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Glutaminergic and adrenergic receptors expressed on adult guinea pig Schwann cells in vitro

1999; NRC Research Press; Volume: 77; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1139/y99-008

1205-7541

Thorsten Fink, D. F. Davey, A.D. Ansselin,

Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling

We have investigated the responsiveness of adult guinea pig Schwann cells to a range of neuroligands, using ratiometric calcium imaging. The majority of cells responded to ATP (90 ± 4%), adrenaline (57 ± 5%), and noradrenaline (61 ± 5%), as well as glutamate (60 ± 5%). The number of cells responding to glutamate increased significantly (90 ± 4%; p < 0.01) when the cells were grown in excitatory amino acid (EAA) free medium, indicating EAA-induced downregulation. Only a small number of cells (9 ± 2%) responded to acetylcholine. Agonist and antagonist experiments show that these adult Schwann cells predominantly express ionotropic glutaminergic receptors (N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isooxazolepropionic acid (AMPA), and kainate) as well as α 1 -, α 2 -, and β-adrenoreceptors. We conclude that Schwann cells derived from adult guinea pigs express a variety of neuroligand receptors when established in culture and are particularly rich in glutamate receptors. This probably reflects a de-differentiated state important to development and regeneration.Key words: glia, neuroligands, calcium imaging, ATP, acetylcholine, cell culture.