Oa. Sergeeva et Hl. Haas, Expression and function of glycine receptors in striatal cholinergic interneurons from rat and mouse, NEUROSCIENC, 104(4), 2001, pp. 1043-1055
Although glycine receptors are widely expressed in the forebrain their func
tion is obscure, We studied their activation by two possible endogenous lig
ands, glycine and taurine. and demonstrate a different expression pattern o
f glycine receptors in neostriatal cholinergic interneurons from two rodent
species. Single-cell-reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analy
sis of glycine receptor-subunit expression was combined with whole-cell rec
ordings from acutely isolated cholinergic interneurons. All cells expressed
the alpha2-glycine receptor subunit. the majority (72%) in mice ut none in
young and aged rats expressed the alpha3-subunit. The beta -subunit expres
sion was associated with both a higher efficacy and a higher potency of the
partial agonist taurine. Cells expressing the alpha3-subunit displayed a s
lower desensitization of taurine responses than of glycine responses, in co
ntrast to cells expressing the alpha2-, beta -subunits where desensitizatio
n time constants were similar. Glycine responses were reduced by preapplica
tion of taurine this effect was more pronounced in cells lacking the alpha3
-subunit.
We demonstrate interspecies differences and heterogeneity in expression and
function of glycine receptors within the same neuronal population in the n
eostriatum. (C) 2001 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re
served.