Glutamate signalling in non-neuronal tissues

Since the discovery of its role in the CNS, glutamate, together with its in volvement in signalling at synapses, has been the subject of a vast amount of research. More recently, it has become clear that glutamate signalling i s also functional in non-neuronal tissues and occurs in sites as diverse as bone, pancreas and skin. These findings raise the possibility that glutama te acts as a more widespread 'cytokine' and is able to influence cellular a ctivity in a range of tissue types. The impact of these discoveries is sign ificant because they offer a rapid way to advance the development of therap eutics. Agents developed for use in neuroscience applications might be bene ficial in the modulation of pathology peripherally, impacting on conditions such as osteoporosis, diabetes and wound healing.