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Neuronal activity regulates protein and gene expressions of GluR2 in postnatal rat visual cortical neurons in culture

  • Published:
Journal of Neurocytology

Abstract

Ionotropic glutamate receptors, the principal excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the CNS, are classified into NMDA and non-NMDA subtypes. Previously, we found a direct relationship between neuronal activity and NMDA receptor subunit 1 in rat primary neuronal cultures and monkey visual cortex. The present study focused on the relationship between neuronal activity and subunit 2 of AMPA glutamate receptor, GluR2. GluR2 controls Ca2+ permeability of AMPA receptors, and the transcription of its gene is activated by nuclear respiratory factor 1, which also activates the transcription of a few subunit genes of cytochrome oxidase (CO). Primary neuronal cultures of postnatal rat visual cortex were subjected to impulse blockade with tetrodotoxin (TTX) for 6 days, or 20 mM KCl depolarizing treatment for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 hrs. After 20 hrs of KCl treatment, GluR2 immunoreactivity and CO activity were significantly increased above controls (P < 0.01), and both remained high at 30 and 40 hrs of treatment. However, GluR2 mRNA level as shown by in situ hybridization was already up-regulated above controls after 10 hrs of KCl treatment (P < 0.01) and remained elevated with longer periods of depolarization. TTX blockade, on the other hand, induced a significant down-regulation of GluR2 immunoreactivity, GluR2 gene expression as well as CO activity (P < 0.01 for all). Our results indicate that both protein and mRNA expressions of GluR2 in cultured visual cortical neurons are tightly controlled by neuronal activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Xuetao Bai & Margaret T. T. Wong-Riley

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  1. Xuetao Bai
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  2. Margaret T. T. Wong-Riley
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Bai, X., Wong-Riley, M.T.T. Neuronal activity regulates protein and gene expressions of GluR2 in postnatal rat visual cortical neurons in culture. J Neurocytol 32, 71–78 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027380315902

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