Volume 17, Number 19,
Issue of October 1, 1997
pp. 7278-7287
Copyright ©1997 Society for Neuroscience
Intracellular Calcium Transients and Potassium Current
Oscillations Evoked by Glutamate in Cultured Rat Astrocytes
Received May 21, 1997; revised July 17, 1997; accepted July 18, 1997.
Jianguo Chen,
Kurt H. Backus, and
Joachim W. Deitmer
Abteilung für Allgemeine Zoologie, FB Biologie,
Universität Kaiserslautern, D-67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany
Glutamate responses in cultured rat astrocytes from cerebella of
neonatal rats were investigated using the perforated-patch configuration to record membrane currents without rundown of
intracellular messenger cascades, and microfluorometric measurements to
measure the intracellular Ca2+ concentration
([Ca2+]i) and intracellular pH
(pHi) with fura-2 AM and
2
,7
-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxyfluorescein acetoxy methylester
respectively. In the perforated-patch mode, glutamate evoked single or
multiple outward current transients in 82% of the cells, which
disappeared when the recording technique was converted into a
conventional whole-cell mode. The outward current transients were
accompanied by [Ca2+]i transients,
whereas pHi fell monophasically, without any sign of
oscillation. Pharmacological analysis of the glutamate-induced responses indicated that ionotropic receptor activation evoked an
inward current but no outward current transients, and metabotropic receptor activation (of the mGluR1/5 type) elicited outward current transients but no inward current. The outward current transients were
reduced in frequency, or even abolished, after depletion of the
intracellular Ca2+-stores by the
Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor cyclopiaconic acid (10 µM). They reversed near
85 mV and were reduced by
tetraethylammonium (10 mM), suggesting that they were
caused by K+ channel activation. It is concluded
that glutamate evoked these K+ outward current
transients by oscillatory Ca2+ release mediated by
mGluR activation. The corresponding membrane potential waves across the
astroglial syncytium could provide spatial and temporal dynamics to the
glial K+ uptake capacity and other voltage-dependent
processes.
Key words:
glutamate;
perforated patch-clamp;
gramicidin;
current
oscillation;
[Ca2+]i oscillations;
Ca2+-activated K+ channels;
rat