Interactive effects involving different classes of excitatory amino acid receptors and the survival of cerebellar granule cells in culture

N-Methyl-D-aspartate Receptor Excessive Activation Inhibited Fetal Rat Lung Development In Vivo and In Vitro

Background. Intrauterine hypoxia is a common cause of fetal growth and lung development restriction. Although N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are distributed in the postnatal lung and play a role in lung injury, little is known about NMDAR's expression and role in fetal lung development. Methods. Real-time PCR and western blotting analysis were performed to detect NMDARs between embryonic days (E) 15.5 and E21.5 in fetal rat lungs. NMDAR antagonist MK-801's influence on intrauterine hypoxia-induced retardation of fetal lung development was tested in vivo, and NMDA's direct effect on fetal lung development was observed using fetal lung organ culture in vitro. Results. All seven NMDARs are expressed in fetal rat lungs. Intrauterine hypoxia upregulated NMDARs expression in fetal lungs and decreased fetal body weight, lung weight, lung-weight-to-body-weight ratio, and radial alveolar count, whereas MK-801 alleviated this damage in vivo. In vitro experiments showed that NMDA decreased saccular circumference and area per unit and downregulated thyroid transcription factor-1 and surfactant protein-C mRNA expression. Conclusions. The excessive activation of NMDARs contributed to hypoxia-induced fetal lung development retardation and appropriate blockade of NMDAR might be a novel therapeutic strategy for minimizing the negative outcomes of prenatal hypoxia on lung development.

Excitotoxicity and stroke: identifying novel targets for neuroprotection

Excitotoxicity, the specific type of neurotoxicity mediated by glutamate, may be the missing link between ischemia and neuronal death, and intervening the mechanistic steps that lead to excitotoxicity can prevent stroke damage. Interest in excitotoxicity began fifty years ago when monosodium glutamate was found to be neurotoxic. Evidence soon demonstrated that glutamate is not only the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the adult brain, but also a critical transmitter for signaling neurons to degenerate following stroke. The finding led to a number of clinical trials that tested inhibitors of excitotoxicity in stroke patients. Glutamate exerts its function in large by activating the calcium-permeable ionotropic NMDA receptor (NMDAR), and different subpopulations of the NMDAR may generate different functional outputs, depending on the signaling proteins directly bound or indirectly coupled to its large cytoplasmic tail. Synaptic activity activates the GluN2A subunit-containing NMDAR, leading to activation of the pro-survival signaling proteins Akt, ERK, and CREB. During a brief episode of ischemia, the extracellular glutamate concentration rises abruptly, and stimulation of the GluN2B-containing NMDAR in the extrasynaptic sites triggers excitotoxic neuronal death via PTEN, cdk5, and DAPK1, which are directly bound to the NMDAR, nNOS, which is indirectly coupled to the NMDAR via PSD95, and calpain, p25, STEP, p38, JNK, and SREBP1, which are further downstream. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the literature on excitotoxicity and our perspectives on how the new generation of excitotoxicity inhibitors may succeed despite the failure of the previous generation of drugs.

Local neurons play key roles in the mammalian olfactory bulb

Over the past few decades, research exploring how the brain perceives, discriminates, and recognizes odorant molecules has received a growing interest. Today, olfaction is no longer considered a matter of poetry. Chemical senses entered the biological era when an increasing number of scientists started to elucidate the early stages of the olfactory pathway. A combination of genetic, biochemical, cellular, electrophysiological and behavioral methods has provided a picture of how odor information is processed in the olfactory system as it moves from the periphery to higher areas of the brain. Our group is exploring the physiology of the main olfactory bulb, the first processing relay in the mammalian brain. From different electrophysiological approaches, we are attempting to understand the cellular rules that contribute to the synaptic transmission and plasticity at this central relay. How olfactory sensory inputs, originating from the olfactory epithelium located in the nasal cavity, are encoded in the main olfactory bulb remains a crucial question for understanding odor processing. More importantly, the persistence of a high level of neurogenesis continuously supplying the adult olfactory bulb with newborn local neurons provides an attractive model to investigate how basic olfactory functions are maintained when a large proportion of local neurons are continuously renewed. For this purpose, we summarize the current ideas concerning the molecular mechanisms and organizational strategies used by the olfactory system to encode and process information in the main olfactory bulb. We discuss the degree of sensitivity of the bulbar neuronal network activity to the persistence of this high level of neurogenesis that is modulated by sensory experience. Finally, it is worth mentioning that analyzing the molecular mechanisms and organizational strategies used by the olfactory system to transduce, encode, and process odorant information in the olfactory bulb should aid in understanding the general neural mechanisms involved in both sensory perception and memory. Due to space constraints, this review focuses exclusively on the olfactory systems of vertebrates and primarily those of mammals.

Kainate down-regulates a subset of GABAA receptor subunits expressed in cultured mouse cerebellar granule cells

The effect of kainate, an agonist selective for ionotropic AMPA/kainate type of glutamate receptors, on GABAA receptor subunit expression in cultured mouse cerebellar granule cells was studied using quantitative RT-PCR, ligand binding and electrophysiology. Chronic kainate treatment, without producing excitotoxicity, resulted in preferential, dose- and time-dependent down-regulation of alpha1, alpha6 and beta2 subunit mRNA expression, the expression of beta3, gamma2 and delta subunit mRNAs being less affected. The down-regulation was reversed by DNQX, an AMPA/kainate-selective glutamate receptor antagonist. A 14-day kainate treatment resulted in 46% decrease of total [3H]Ro 15-4513 binding to the benzodiazepine sites. Diazepam-insensitive [3H]Ro 15-4513 binding was decreased by 89% in accordance with very low amount of alpha6 subunit mRNA present. Diazepam-sensitive [3H]Ro 154513 binding was decreased only by 40%, contrasting >90% decrease in alpha1 subunit mRNA expression. However, this was consistent with lower potentiation of GABA-evoked currents in kainate-treated than control cells by the alpha1-selective benzodiazepine site ligand zolpidem, suggesting compensatory expression of alpha5 (and/or alpha2 or alpha3) subunits producing diazepam-sensitive but zolpidem-insensitive receptor subtypes. In conclusion, chronic kainate treatment of cerebellar granule cells selectively down-regulates oil, alpha6 and beta2 subunits resulting in altered GABAA receptor pharmacology.

Lithium blocks the c-Jun stress response and protects neurons via its action on glycogen synthase kinase 3

Lithium has been used as an effective mood-stabilizing drug for the treatment of manic episodes and depression for 50 years. More recently, lithium has been found to protect neurons from death induced by a wide array of neurotoxic insults. However, the molecular basis for the prophylactic effects of lithium have remained obscure. A target of lithium, glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), is implicated in neuronal death after trophic deprivation. The mechanism whereby GSK-3 exerts its neurotoxic effects is also unknown. Here we show that lithium blocks the canonical c-Jun apoptotic pathway in cerebellar granule neurons deprived of trophic support. This effect is mimicked by the structurally independent inhibitors of GSK-3, FRAT1, and indirubin. Like lithium, these prevent the stress induced c-Jun protein increase and subsequent apoptosis. These events are downstream of c-Jun transactivation, since GSK-3 inhibitors block neuronal death induced by constitutively active c-Jun (Ser/Thr-->Asp) and FRAT1 expression inhibits AP1 reporter activity. Consistent with this, AP1-dependent expression of proapoptotic Bim requires GSK-3-like activity. These data suggest that a GSK-3-like kinase acts in tandem with c-Jun N-terminal kinase to coordinate the full execution of the c-Jun stress response and neuronal death in response to trophic deprivation.

Possible regulation by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors of proliferative progenitor cells expressed in adult mouse hippocampal dentate gyrus

An immunohistochemical technique was employed to analyze mechanisms underlying modulation by N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors of proliferation of neural progenitor cells in adult mouse brain. The systemic administration of NMDA at 100 mg/kg resulted in marked expression of c-Fos, Fra-2 and c-Jun proteins in the granule cell layers of the dentate gyrus in murine hippocampus 2 h later, followed by a significant reduction of the incorporation of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) in a manner sensitive to the antagonist dizocilpine 2 days after administration. The administration of NMDA also suppressed constitutive expression of both nestin and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the dentate granule cells 2 days later, without markedly affecting cell viability for up to 8 weeks after administration. In the subventricular zone and olfactory bulb, however, NMDA failed to affect either the incorporation of BrdU or the expression of nestin and PCNA. The NR1 subunit was highly expressed in the dentate gyrus in addition to the stratum oriens in the hippocampus, but not in the subventricular zone and olfactory bulb. These results suggest that NMDA receptors may play a role crucial for maintenance of the integrity and function of proliferative neural progenitor cells through expression of the nuclear transcription factor activator protein-1 in granule cells of the dentate gyrus in adult mouse brain.

Relationship Between Intracellular Free Calcium Concentration and NMDA-induced Cerebellar Granule Cell Survival In Vitro

The survival of cerebellar granule cells in culture is stimulated by activation of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) class of glutamate receptors. Activation of these receptors at the key period for cell survival in vitro (3 days; 3DIV) resulted in a sustained elevation of intracellular free calcium concentration [Ca2+]i over the same concentration range of NMDA that led to granule cell survival. Agents that release Ca2+ from intracellular stores led to only small, transient elevations of [Ca2+]i and were unable to stimulate granule cell survival. Addition of the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin to granule cell cultures at 3DIV resulted in increased granule cell number at 7DIV. The ability of ionomycin to stimulate granule cell survival was related to the [Ca2+]i elicited, indicating that a rise in [Ca2+]i is sufficient to activate the processes leading to granule cell survival and that the extent of the elevation in [Ca2+]i is crucially important in determining granule cell fate.

Cerebellar granule cells as a model to study mechanisms of neuronal apoptosis or survival in vivo and in vitro

Granule cells of the cerebellum constitute the largest homogeneous neuronal population of mammalian brain. Due to their postnatal generation and the feasibility of well characterized primary in vitro cultures, cerebellar granule cells are a model of election for the study of cellular and molecular correlates of mechanisms of survival/apoptosis and neurodegeneration/neuroprotection. The present review mainly deals with recent data on mechanisms and factors promoting survival or apoptotic elimination of cerebellar granule neurons, with a particular focus on the molecular correlates at the level of gene expression and induction of cellular signal pathways. The in vivo development is first analysed with particular reference to the role played by several neurotrophic factors and by the NMDA subtype of glutamate receptor. Then, mechanisms of survival/apoptosis are examined in the model of primary in vitro cultures, where the role of neurotrophins acting on cerebellar granule cells is followed by the large deal of data coming from the paradigm of potassium/serum withdrawal. The role of some key genes of the Bcl family, of some kinase systems and of transcriptional factors is primarily highlighted. Furthermore, the involvement of mitochondria, free radicals and proteases of the caspase family is considered. Finally, the use of cerebellar granule neurons in primary culture to experimentally address the issue of neurodegeneration and pharmacological neuroprotection is considered, with some comments on models at the borderline between necrosis and apoptosis, such as the excitotoxic neuronal damage. The overlapping of cellular signal pathways activated in granule neurons by apparently unrelated stimuli, such as neurotrophins and neurotransmitters/neuromodulators is stressed to put into light the special 'trophic' role played by activity in neurons. Finally, the advantage of designing and performing conceptually equivalent experiments on cerebellar granule neurons during development in vivo and in vitro, is stressed. On the basis of the reviewed material, it is concluded that cerebellar granule neurons have acquired a special position in modern neuroscience as one of the most reliable models for the study of neural development, function and pathology.

Blockade of AMPA/kainate receptors can either decrease or increase the survival of cultured neocortical cells depending on the stage of maturation

Neurotoxicity has often been associated with glutamate receptor stimulation and neuroprotection with glutamate receptor blockade. However, the relationship may be much more complex. We dissociated cells from the rat neocortical anlage at an early stage of prenatal development (embryonic day 14). The cells were exposed in vitro to agonists and antagonists of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate (AMPA)/kainate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and the effects on differentiation and survival have been quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated. NMDA and the non-competitive antagonist (5R,10S)-(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]-cyclohepten-5,10-imine hydrogen maleate (MK-801) had the expected effects (the agonist decreasing and the antagonist increasing neuronal survival) when applied at a relatively advanced stage of in vitro maturation, but no significant effect in either direction at earlier stages. Kainate also had an effect on cell survival only at an advanced stage (where it decreased the number of cells). However, this cannot be attributed to the absence of functional AMPA/kainate receptors at earlier stages, since: (1) cells could be loaded with cobalt; and (2) early application of kainate dramatically reduced the number of cobalt-positive cells. Furthermore, exposure at early stages to 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX), or GYKI 53655, (competitive and non-competitive AMPA receptor antagonists, respectively) strongly reduced cell survival. The effects were concentration- and time-dependent with a complex time--curve. The decrease in cell number was maximal after antagonist application from 2 to 5 days in vitro. The effects of DNQX could be cancelled by co-application of kainate. When exposed to an antagonist at later stages of development, the number of surviving cells gradually approached control values and finally became significantly higher. Our results suggest that cells of the developing neocortex (and perhaps newly generated cells in the adult brain) require at different stages of their development, an appropriate level of AMPA/kainate receptor activation.

Functional ionotropic glutamate receptors emerge during terminal cell division and early neuronal differentiation of rat neuroepithelial cells

Ionotropic glutamate receptors mediate fast forms of excitatory synaptic transmission in mature neurons and may play critical roles in neuronal development. However, the developmental stage at which neuronal cells begin to express functional receptors and their roles in lineage progression remain unclear. In the present study, neural precursor cells were isolated from the cortical neuroepithelium of embryonic day 13 rats, and rapidly expanded in serum-free medium in response to basic fibroblast growth factor. RT-PCR revealed the presence of mRNAs encoding AMPA(A), AMPA(C), KA(1), KA(2), NMDA(1), and NMDA(2D) subunits after 3 days in culture. The functional expression of AMPA/kainate and NMDA receptors was investigated using Ca(2+) imaging and whole-cell patch-clamp recording techniques in cells pulse-labeled with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for 1-4 hr. The recorded cells were then double-immunostained for BrdU incorporation and neuron-specific beta-tubulin (TuJ1). The results show that AMPA/kainate and NMDA induced increases in cytosolic Ca(2+) and inward currents only in differentiating neurons. In contrast, proliferating (BrdU(+)TuJ1(-)) cells failed to respond to any ionotropic glutamate receptor agonists. Interestingly, Ca(2+) imaging revealed that a subpopulation of BrdU(+)TuJ1(+) cells also responded to AMPA, indicating the emergence of functional ionotropic AMPA/kainate receptors during terminal cell division and the earliest commitment to neuronal cell lineage. These in vitro results were supported by flow cytometric sorting of AMPA-responsive cells pulse-labeled with BrdU for 1 hr in vivo, which revealed that functional AMPA receptors appear in BrdU(+)TuJ1(+) cells under physiological conditions and may play a role in terminal cell division.

Sodium overload through voltage-dependent Na(+) channels induces necrosis and apoptosis of rat superior cervical ganglion cells in vitro

Using the failure to exclude trypan blue as a criterion for cell death, we found that veratridine, the voltage-dependent Na(+) channel activator, exerted its toxicity to cultured sympathetic neurons in a dose-dependent manner (half-maximal toxicity occurred at 2 microM). The co-presence of tetrodotoxin completely reversed the toxicity only at concentrations of veratridine < 20 microM. Veratridine neurotoxicity was due to the influx of Na(+); a medium low in Na(+) (36 mM) completely abolished its neurotoxicity, whereas a Ca(2+)-free medium did not attenuate its neurotoxicity. Furthermore, the buffering action of 1, 2-Bis-(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N',-tetraacetate (BAPTA) on veratridine-induced increase in intracellular Ca(2+) levels neither blocked veratridine neurotoxicity in normal medium, nor attenuated the low Na(+) effect. Elevated K(+) effectively blocked veratridine neurotoxicity in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. Cytoplasmic pH measurements using a fluorescent pH indicator demonstrated that cellular acidification (from pH 7.0 to pH 6.5) occurred upon treatment with veratridine. Both veratridine-induced acidification and cell death were ameliorated by 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride, the specific inhibitor of the Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (IC(50) = 0.5 microM). Finally, necrosis occurred predominantly in veratridine neurotoxicity, but both staining with bis-benzimide and TUNEL analysis showed nuclear features of apoptosis in sympathetic neurons undergoing cell death.

Alteration of veratridine neurotoxicity in sympathetic neurons during development in vitro

Neurotoxic effects of veratridine, the activator of voltage-dependent Na+ channels, were examined at various stages of in vitro development of superior cervical ganglion cells dissociated from newborn rats. Veratridine neurotoxicity did not occur in 1DIV (days in vitro) neurons, but occurred in 7DIV neurons, both of which depend on NGF for survival, but elevated K+ supports only the latter. TUNEL and electron microscopic analyses revealed that 7DIV neurons underwent both apoptotic and necrotic cell death. Veratridine was also toxic to 21DIV neurons which are independent of NGF for survival. Nuclear features of apoptosis, however, were greatly reduced in these neurons undergoing cell death, suggesting that nuclear vulnerability is also subject to developmental regulation in vitro.

Taurine, glutamate and GABA modulate the outgrowth from goldfish retinal explants and its concentrations are affected by the crush of the optic nerve

The amino acid taurine plays an important trophic role during development and regeneration of the central nervous system. Other amino acid systems, such as those for glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), are modified during the same physiological and pathological processes. After crushing the optic nerve, goldfish retinal explants were plated in the absence and in the presence of different amino acids and amino acid receptor agonists. The length and the density of the neurites were measured at 5 days in culture. Taurine increased the length and the density of neurites. Glutamate and glycine increased them at low concentration, but were inhibitors at higher concentration. The combination of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and glycine produced a greater inhibitory effect than NMDA alone. NMDA or alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) added simultaneously with taurine impaired the stimulatory effect of the latter. GABA stimulated the emission of neurites in a concentration dependent manner. Hypotaurine also elevated the length of neurites, but cysteinsesulfinic acid did not produce a significant effect. The concentrations of taurine, glutamate and GABA were determined by HPLC with fluorescent detection in the retina of goldfish at various days post-crushing the optic nerve. The levels of taurine were significantly increased at 48h after the crush, and were elevated up to 20 days. Glutamate level decreased after the lesion of the optic nerve and was still low at 20 days. GABA concentration was not significantly different from the control. The interaction of these amino acids during the regenerative period, especially the balance between taurine and glutamate, may be a determinant in restoring vision after the crush.

Blockade of NMDA receptors and apoptotic neurodegeneration in the developing brain

Programmed cell death (apoptosis) occurs during normal development of the central nervous system. However, the mechanisms that determine which neurons will succumb to apoptosis are poorly understood. Blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors for only a few hours during late fetal or early neonatal life triggered widespread apoptotic neurodegeneration in the developing rat brain, suggesting that the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, acting at NMDA receptors, controls neuronal survival. These findings may have relevance to human neurodevelopmental disorders involving prenatal (drug-abusing mothers) or postnatal (pediatric anesthesia) exposure to drugs that block NMDA receptors.

Neurotrophins protect cultured cerebellar granule neurons against the early phase of cell death by a two-component mechanism

Cerebellar granule neurons cultured with serum develop a mature neuronal phenotype, including stimulus-coupled release of glutamate, and depend on elevated potassium for survival. We find that cells cultured with serum undergo two phases of cell death. By 6 d in vitro, 30-50% of the cells present are dead; after this time the remaining cells die. Elevated potassium prevents only this later phase of death, whereas neurotrophins protect these cells against the early phase of death. Factors that bind p75(NTR) or TNF-R, members of the same receptor family, exhibit voltage-sensitive calcium channel-dependent protection, whereas ligands of expressed Trk receptors show additional calcium channel-independent protection. The cells express TrkB protein and show elevated c-Fos and c-Jun levels in response to BDNF. No TrkA is detected, although p75(NTR) protein is expressed and NGF induces depolarization-dependent elevation of c-Jun levels. In the presence of the protein kinase C inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide, BDNF-induced survival promotion is reduced partially, whereas NGF-induced death is unmasked. Basal survival mechanisms are insensitive to inhibition of PK-C or PI-3 kinase. We conclude that BDNF promotes survival in part via its TrkB receptor, whereas there is an additional pathway promoting survival and elevating c-Jun evoked by both NGF and BDNF via a non-Trk receptor.

Veratridine delays apoptotic neuronal death induced by NGF deprivation through a Na(+)-dependent mechanism in cultured rat sympathetic neurons

Superior-cervical ganglion (SCG) cells dissociated from newborn rats depend on nerve growth factor (NGF) for survival. Membrane depolarization with elevated K+ is known to prevent neuronal death following NGF deprivation and/or to promote survival via a Ca(2+)-dependent mechanism. Here we have exploited the possibility of whether or not a Na(+)-dependent pathway for neuronal survival is present in these cells. Veratridine (EC50 = 40 nM), a voltage-dependent Na+ channel activator, significantly delayed the onset of apoptotic cell death in NGF-deprived SCG neurons that had been cultured for 7 days in the presence of NGF. This effect was blocked completely by Na+ channel blockers including tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1 microM), benzamil (25 microM) and flunarizine (1 microM), but was not attenuated by nimodipine (1 microM), an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker. The saving effect of veratridine on cultured neurons was observed even in low Ca2+ media (0-1.0 mM), but was completely abolished in a low Na+ medium (38 mM). Sodium-binding benzofuran is isophthalate was employed as a fluorescent probe for monitoring the level of cytoplasmic free Na+, which revealed a sustained increase in its level (12.9 mM, 307% of that of control) in response to veratridine (0.75 microM). The TTX or flunarizine completely blocked veratridine-induced Na+ influx in these cultured neurons. Moreover, no appreciable increase in intracellular Ca2+ was detected under these conditions. Though Na+ channels were effectual in SCG neurons which were freshly isolated from newborn rats, the Na(2+)-dependent saving effect of veratridine was not observed in these young neurons. These lines of evidence suggest that the death-suppressing effect of veratridine on cultured SCG neurons depends on the Na+ influx via voltage-dependent Na+ channels, and suggest the presence of Na(+)-dependent regulatory mechanism(s) in neuronal survival.

MK-801 reduces retinal ganglion cell survival but improves visual performance after controlled optic nerve crush

Excitotoxicity is implicated in secondary cell death after ischemic or traumatic brain injury. We therefore evaluated the role of excitotoxicity mediated by the NMDA glutamate receptor subtype on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and visual performance after optic nerve injury in adult rats. To monitor visual deficits after mild optic nerve crush, rats were trained in a two-choice pattern discrimination task. Immediately after the crush and on postoperative day 1, MK-801 (1 nmol), a noncompetitive open channel blocker of the NMDA-receptor, was injected intraocularly. Within the first few days after crush, all rats showed a loss of their discrimination ability that was followed by a significant recovery within a 3-week testing period. Although animals treated with MK-801 had a significantly smaller initial deficit compared with PBS-injected controls, anatomic investigations using retrograde HRP tracing revealed a significant retrograde loss of RGC in lesioned rats that was significantly exacerbated by MK-801. These results confirm our earlier studies suggesting that neuronal damage does not uniformly match behavioral defects in CNS injury paradigms and that near-normal visual performance occurs in rats with only about 10% of RGC being connected to their target. The observation that after traumatic injury MK-801 is neuroprotective functionally while being neurotoxic anatomically is a structural-functional paradox that needs to be explored further.

Failure of glycine site NMDA receptor antagonists to protect against L-2-chloropropionic acid-induced neurotoxicity highlights the uniqueness of cerebellar NMDA receptors

Cultured cerebellar granule cells and cerebellar slices from neonatal rats have been widely used to examine the biochemistry of excitatory amino acid-induced cell death mediated in part by the activation of NMDA receptors. However, the NMDA subunit stoichiometry, producing functional NMDA receptors is different in cultured granule cells, neonatal and adult rat cerebellum as compared to the NMDA receptors in forebrain regions. We have used the L-2-chloropropionic acid (L-CPA) (750 mg/kg) model of NMDA-mediated selective cerebellar granule cell necrosis in vivo to examine the role of the glycine binding site and possible effect of the NR2C subunit (which is largely expressed only in the cerebellum) on granule cell necrosis. The abilities of various NMDA receptor antagonists were examined in vivo to determine the relative contribution of both glutamate and glycine sites involved in the L-CPA-induced neurotoxicity. The potent neuroprotective, non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine (MK-801) was compared with glutamate and glycine site NMDA antagonists. We have examined a number of markers for the L-CPA-induced granule cell necrosis. The L-CPA-induced reduction in cerebellar aspartate and glutamate concentrations were used as markers of granule cell necrosis. We also measured the cerebellar water content and sodium concentrations as measures of the L-CPA-induced cerebellar edema that accompanies the granule cell necrosis. Finally the ability of the NMDA antagonists to attenuate the L-CPA-induced reductions in body weight gain and the prevention of the loss in hindlimb function using a behavioral measure of hindlimb retraction were examined. The potent glutamate antagonists, CPP and CGP40116 and dizocilpine prevented the L-CPA-induced locomotor dysfunction and granule cell necrosis as measured by their ability to prevent L-CPA-induced reduction in aspartate and glutamate concentrations. CPP, CGP40116 and dizocilpine also prevented the appearance of cerebellar edema following L-CPA administration. In addition, dizocilpine, CPP and CGP40116 were able to partially prevent the L-CPA-induced loss in body weight over the 48 h experimental period. In contrast, none of the glycine partial agonists or antagonists, namely (+/-)HA-966, D-cycloserine, MDL-29,951, DPCQ, MNQX or L-701 252 were able to prevent the L-CPA-induced loss in body weight, L-CPA-induced granule cell necrosis and behavioral disturbances when administered to rats. None of the NMDA antagonists had any effect on the cerebellar neurochemistry when injected alone or had any effect on animal behavior except for dizocilpine, CPP, CGP40116 and (+/-)HA-966 which resulted in a transient sedation for between three and five hours immediately following their administration. In conclusion, we demonstrated that NMDA open channel blockade and glutamate antagonists can provide full neuroprotection against the L-CPA-induced granule cell necrosis. The failure of the glycine partial agonist and antagonists to provide any neuroprotection against L-CPA-induced neurotoxicity in the cerebellum contrast with their neuroprotective efficacy in other animal models of excitatory amino acid-induced cell death in forebrain regions in vivo. We therefore suggest that the glycine site plays a lesser role in modulating NMDA receptor function in the cerebellum and may explain why cells expressing NMDA receptors composed of NR1/NR2C subunits are particularly resistant to excitatory amino acid-induced neurotoxicity.

Effect of K+- and kainate-mediated depolarization on survival and functional maturation of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons in cultures of dissociated mouse cerebellum

The effect of the depolarizing agents, an elevated potassium concentration (25 mM) or kainic acid (50 microM) on neuronal survival and differentiation was investigated in cultures of dissociated neurons from cerebella of 7-day-old mice. When maintained in the presence of an antimitotic agent such cultures consist primarily of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons. Cell survival was monitored by measurement of DNA, and differentiation by determining uptake and depolarization coupled release of glutamate (D-aspartate as label) and GABA. The depolarizing agents were added separately or together either from the start of the culture period (7-8 days) or at day 5 in culture. The main findings are that K+ depolarization is important for differentiation of glutamatergic neurons but not for GABAergic neurons. This depolarizing signal is important during the early phase of development in culture. For glutamatergic neurons, kainate may replace K+ as a depolarizing signal whereas in case of the GABAergic neurons, kainate was toxic particularly during the late phase of development. It was further observed that the glutamatergic neurons when maintained in a medium with 5 mM K+ during the first 5 days in culture became sensitive to kainate toxicity when this amino acid was added at day 5. This was not the case when the medium contained 25 mM K+ from the start of the culture period.

NMDA prevents alcohol-induced neuronal cell death of cerebellar granule cells in culture

Neuronal cell loss is one of the most debilitating effects of alcohol exposure during development of the nervous system. In this study, primary cultures of neuronal cells (cerebellar granule cells) were used to examine mechanisms of alcohol-induced neuronal cell death. Previously, we established that (Pantazis et al., Alcohol Clin Exp Res 17:1014-1021, 1993): (1) alcohol exposure caused neuronal cell death in cultures of cerebellar granule cells and this cell loss was both time-dependent and dose-dependent; and (2) the vulnerability of cerebellar granule cells to alcohol-induced loss changed with the length of time the cells were in culture before initiating alcohol exposure-that is, younger cultures (1 day in vitro) were much more susceptible to alcohol-induced neuronal cell death than older cultures (4 or 7 days in vitro). The primary goal of the present study was to examine the potential role of the NMDA receptor in alcohol-induced death of cerebellar granule cells in culture. Experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that the alcohol-induced death of cerebellar granule cells can be prevented or reduced by NMDA treatment. Our results indicate that stimulation of the NMDA receptor has a neuroprotective effect and can significantly reduce the alcohol-induced neuronal cell death of newly established cerebellar granule cell cultures. This neuroprotective effect of NMDA is blocked by 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate, a competitive inhibitor of the NMDA receptor, confirming that this neuroprotective effect is mediated via the NMDA receptor. This is the first report that alcohol's neurotoxic effect can be ameliorated by activation of the NMDA receptor.

Activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors by L-AP4 stimulates survival of rat cerebellar granule cells in culture

The results presented here show that the metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist L(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (L-AP4) is capable of markedly stimulating the survival of rat cerebellar granule cells in culture. This is the first demonstration of a neurotrophic role for metabotropic glutamate receptors. The survival promoting action of L-AP4 does not involve a large, rapid rise in [Ca2+]i which is seen with other neurotrophic agents in granule cells such as N-methyl-D-aspartate, ionomycin and high potassium. In addition, the survival-promoting effect of L-AP4 did not appear to be related to changes in cAMP levels. Survival due to L-AP4 was enhanced by pertussis toxin and by forskolin and was unaffected by inhibitors of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Measurement of cAMP levels after long-term treatment with neurotrophic agents showed no clear relationship between cAMP concentration and granule cell survival. The mechanism of L-AP4 stimulated cell survival is unknown but seems unlikely to involve an acute rise in [Ca2+]i or modulation of cAMP levels. Survival induced by L-AP4 was not blocked by the antagonist (RS)-alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine. Similarity in these properties with those of the mGLu7 receptor suggests that granule cell survival was stimulated by an mGlu7-like metabotropic receptor.

NMDA receptor responses in adult hippocampal CA1 region after neonatal treatment with MK-801: comparison with NMDA receptor responses in the immature rat

Neonatal MK-801 treatment from postnatal day 8-19 leads to long-term effects on brain function, suggesting that exposure to this drug leads to the development of a brain with immature network properties. One aspect of this hypothesis, that the NMDA receptors preserve their immature state after the treatment, has been tested by measuring the potency of the competitive antagonist D-AP5 in hippocampal slices. We have previously shown that an increased potency to D-AP5 is a characteristic property of NMDA receptors during early life. In the present study we measured field potentials in the CA1 region of rat hippocampal slices evoked by iontophoretic NMDA application in the Schaffer-commissural synaptic fields. Agonist dose-response curves were constructed, followed by bath applications of increasing concentrations of the antagonist D-AP5. The maximum NMDA evoked field response was the same in slices of mature control (PND70-90; 18.9 +/- 1.2 mV) and MK-801 treated rats (PND70-90; 19.3 +/- 0.9 mV), but significantly larger in immature slices (PND10-16; 24.0 +/- 0.6 mV). The sensitivity to NMDA in hippocampal slices from each group was estimated by quantifying the ionotophoretic ejection current (= dose) which evoked 50% of the maximum field response (EC50). A significantly higher sensitivity to NMDA was found in hippocampal slices obtained from MK-801-treated rats (EC50 = 3.6 +/- 0.2 nA) than in slices from control (EC50 = 6.1 +/- 0.7 nA) or immature (EC50 = 5.9 +/- 0.5 nA) animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Selective stimulation of excitatory amino acid receptor subtypes and the survival of granule cells in culture: effect of quisqualate and AMPA

Differentiating granule cells develop survival requirements in vitro which can be met by treatment with high K+ or excitatory amino acids. Promotion of cell survival by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) or kainate has already been established and here we report that treatment of the cells with alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate (AMPA) or quisqualate (QA) also leads to cell rescue. In comparison with the effect of NMDA, the influence of AMPA/QA is small, resulting in a 20-30% increase in cell survival, with a peak at a very narrow concentration range (0.5-2.0 microM QA and 5-10 microM AMPA). The effect is exclusive to AMPA receptor stimulation, since stimulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors with (1S3R)-1-amino-cyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) has no effect. Furthermore, AMPA/QA rescue of cells is blocked by ionotropic non-NMDA receptor antagonists, 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX) and 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzoquinoxaline (NBQX). In addition, both nifedipine and dizolcipline (MK-801) interfered with the cell survival promoting effect of AMPA, suggesting that the influence of AMPA is mediated via calcium influx involving both depolarization-activated voltage sensitive calcium channels and NMDA receptors stimulated as a result of AMPA-induced release of glutamate. Possible reasons for the small cell survival promoting effect of AMPA/QA compared with the influence of high K+ or NMDA are discussed.

Ontogeny of the cell adhesion molecule L1 in the cerebellum of weaver and reeler mutant mice

The ontogeny of cell adhesion molecule L1 in cerebellum was quantitatively assessed in weaver and reeler mutant mice and in heterozygous litter-mate controls. In the latter the concentration and the amount of L1 both increased from the first postnatal week to become maximum at the second. In contrast, in the weaver and reeler neurologic mutant mice, L1 decreased steadily. The L1 concentration and the amount of L1 was lower in the cerebellum of homozygous mutant mice than in litter-mate controls. The findings are consistent with L1 being a component of axonal plasma membranes. However, no evidence was found of any direct effect of the wv and rl phenotypes on L1 expression.

Blockade of NMDA receptors increases cell death and birth in the developing rat dentate gyrus

Excitatory input regulates cell birth and survival in many systems. The granule cell population of the rat dentate gyrus is formed primarily during the postnatal period. Excitatory afferents enter the dentate gyrus and begin to form synapses with granule cells during the first postnatal week, the time of maximal cell birth and death. In order to determine whether excitatory input plays a role in the regulation of cell birth and survival in the developing granule cell layers and their germinal regions, the subependymal layer and hilus, we treated rat pups with the N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists MK-801, CGP 37849, or CGP 43487 during the first postnatal week and examined the numbers of 3H-thymidine-labeled cells, pyknotic cells, and healthy cells in these regions. In order to determine the cell type that was affected, sections from brains of MK-801-treated rats were processed for 3H-thymidine autoradiography combined with immunohistochemistry for the marker of radial glia, vimentin, and the marker of mature astrocytes, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Within the dentate gyrus, NMDA receptor blockade resulted in the following changes: (1) the density of 3H-thymidine-labeled cells was increased, (2) the density of pyknotic cells was increased, (3) the density of 3H-thymidine-labeled pyknotic cells was increased, and (4) the density of healthy cells was decreased. The infrapyramidal blade/hilus showed changes throughout its extent, whereas the suprapyramidal blade showed changes only at the rostral level. No change in the numbers of 3H-thymidine-labeled vimentin-immunoreactive or GFAP-immunoreactive cells was observed in the dentate gyrus with MK-801 treatment, indicating that glia are not primarily affected by NMDA receptor blockade. Blockade of NMDA receptors resulted in gross morphologic changes in the dentate gyrus; in most cases, the infrapyramidal blade was indistinguishable from the hilus. Moreover, in several brains of animals treated with CGP 37849 or CGP 43487 on postnatal day (P)5, an abnormal aggregation of cells was observed ventral to the normal location of the infrapyramidal blade. This cellular cluster contained many pyknotic and 3H-thymidine-labeled cells and may represent cells that normally comprise the infrapyramidal blade. Dramatic changes to the subependymal layer were also seen following NMDA receptor blockade. The cross-sectional area of this region was significantly increased with MK-801, CGP 37849, or CGP 43487 treatment and contained a high density of 3H-thymidine-labeled cells and 3H-thymidine-labeled pyknotic cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Promotion of granule cell survival by high K+ or excitatory amino acid treatment and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity

Cerebellar granule cells in culture develop survival requirements which can be met either by chronic membrane depolarization (25 mM K+) or by stimulation of ionotropic excitatory amino acid receptors. We observed previously that this trophic effect is mediated via Ca2+ influx, either through dihydropyridine-sensitive, voltage-dependent calcium channels (activated directly by high K+ or indirectly by kainate) or through N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-linked ion channels. Steps after Ca2+ entry in the transduction cascade mediating the survival-supporting effect of high K+ and excitatory amino acids have now been examined. Using protein kinase inhibitors (H-7, polymixin B and gangliosides), and modulating protein kinase C activity by treatment with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, we obtained evidence against the involvement of protein kinase C and cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases in the transduction cascade. On the other hand, calmidazolium (employed as a calmodulin inhibitor) counteracted the trophic effect of elevated K+ with high potency (IC50 0.3 microM), which exceeded by approximately 10-fold the potency for the blockade by the drug of voltage-sensitive calcium channels. The potency of calmidazolium in interfering with the N-methyl-D-aspartate rescue of cells was also much higher in comparison with the inhibition of 45Ca2+ influx through N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-linked channels. Our results indicated that after calmodulin the next step in the trophic effects involves Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity. KN-62, a fairly specific antagonist of this enzyme, compromised elevated K+ or excitatory amino acid-supported cell survival with high potency (IC50 2.5 microM). In the relevant concentration range, KN-62 had little or no effect on Ca2+ entry through either voltage- or N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-gated channels. Combining information on the toxic action of glutamate in "mature" granule cells with the trophic effect of either excitatory amino acids or high K+ treatment on "young" cells, we conclude that after the initial steps involving calcium in both cases the respective transduction pathways diverge. The toxic action of glutamate seems to be mediated through protein kinase C [Favaron et al. (1990) Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 1983-1987 whereas a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, which can be inhibited by KN-62 (but is resistant to gangliosides and to inhibitors whose potency is higher for protein kinase C than for Ca2+ calmodulin-dependent protein kinases, such as H-7 and polymixin B), is involved critically in the trophic effect.

Vulnerability of cerebellar granule cells to alcohol-induced cell death diminishes with time in culture

This study examined the effects of alcohol exposure on the viability of cerebellar granule cells in culture. Continuous alcohol exposure, starting 1 day after the cultures were established, significantly reduced granule cell numbers, even with a single day of exposure to an alcohol concentration as low as 100 mg/dl. The depletion of cerebellar granule cells by alcohol was concentration-dependent (greater loss of cells at higher alcohol concentrations) and duration-dependent (greater loss of cells at longer exposure durations). The loss of granule cells also depended on the number of days the granule cells were in culture before alcohol exposure. Alcohol was significantly more effective in reducing the cell numbers of newly established granule cell cultures (1 day in vitro) compared with older cultures (4 or 7 days in vitro). Cell cycle analysis established that the cerebellar granule cells did not proliferate in culture, indicating that alcohol exposure did not reduce cell numbers by interfering with cell proliferation in this system. Instead, alcohol-induced killing of the granule cells was the most likely mechanism to account for the depletion of granule cells in vitro. Granule cell cultures are a useful in vitro model system to study the cellular and molecular aspects of neuronal cell depletion associated with fetal alcohol exposure. The potential role of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor in this alcohol-induced neuronal cell death is discussed.

Neurotrophic effects of NMDA receptor activation on developing cerebellar granule cells

Glutamate acting on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors controls a variety of aspects of neuronal plasticity in the adult and developing brain. This review summarizes its effects on developing cerebellar granule cells. The glutamatergic mossy fibre input to cerebellar granule cells exerts a neurotrophic effect on these cells during development. The investigation of potential neurotrophic agents can be carried out using enriched granule cell cultures. Considerable evidence now indicates that glutamate acting on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors is an important neurotrophic factor that regulates granule cell development. In culture, neurite growth, differentiation and cell survival are all stimulated by N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor activation. The intracellular pathways involved following Ca2+ entry through the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channel are beginning to be elucidated. The cerebellar granule cell culture system may provide an ideal model to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in long term N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated changes in neuronal function.

Effect of potassium and N-methyl-D-aspartate on the aspartate aminotransferase activity in cultured cerebellar granule cells

The effect of potassium depolarization and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) on the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AAT; EC 2.6.1.1), an enzyme suggested to be involved in neurotransmitter glutamate synthesis, was studied in cultured cerebellar granule neurons. Both KCl and NMDA increased AAT activity in a dose-dependent manner. When cells were treated 48-72 hr with 40 mM KCl or 150 microM NMDA the AAT was enhanced about 65-75%. The EC50 for NMDA and KCl were 25 microM and 17 mM, respectively. The effect of NMDA and KCl was specific for AAT without affecting the activity of other enzymes like lactate dehydrogenase or protein content and it was observed only in granule cells but not in astrocytes or cortical neurons. The effect of KCl was not mediated by an activation of excitatory amino acid receptors and was Ca(++)-dependent. The effect of NMDA was completely blocked by Mg++ and NMDA antagonists. The increase of AAT induced by AAT and KCl was blocked by cycloheximide and actinomycin D, suggesting an involvement of de novo synthesis of proteins and RNA. Kainic acid and quinolinic acid were also effective in increasing the AAT activity. The action of kainate was less effective than that of NMDA and it was observed only at relatively low concentrations (10 microM). Quinolinic acid raised the activity of AAT about 45% at a concentration of 500 microM. Other non-NMDA agonists did not modify the AAT activity. From these findings we can conclude that NMDA and KCl exert a trophic action on cerebellar granular neurons.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

N-methyl-D-aspartate effects on the growth, morphology and cytoskeleton of individual neurons in vitro

Short-term (up to 5 h post-plating) cerebellar granule cell cultures were prepared from the week-old rat and maintained in a micro-incubator during time lapse video microscopy to examine normal and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-evoked neurite extension. In untreated cultures growth of neurites was stochastic but proceeded at an average rate of 12.0 +/- 1.4 microns/h. Growth cone morphology was variable. The classical filopodia and lamellipodia possessing tips were motile or non-motile, while those processes ending in a club shape were rarely seen to extend. Individual growth cones passed through several different morphologies during growth. New processes extended more rapidly (13.0 +/- 1.7 microns/h) than those already present (9.0 +/- 0.5 microns/h). Addition of the NMDA receptor antagonist, aminophosphonovalerate (APV), caused a marked retraction of pre-existing processes. Stimulation of the receptor with 50 microM NMDA caused a marked increase in growth rate compared to controls (15.0 microns/h and 1.7 microns/h, respectively). When the presence of actin-rich structures was examined using rhodamine-phalloidin labelling it was found that NMDA increased the proportion of neuronal processes that possessed a growth cone by 28%. Conversely, inhibition of NMDA receptor activity with APV reduced the formation of lamellipodia from neuronal cell bodies.

Neurotransmitters as Neurotrophic Factors: a New Set of Functions

At the start of this review, factors were deemed trophic if they stimulated mitosis, permitted neural cell survival, promoted neurite sprouting and growth cone motility, or turned on a specific neuronal phenotype. The in vitro evidence from cell cultures is overwhelming that both neurotransmitters and neuropeptides can have such actions. Furthermore, the same chemical can exert several of these effects, either on the same or on different cell populations. Perhaps the most striking example is that of VIP, which can stimulate not only mitosis, but also survival and neurite sprouting of sympathetic ganglion neuroblasts (Pincus et al., 1990a,b). The in vivo data to support the in vitro experiments are starting to appear. A role for VIP in neurodevelopment is supported by in vivo studies that show behavioral deficits produced in neonatal rats by treatment with a VIP antagonist (Hill et al., 1991). The work of Shatz' laboratory (Chun et al., 1987; Ghosh et al., 1990) suggests that neuropeptide-containing neurons, transiently present, serve as guideposts for thalamocortical axons coming in to innervate specific cortical areas. Along similar lines, Wolff et al. (1979) demonstrated gamma-aminobutyric acid-accumulating glia in embryonic cortex that appeared to form axoglial synapses and suggested the possibility that gamma-aminobutyric acid released from the glia might play a role in synaptogenesis by increasing the number of postsynaptic thickenings. Meshul et al. (1987) have provided evidence that astrocytes can regulate synaptic density in the developing cerebellum. The work of Zagon and McLaughlin (1986a,b, 1987) has shown that naltrexone, an antagonist of the endogenous opioid peptides, affects both cell number and neuronal sprouting. Lauder's laboratory (Lauder et al., 1982) has shown a role for 5-HT in regulation of the proliferation of numerous cell types. These studies illustrate another important point, that neurotransmitters and neuropeptides function in communication not only between neurons, but also between neurons and glial cells, and between glial cells. Given that astrocytes can express virtually all of the neural receptors and can produce at least some of the neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, they must now be considered equal partners in the processes of intercellular communication in the nervous system, including the trophic responses. The actions of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides have to be considered in terms of a broad spectrum of actions that range from the trophic actions described in this review, to the classic transmitter actions, to potential roles in neurotoxicity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Depolarization- and agonist-regulated expression of neuronal metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1)

In established 8-12-day-old primary cultures of differentiated rat cerebellar granule neurons the level of metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) mRNA and the sensitivity of cultures to the agonist-stimulated inositol phosphate (IP) formation was reversibly modified by changing the depolarizing properties of the medium, i.e. the medium KCl concentration. The mGluR1 mRNA content was suppressed by increasing the medium KCl content and elevated by decreasing it. The mGluR agonist quisqualate inhibited the mGluR1 expression. This is the first direct demonstration of a differential expression of neuronal mGluR1 in an established neuronal culture. The model can be used to study the molecular mechanism of neuronal plasticity.

Selective stimulation of excitatory amino acid receptor subtypes and the survival of cerebellar granule cells in culture: effect of kainic acid

Our previous studies showed that the survival of cerebellar granule cells in culture is promoted by treatment with N-methyl-D-aspartate. Here we report on the influence of another glutamate analogue, kainic acid, which, in contrast to N-methyl-D-aspartate, is believed to stimulate transmitter receptors mediating fast excitatory postsynaptic potentials. The kainate effect was complex: increased survival at low concentrations (the maximum, at 25-50 microM, was about 50% promotion), whereas concentrations exceeding 50 microM resulted first in a loss of the effect, and then at concentrations of 2-5 x 10(-4) M cells became vulnerable to kainate. The trophic influence of kainate is mediated through receptors other than the N-methyl-D-aspartate preferring subtype. In contrast to the effect of N-methyl-D-aspartate, that of kainate did not depend on the medium K+ level and was potently blocked by dinitroquinoxalinedione, which--at the concentration used here--did not counteract the promotion of cell survival evoked by N-methyl-D-aspartate. Quisqualate was a potent inhibitor of the rescue by kainate. Furthermore, blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors with the selective antagonists MK-801 or aminophosphonovalerate did not inhibit, but rather potentiated the trophic effect of kainate. Possible mechanisms underlying the trophic effect of chronic depolarization or treatment with excitatory amino acids are discussed, and it is proposed that they involve elevated free cytoplasmic calcium activity following increased influx through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels (high K+ and kainate) or receptorgated channels (N-methyl-D-aspartate).