Evidence of a role for cyclic ADP-ribose in calcium signalling and neurotransmitter release in cultured astrocytes

Astrocytes possess different, efficient ways to generate complex changes in intracellular calcium concentrations, which allow them to communicate with each other and to interact with adjacent neuronal cells. Here we show that cultured hippocampal astrocytes coexpress the ectoenzyme CD38, directly in volved in the metabolism of the calcium mobilizer cyclic ADP-ribose, and th e NAD(+) transporter connexin 43. We also demonstrate that hippocampal astr ocytes can release NAD(+) and respond to extracellular NAD(+) or cyclic ADP -ribose with intracellular calcium increases, suggesting the existence of a n autocrine cyclic ADP-ribose-mediated signalling. Cyclic ADP-ribose-induce d calcium changes are in turn responsible for an increased glutamate and GA BA release, this effect being completely inhibited by the cyclic ADP-ribose specific antagonist 8-NH2-cADPR. Furthermore, addition of NAD(+) to astroc yte-neuron co-cultures results in a delayed intracellular calcium transient in neuronal cells, which is strongly but not completely inhibited by gluta mate receptor blockers. These data indicate that an astrocyte-to-neuron cal cium signalling can be triggered by the CD38/cADPR system, which, through t he activation of intracellular calcium responses in astrocytes, is in turn responsible for the increased release of neuromodulators from glial cells.