TY - JOUR
T1 - Neonatal Rat Cerebellar Granule and Purkinje Neurons in Culture Express Different GABAA Receptors
AU - Zempel, John Martin
AU - Steinbach, Joe Henry
PY - 1995/9
Y1 - 1995/9
N2 - We have established a culture system for microexplants of rat cerebellar cortical tissue in which cells develop morphologically, express type‐A receptors for the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and form GABAergic synaptic connections. Criteria of cell size and shape allow reliable identification of granule and Purkinje neurons, criteria confirmed by studies of the binding of antibodies to calbindin D28K and GABA. Both granule and Purkinje neurons express GABAA receptors, but granule neurons fall into two classes in terms of their sensitivity. Granule neurons which do not show spontaneous synaptic currents are relatively insensitive to GABA, while granule neurons with synaptic currents are much more sensitive. The responses of Purkinje neurons to applications of 1 μM GABA are relatively insensitive to Zn2+ ions (10 μM), and are potentiated by chlordiazepoxide (100 μM) and La3+ ions (100 μM). Responses of innervated granule neurons, on the other hand, are blocked more strongly by Zn2+ ions, are less affected by chlordiazepoxide and are equally potentiated by La3+ ions. Hence these cultures provide a source of identifiable, functionally innervated cells which express distinct types of GABAA receptors.
AB - We have established a culture system for microexplants of rat cerebellar cortical tissue in which cells develop morphologically, express type‐A receptors for the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and form GABAergic synaptic connections. Criteria of cell size and shape allow reliable identification of granule and Purkinje neurons, criteria confirmed by studies of the binding of antibodies to calbindin D28K and GABA. Both granule and Purkinje neurons express GABAA receptors, but granule neurons fall into two classes in terms of their sensitivity. Granule neurons which do not show spontaneous synaptic currents are relatively insensitive to GABA, while granule neurons with synaptic currents are much more sensitive. The responses of Purkinje neurons to applications of 1 μM GABA are relatively insensitive to Zn2+ ions (10 μM), and are potentiated by chlordiazepoxide (100 μM) and La3+ ions (100 μM). Responses of innervated granule neurons, on the other hand, are blocked more strongly by Zn2+ ions, are less affected by chlordiazepoxide and are equally potentiated by La3+ ions. Hence these cultures provide a source of identifiable, functionally innervated cells which express distinct types of GABAA receptors.
KW - development
KW - neurotransmitter receptor subtypes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0029112629&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.1995.tb00711.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.1995.tb00711.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 8528464
AN - SCOPUS:0029112629
VL - 7
SP - 1895
EP - 1905
JO - European Journal of Neuroscience
JF - European Journal of Neuroscience
SN - 0953-816X
IS - 9
ER -