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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 568/1/111    most recent jphysiol.2005.091371v1 Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Casel, D. Articles by Deitmer, J. W Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Casel, D. Articles by Deitmer, J. W

¹ Abteilung Allgemeine Zoologie, Fachbereich Biologie, TU Kaiserslautern, Postfach 3049, D-67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany

The establishment of functional synaptic connections and activity is a pivotal process in the development of neuronal networks. We have studied the synaptic activity in the developing rat cerebellum, and the contribution mediated by purinergic receptors. The mean frequency of the spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs) recorded with the whole-cell patch-clamp technique from Purkinje neurones in acute brain slices at room temperature, increased fourfold from 4.4 ± 0.8 Hz at postnatal day 9/10 (n = 23) to 17.8 ± 1.6 Hz at postnatal day 17–20 (p17–p20; n = 113; P < 0.01). ATP, which increased the frequency of sPSCs by up to 100% (EC₅₀ = 18 µM) in the third postnatal week, started to modulate the synaptic activity during the second postnatal week, which was determined by three processes: (1) the appearance of functional ATP receptors during p10–p12, (2) the enhancement of the sPSC frequency by endogenous ATP release becoming apparent after inhibition of ecto-ATPases by 6-N,N-diethyl-ß,-dibromomethylene-D-adenosine-5-triphosphate (ARL67156; 50 µM) at p11–p12, and (3) with tonic stimulation of purinoceptors at p14, as revealed by the P2 receptor antagonist pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulphonic acid (PPADS, 10 µM). ATP had a similar effect at later stages (p24–p27) and at 35°C. Our results suggest that endogenous release of ATP starts to enhance the synaptic activity in Purkinje neurones by the end of the second postnatal week.

(Received 25 May 2005; accepted after revision 3 July 2005; first published online 7 July 2005)
Corresponding author J. W. Deitmer: Abteilung Allgemeine Zoologie, Fachbereich Biologie, TU Kaiserslautern, Postfach 3049, D-67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany. Email: deitmer{at}rhrk.uni-kl.de

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