Prostaglandin E2 stimulates glutamate receptor-dependent astrocyte neuromodulation in cultured hippocampal cells

✍ Scribed by Sanzgiri, Rita P. ;Araque, Alfonso ;Haydon, Philip G.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 324 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3034
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4695(19991105)41:2<221::aid-neu5>3.0.co;2-a

✦ Synopsis

Recent Ca 2؉ imaging studies in cell culture and in situ have shown that Ca 2؉ elevations in astrocytes stimulate glutamate release and increase neuronal Ca 2؉ levels, and that this astrocyte-neuron signaling can be stimulated by prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ). We investigated the electrophysiological consequences of the PGE 2 -mediated astrocyte-neuron signaling using wholecell recordings on cultured rat hippocampal cells. Focal application of PGE 2 to astrocytes evoked a Ca 2؉ elevation in the stimulated cell by mobilizing internal Ca 2؉ stores, which further propagated as a Ca 2؉ wave to neighboring astrocytes. Whole-cell recordings from neurons revealed that PGE 2 evoked a slow inward current in neurons adjacent to astrocytes. This neuronal response required the presence of an astrocyte Ca 2؉ wave and was mediated through both N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA glutamate receptors. Taken together with previous studies, these data demonstrate that PGE 2 -evoked Ca 2؉ elevations in astrocyte cause the release of glutamate which activates neuronal ionotropic receptors.