Effects of glutamate transport substrates and glutamate receptor ligands on the activity of Na-/K(+)-ATPase in brain tissue in vitro

Heterogeneity of Astrocytic and Neuronal GLT-1 at Cortical Excitatory Synapses, as Revealed by its Colocalization With Na+/K+-ATPase α Isoforms

GLT-1, the major glutamate transporter, is expressed at perisynaptic astrocytic processes (PAP) and axon terminals (AxT). GLT-1 is coupled to Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) α1-3 isoforms, whose subcellular distribution and spatial organization in relationship to GLT-1 are largely unknown. Using several microscopy techniques, we showed that at excitatory synapses α1 and α3 are exclusively neuronal (mainly in dendrites and in some AxT), while α2 is predominantly astrocytic. GLT-1 displayed a differential colocalization with α1-3. GLT-1/α2 and GLT-1/α3 colocalization was higher in GLT-1 positive puncta partially (for GLT-1/α2) or almost totally (for GLT-1/α3) overlapping with VGLUT1 positive terminals than in nonoverlapping ones. GLT-1 colocalized with α2 at PAP, and with α1 and α3 at AxT. GLT-1 and α2 gold particles were ∼1.5-2 times closer than GLT-1/α1 and GLT-1/α3 particles. GLT-1/α2 complexes (edge to edge interdistance of gold particles ≤50 nm) concentrated at the perisynaptic region of PAP membranes, whereas neuronal GLT-1/α1 and GLT-1/α3 complexes were fewer and more uniformly distributed in AxT. These data unveil different composition of GLT-1 and α subunits complexes in the glial and neuronal domains of excitatory synapses. The spatial organization of GLT-1/α1-3 complexes suggests that GLT-1/NKA interaction is more efficient in astrocytes than in neurons, further supporting the dominant role of astrocytic GLT-1 in glutamate homeostasis.

GLAST (GLutamate and ASpartate Transporter) in human prefrontal cortex; interactome in healthy brains and the expression of GLAST in brains of chronic alcoholics

We have analysed post-mortem samples of prefrontal cortex from control and alcoholic human brains by the technique of Western blotting to estimate and compare the expressions of glutamate transporter GLAST (Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter One; EAAT1). Furthermore, using the non-alcoholic prefrontal cortex and custom-made GLAST (EAAT1) antibody we determined GLAST (EAAT1) "interactome" i.e. the set of proteins selectively bound by GLAST (EAAT1). We found that GLAST (EAAT1) was significantly more abundant (about 1.6-fold) in the cortical tissue from alcoholic brains compared to that from non-alcoholic controls. The greatest increase in the level of GLAST (EAAT1) was found in plasma membrane fraction (2.2-fold). Additionally, using the prefrontal cortical tissue from control brains, we identified 38 proteins specifically interacting with GLAST (EAAT1). These can be classified as contributing to the cell structure (6 proteins; 16%), energy and general metabolism (18 proteins; 47%), neurotransmitter metabolism (three proteins; 8%), signalling (6 proteins: 16%), neurotransmitter storage/release at synapses (three proteins; 8%) and calcium buffering (two proteins; 5%). We discuss possible consequences of the increased expression of GLAST (EAAT1) in alcoholic brain tissue and whether or how this could disturb the function of the proteins potentially interacting with GLAST (EAAT1) in vivo. The data represent an extension of our previous proteomic and metabolomic studies of human alcoholism revealing another aspect of the complexity of changes imposed on brain by chronic long-term consumption of ethanol.

Cariprazine delays ouabain-evoked epileptiform spikes and loss of activity in rat hippocampal slices

In the only bipolar cycling in vitro model, rat hippocampal slices are treated with the sodium pump inhibitor ouabain, which induces epileptiform activity, followed by refractory activity loss that recovers and cycles back to epileptiform activity. Thus, clinical cycling seen in patients with bipolar disorder is modeled on a cellular level as alternating hyperactivity and hypoactivity interspersed with normal activity. In this study, we tested the ability of cariprazine a new antipsychotic candidate to block ouabain-induced changes in rat hippocampal slices. Cycling of population spikes and epileptiform bursts was evoked using an extracellular stimulation electrode located in the Schaeffer collaterals of 400-µm-thick rat hippocampal slices treated with ouabain (3.3μM) alone or in combination with cariprazine (1, 5, 25, and 50µM). Responses were recorded using an extracellular electrode placed in the cell body layer of the CA1 region. Cariprazine 25 and 50µM delayed ouabain-induced epileptiform burst onset and subsequent activity loss. Lower cariprazine concentrations were ineffective. Cariprazine delays the onset of ouabain-induced epileptiform bursts and the loss of spiking activity similarly to that previously demonstrated with the mood stabilizer lithium. These results suggest that cariprazine may have therapeutic potential for treatment of bipolar disorder.

GLAST But Not Least--Distribution, Function, Genetics and Epigenetics of L-Glutamate Transport in Brain--Focus on GLAST/EAAT1

Synaptically released L-glutamate, the most important excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS, is removed from extracellular space by fast and efficient transport mediated by several transporters; the most abundant ones are EAAT1/GLAST and EAAT2/GLT1. The review first summarizes their location, functions and basic characteristics. We then look at genetics and epigenetics of EAAT1/GLAST and EAAT2/GLT1 and perform in silico analyses of their promoter regions. There is one CpG island in SLC1A2 (EAAT2/GLT1) gene and none in SLC1A3 (EAAT1/GLAST) suggesting that DNA methylation is not the most important epigenetic mechanism regulating EAAT1/GLAST levels in brain. There are targets for specific miRNA in SLC1A2 (EAAT2/GLT1) gene. We also note that while defects in EAAT2/GLT1 have been associated with various pathological states including chronic neurodegenerative diseases, very little is known on possible contributions of defective or dysfunctional EAAT1/GLAST to any specific brain disease. Finally, we review evidence of EAAT1/GLAST involvement in mechanisms of brain response to alcoholism and present some preliminary data showing that ethanol, at concentrations which may be reached following heavy drinking, can have an effect on the distribution of EAAT1/GLAST in cultured astrocytes; the effect is blocked by baclofen, a GABA-B receptor agonist and a drug potentially useful in the treatment of alcoholism. We argue that more research effort should be focused on EAAT1/GLAST, particularly in relation to alcoholism and drug addiction.

Glutamate Transporters/Na(+), K(+)-ATPase Involving in the Neuroprotective Effect as a Potential Regulatory Target of Glutamate Uptake

The glutamate (Glu) transporters GLAST and GLT-1, as the two most important transporters in brain tissue, transport Glu from the extracellular space into the cell protecting against Glu toxicity. Furthermore, GLAST and GLT-1 are sodium-dependent Glu transporters (GluTs) that rely on sodium and potassium gradients generated principally by Na(+), K(+)-ATPase to generate ion gradients that drive Glu uptake. There is an interaction between Na(+), K(+)-ATPase and GluTs to modulate Glu uptake, and Na(+), K(+)-ATPase α, β or γ subunit can be directly coupled to GluTs, co-localizing with GLAST or GLT-1 in vivo to form a macromolecular complex and operate as a functional unit to regulate glutamatergic neurotransmission. Therefore, GluTs/Na(+), K(+)-ATPase may be involved in the neuroprotective effect as a potential regulatory target of Glu uptake in neurodegenerative diseases induced by Glu-mediated neurotoxicity as the final common pathway.

In vitro studies of the influence of glutamatergic agonists on the Na+,K(+)-ATPase and K(+)-p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of rats

Background

The overstimulation of excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission and the inhibition of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase enzymatic activity have both been implicated in neurotoxicity and are possibly related to the pathogenesis of epilepsy and neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we investigated whether glutamatergic stimulation by the glutamatergic agonists glutamate, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA), kainate and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) modulates the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase and the K⁺-p-nitrophenylphosphatase activities in the crude synaptosomal fraction of the hippocampus and the frontal cortex of rats.

Results

Our results demonstrated that these glutamatergic agonists did not influence the activities of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase or K⁺-p-nitrophenylphosphatase in the brain structures analyzed. Assays with lower concentrations of ATP to analyze the preferential activity of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase isoform with high affinity for ATP did not show any influence either.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that under our experimental conditions, the stimulation of glutamatergic receptors does not influence the kinetics of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase enzyme in the hippocampus and frontal cortex.

Cardiac glycosides ouabain and digoxin interfere with the regulation of glutamate transporter GLAST in astrocytes cultured from neonatal rat brain

Glutamate transport (GluT) in brain is mediated chiefly by two transporters GLT and GLAST, both driven by ionic gradients generated by (Na⁺, K⁺)-dependent ATPase (Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase). GLAST is located in astrocytes and its function is regulated by translocations from cytoplasm to plasma membrane in the presence of GluT substrates. The phenomenon is blocked by a naturally occurring toxin rottlerin. We have recently suggested that rottlerin acts by inhibiting Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase. We now report that Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase inhibitors digoxin and ouabain also blocked the redistribution of GLAST in cultured astrocytes, however, neither of the compounds caused detectable inhibition of ATPase activity in cell-free astrocyte homogenates (rottlerin inhibited app. 80% of Pi production from ATP in the astrocyte homogenates, IC50 = 25 μM). Therefore, while we may not have established a direct link between GLAST regulation and Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity we have shown that both ouabain and digoxin can interfere with GluT transport and therefore should be considered potentially neurotoxic.

Altered electrolyte handling of the choroid plexus in rats with glycerol-induced acute renal failure

The altered electrolyte handling of the choroid plexus was investigated in rats with acute renal failure (ARF) using lithium and rubidium as surrogate markers for sodium and potassium, respectively. Firstly, the transport of these two markers from the plasma to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was evaluated after they were concurrently injected into the femoral vein. As a result, their disposition from the plasma to CSF was shown to decrease in ARF rats, but the relationship profile between those two markers was not different from that observed in normal rats, indicating that the decreased disposition of lithium and rubidium occurs without affecting the stoichiometric balance. To clarify the mechanisms accounting for the decreased disposition, an inhibition study was then performed. When bumetanide, an inhibitor of the Na(+) /K(+) /2Cl(-) co-transporter, was directly introduced into the cerebroventricle prior to lithium and rubidium being intravenously administered, a marked increase in the markers' disposition was observed. However, such an increased disposition did not occur when bumetanide was injected into the femoral vein. Other inhibitors, such as amiloride for the Na(+) /H(+) exchanger and ouabain for Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase, did not show any effects on marker disposition regardless of the inhibitor being administered into either the cerebroventricle or femoral vein. These findings suggest that the decreased marker disposition in ARF rats is due to an increased efflux process of the choroid plexus mediated by the Na(+) /K(+) /2Cl(-) co-transporter. That is, electrolyte efflux from the CSF to plasma increases, and thereby the electrolyte influx from the plasma to CSF is counteracted.

Rottlerin inhibits (Na+, K+)-ATPase activity in brain tissue and alters D-aspartate dependent redistribution of glutamate transporter GLAST in cultured astrocytes

The naturally occurring toxin rottlerin has been used by other laboratories as a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C-delta (PKC-delta) to obtain evidence that the activity-dependent distribution of glutamate transporter GLAST is regulated by PKC-delta mediated phosphorylation. Using immunofluorescence labelling for GLAST and deconvolution microscopy we have observed that D-aspartate-induced redistribution of GLAST towards the plasma membranes of cultured astrocytes was abolished by rottlerin. In brain tissue in vitro, rottlerin reduced apparent activity of (Na+, K+)-dependent ATPase (Na+, K+-ATPase) and increased oxygen consumption in accordance with its known activity as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation ("metabolic poison"). Rottlerin also inhibited Na+, K+-ATPase in cultured astrocytes. As the glutamate transport critically depends on energy metabolism and on the activity of Na+, K+-ATPase in particular, we suggest that the metabolic toxicity of rottlerin and/or the decreased activity of the Na+, K+-ATPase could explain both the glutamate transport inhibition and altered GLAST distribution caused by rottlerin even without any involvement of PKC-delta-catalysed phosphorylation in the process.

Distribution of glutamate transporter GLAST in membranes of cultured astrocytes in the presence of glutamate transport substrates and ATP

Neurotransmitter L-glutamate released at central synapses is taken up and "recycled" by astrocytes using glutamate transporter molecules such as GLAST and GLT. Glutamate transport is essential for prevention of glutamate neurotoxicity, it is a key regulator of neurotransmitter metabolism and may contribute to mechanisms through which neurons and glia communicate with each other. Using immunocytochemistry and image analysis we have found that extracellular D-aspartate (a typical substrate for glutamate transport) can cause redistribution of GLAST from cytoplasm to the cell membrane. The process appears to involve phosphorylation/dephosphorylation and requires intact cytoskeleton. Glutamate transport ligands L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate and DL-threo-3-benzyloxyaspartate but not anti,endo-3,4-methanopyrrolidine dicarboxylate have produced similar redistribution of GLAST. Several representative ligands for glutamate receptors whether of ionotropic or metabotropic type, were found to have no effect. In addition, extracellular ATP induced formation of GLAST clusters in the cell membranes by a process apparently mediated by P2 receptors. The present data suggest that GLAST can rapidly and specifically respond to changes in the cellular environment thus potentially helping to fine-tune the functions of astrocytes.

Creatine decreases convulsions and neurochemical alterations induced by glutaric acid in rats

Glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I) is an inherited metabolic disease characterized by striatal degeneration, seizures, and accumulation of glutaric acid (GA). Considering that GA impairs energy metabolism and induces reactive species generation, we investigated whether the acute administration of creatine, an amino acid with antioxidant and ergogenic properties, protects against the seizures and neurochemical alterations (inhibition of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and increased protein carbonylation) induced by the intrastriatal injection of GA (4 micromol/striatum). We also investigated whether creatine protected against the GA-induced inhibition of glutamate uptake in vitro. Creatine administration (300 mg/kg, p.o.) decreased seizures (evidenced by electrographic changes), protein carbonylation and Na(+),K(+)-ATPase inhibition induced by GA. However, creatine, at a dose capable of fully preventing GA-induced protein carbonylation (50 and 150 mg/kg, p.o.), did not prevent convulsions and Na(+),K(+)-ATPase inhibition, suggesting that the anticonvulsant activity of creatine in this experimental model is not related to its antioxidant action. Creatine also protected against the GA-induced inhibition of l-[(3)H]glutamate uptake in synaptosomes, suggesting that creatine may reduce the deleterious effects of GA by maintaining glutamate uptake in the synaptic cleft. Therefore, considering that creatine significantly attenuates the deleterious effects of GA assessed by behavioral and neurochemical measures, it is plausible to propose the use of this amino acid as an adjuvant therapy in the management of glutaric acidemia.

Inhibitors of glutamate transport modulate distinct patterns in brain metabolism

High affinity uptake of glutamate plays a major role in the termination of excitatory neurotransmission. Identification of the ramifications of transporter function is essential to understand the diseases in which defective excitatory amino acid transporters (EAAT) have been implicated. In this work we incubated Guinea pig cortical tissue slices with [3-(13)C]pyruvate and major currently available glutamate uptake inhibitors and studied the resultant metabolic sequelae by (13)C and (1)H NMR spectroscopy using a multivariate statistical approach. Perturbation of glutamate uptake produced significant effects on metabolic flux through the Krebs cycle, and on glutamate/glutamine cycling rates, with this effect accounting for 76% of the variation in the total data set. The effects of all inhibitors were separable from each other along three major principal components. The competitive inhibitor L-CCG III ((2S,1'S,2'R)-2-carboxycyclopropyl)glycine) differed most from the other inhibitors, showing negative weightings on both the first and second principal components, whereas the EAAT2-specific inhibitor dihydrokainate (DHK) showed metabolic patterns similar to that of anti-endo-3,4-methanopyrolidine dicarboxylate but separate from those of DL-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate (TBOA) and L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate (L-tPDC). This indicates that different inhibition mechanisms or different colocalisation of the separate transporter subtypes with glutamate receptors can produce significantly different metabolic and functional outcomes for the brain.

Glutamate receptor-mediated inhibition of L-glutamate efflux from cerebral cortex in vitro

We tested whether glutamate receptor ligands affect oxygen-glucose deprivation-evoked L-glutamate efflux from adult rat cerebrocortical prisms. The uncompetitive NMDA antagonist AR-R15896AR inhibited efflux (IC50 34 microM, 87% maximal inhibition). AMPA/kainate receptor blockade (NBQX, 100 microM) or Group II metabotropic glutamate receptor activation (DCG-IV, 10 microM) inhibited efflux (41%, 67% respectively) but Group I mGluR blockade (CPCCOEt/MPEP, 10 microM) was without effect. These data support a modulatory effect of glutamate receptors on L-glutamate efflux.

Glutamatergic hypothesis of schizophrenia: involvement of Na+/K+-dependent glutamate transport

Hypothetical model based on deficient glutamatergic neurotransmission caused by hyperactive glutamate transport in astrocytes surrounding excitatory synapses in the prefrontal cortex is examined in relation to the aetiology of schizophrenia. The model is consistent with actions of neuroleptics, such as clozapine, in animal experiments and it is strongly supported by recent findings of increased expression of glutamate transporter GLT in prefrontal cortex of patients with schizophrenia. It is proposed that mechanisms regulating glutamate transport be investigated as potential targets for novel classes of neuroactive compounds with neuroleptic characteristics. Development of new efficient techniques designed specifically for the purpose of studying rapid activity-dependent translocation of glutamate transporters and associated molecules such as Na+, K+-ATPase is essential and should be encouraged.