CELL-SPECIFIC DENDRITIC LOCALIZATION OF GLYCINE RECEPTOR-ALPHA SUBUNIT MESSENGER-RNAS

The regional and subcellular localizations of glycine receptor complex messenger RNAs were determined in the adult rat central nervous syste m using non-radioactive in situ hybridization. The present investigati on focused on glycine receptors alpha 1 and alpha 2 subunit messenger RNAs. Within the central nervous system we observed that the glycine r eceptor alpha 1 and alpha 2 subunit messenger RNAs are widely expresse d. At the subcellular level, these messenger RNAs are present either i n neuronal somata and dendrites or somata only. Furthermore, among dif ferent regions as well as within the same region the subcellular local izations of both alpha subunit messenger RNAs are cell type-dependent. In contrast, the regional distributions of beta subunit and gephyrin messenger RNAs are essentially as previously described [Fujita M. (199 1) Brain, Res. 560, 23-37;.Malosio M.-L. et al. (1991) Eur. molec. Bio l. Org. J. 9, 2401-2409; Kirsch J. et al. (1993) Eur. J. Neurosci. 5, 1109-1117] and their messenger RNAs are confined predominantly within the somata of neurons [Kirsch J. et al. (1993); Racca et al. (1997) J. Neurosci. 17: 1691-1700]. These results demonstrate that the glycine receptor complex messenger RNAs are broadly expressed in the central n ervous system and that the glycine receptor alpha 1 and alpha 2 subuni t messenger RNAs differ in their subcellular localization depending on the neuronal population. The latter finding suggests that different m echanisms for the localization of glycine receptor alpha 1 and alpha 2 subunit messenger RNAs are used by distinct populations of neurons. ( C) 1998 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.