Scaffolding proteins interact with membrane receptors to control signaling pathways and cellular functions. However, the dynamics and specific roles of interactions between different components of scaffold complexes are poorly understood because of the dearth of methods available to monitor binding interactions. Using a unique combination of single-cell bioluminescence resonance energy transfer...

the protective effect of a l-type calcium channel blocker, nimodipine, on cell injury induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation (ogd) in pc12 cells was investigated. pc12 cells were exposed to in-vitro oxygen-glucose deprivation (30 minutes and 60 minutes respectively) in the presence or absence of nimodipine (10mm/l) in three different time schedules (pre-24h, pre-3h and concurrently). cellular vi...

The D-isomer of aspartate is efficiently transported by high-affinity Na(+)/K(+)-dependent glutamate transporters and is an effective ligand of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. To facilitate analysis of the regulation of these proteins in their native membranes, we synthesized a photolabile analogue of D-aspartate, 4-methoxy-7-nitroindolinyl-D-aspartate (MNI-D-aspartate). This compound wa...

Ionotropic glutamate receptors function can be affected by neurosteroids, both positively and negatively. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor responses to exogenously applied glutamate are potentiated or inhibited (depending on the receptor subunit composition) by pregnenolone sulphate (PS) and inhibited by pregnanolone sulphate (3alpha5betaS). While PS effect is most pronounced when its appli...

On the basis of a large body of experimental data showing that pharmacological modulation of glutamate receptors has a great impact on ischemia-induced neuronal death, excessive activation of glutamate receptors is widely accepted as one of the most important determinants in the development of tissue damage produced by cerebral ischemia (1). In spite of this evidence, howe v e r, how energy dep...

Overactivity of the glutamatergic system is thought to be closely related to the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. This study aimed to examine the effect of acute administration of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (TIQ), an endo- and exogenous amine suspected of inducing parkinsonism in humans on the release of glutamate in the striatum as well as to assess the impact of its chronic treatment ...

Long-term potentiation (LTP) is a reflection of synaptic plasticity that induced by specific patterns of synaptic activity and has an important role in learning and memory. The first clue of the potential role of glutamate receptors in LTP was in 1991 with the observation that the mGluR agonists 1-amino-1, 3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (ACPD), increased LTP. Studies have shown that ACPD induc...

Cell-surface glutamate transporters are essential for the proper function of early cortical networks because their dysfunction induces seizures in the newborn rat in vivo. We have now analyzed the consequences of their inhibition by DL-TBOA on the activity of the developing CA1 rat hippocampal network in vitro. DL-TBOA generated a pattern of recurrent depolarization with an onset and decay of s...

The midbrain periaqueductal grey (PAG) is a structure known for its roles in pain transmission and modulation. Noxious stimuli potentiate the glutamate synaptic transmission and enhance glutamate NMDA receptor expression in the PAG. However, little is known about roles of NMDA receptor subunits in the PAG in processing the persistent inflammatory pain. The present study was undertaken to invest...

Glutamatergic system stimulationthe nucleus accumbens shell, may affect anxiety-related behaviors, aversive learning and memory. Glutamate receptors are differentially distributed in preand postsynaptic sites contributing to neuronal communications.The present study aimed to examine the possible involvement of the NAc shell presynaptic NMDA receptors on NMDA induced responses, using the elevate...