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Iontophoretic and autoradiographic studies on the role of proline in nervous transmission

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Summary

Iontophoretic experiments with the aid of multibarreled micropipettes demonstrate a reversible depressant effect ofl-proline on the spontaneous discharge of Purkinje cells in the cat cerebellar cortex. The failure of a specific interaction with strychnine and bicuculline leads to the conclusion that proline acts neither on receptors for “glycine-like” nor on receptors for “GABA-like” amino acids. Autoradiographic investigations reveal a differential distribution of radioactivity after injection of3H-leucine and3H-proline into the cerebellar cortex. After leucine injection, high grain density can be observed over Stellate, Basket, Golgi and especially Purkinje cells. In contrast after application of3H-proline, the silver grains are concentrated primarily in the tissue adjacent to the Purkinje cells, mainly in the supraganglionic region and between these faintly labelled cerebellar cells. These results suggest the possibility that proline is involved in inhibitory neurotransmission.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Hirnforschung, Universität Zürich, August Forel-Str. 1, CH-8029, Zürich, Schweiz

    Dominik Felix & Heinz Künzle

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  1. Dominik Felix
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  2. Heinz Künzle
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Additional information

Supported by grants from the Swiss National Foundation for Scientific Research Nrs. 3.823.72, 3.774.72, 3.822.72 and the Dr. Eric Slack-Gyr Foundation, Zürich.

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Felix, D., Künzle, H. Iontophoretic and autoradiographic studies on the role of proline in nervous transmission. Pflugers Arch. 350, 135–144 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586233

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00586233

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