact, A23187, a Ca2+ ionophore, induces a dose-dependent accumulation of IPs, which is not additive with that evoked by Glu and K+ but is slightly synergistic with that induced by carbachol. In addition, Glu and K+ augment the intracellular Ca2+ concentration in synaptoneurosome preparations as measured by the fura-2 assay. The absence of external Ca2+ decreases basal and Glu-, and K(+)-stimulated formation of IPs. Cd2+ (100 microM) fully inhibits both Glu- and K(+)-evoked formation of IPs without affecting the carbachol-elicited response of IPs. Zn2+ inhibits Glu- and K(+)-stimulated accumulation of IPs (IC50 approximately 0.4 mM) but with a lower affinity than Cd2+ (IC50 approximately 0.035 mM). The organic Ca2+ channel blockers verapamil (10 microM), nifedipine (10 microM), omega-conotoxin (2 microM), and amiloride (10 microM) as well as the inorganic blockers Co2+ (100 microM) and La3+ (100 microM) block neither Glu- nor K(+)-evoked formation of IPs, a result suggesting that the opening of the L-, T-, N-, or P-type Ca2+ channels does not participate in these responses. All these data suggest that an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration resulting from an influx of Ca2+, sensitive to Cd2+ but not to other classical Ca2+ antagonists, may play a key role in the transduction mechanism activated by Glu or depolarizing agents.

International audience; The evolution of excitatory amino acids-(EAA) stimulated inositol phosphates (IPs) turnover during postnatal development was investigated in synaptoneurosomes prepared from rat forebrains. The two main EAA agonists which induce the IPs synthesis were quisqualate (QA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). The QA and NMDA stimulations of IPs formation present a particular developmental pattern, characterized by an active phase during rat synaptogenesis. The QA-evoked IPs accumulation peaked in synaptoneurosomes prepared from 8-day-old rat forebrains while that evoked by NMDA peaked in synaptoneurosomes from 12-day-old rats. These two developmental patterns are specific of the EAA agonists since the other various neuroactive substances tested (carbachol (Carb), noradrenaline, and high concentrations of potassium) induced an IPs accumulation, which increases during development and reaches a maximum in synaptoneurosomes of adult animals. Aging leads to a decrease in the capability of EAAs and muscarinic agonists to stimulate IPs formation in synaptoneurosomes, whereas the stimulation of IPs turnover by noradrenaline remains constant. Taken together, these results suggest that EAAs play a key role during brain development by sequentially activating two receptor subtypes, a new QA receptor, and a NMDA receptor, linked to the phosphoinositide metabolism. They may also indicate that these EAA-induced IPs responses are related to neuronal plastic events, the amplitude of which decreases with aging.

International audience; K+, excitatory amino acids (EAAs) and carbachol (Carb) were tested separately or in pairs for their ability to stimulate inositol phosphate (IPs) formation in rat forebrain synaptoneurosomes. K+ ions per se, stimulate IPs synthesis (158% of the control value) as well as EAAs and Carb. The glutamate (Glu)- and quisqualate (QA)-elicited IPs formation is not additive with that evoked by K+. Inversely, K+ ions (up to 30 mM) potentiate the Carb-induced IPs accumulation. These results indicate that QA (or Glu) and Carb enhance IPs formation independently and that QA- and K+ -induced IPs responses are interdependent. This suggests that they share a 'common intermediate' step in the multistep mechanism which leads from receptor activation to the IPs synthesis. This 'common intermediate' step may be depolarization and/or Na+ influx.