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Received October 13, 2003
Revised October 30, 2003
Accepted after revision November 25, 2003
1 State University of New York at Buffalo
2 State University of New York at Buffalo
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: zhenyan{at}buffalo.edu.
The action of glutamate in the central nervous system is mediated by the activation of metabotropic and ionotropic receptors. The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are highly enriched in prefrontal cortex (PFC) - a brain region critically involved in the regulation of cognition and emotion. Emerging evidence has suggested that mGluRs are viable drug targets for neuropsychiatric disorders associated with PFC dysfunction. However, the mGluR-mediated signaling in PFC remains unclear. To understand the physiological functions of postsynaptic group II mGluRs (mGluR2/3) in PFC neurons, we investigated the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the regulation of NMDA receptor channels by group II mGluRs. We found that APDC, a highly selective and potent group II mGluR agonist, reversibly increased NMDAR currents in acutely dissociated PFC pyramidal neurons. Selective group II mGluR antagonists, but not group I mGluR antagonists, blocked APDC-induced enhancement of NMDAR currents, suggesting the mediation by mGluR2/3 receptors. The APDC effect on NMDAR currents was independent of Mg2+ block or membrane voltages, and targeted both NR2A and NR2B subunit containing NMDARs. While changing protein kinase A levels was without effect, inhibiting protein kinase C (PKC) or dialysis with Ca2+ chelators largely blocked the mGluR2/3 modulation of NMDAR currents. In contrast, inhibiting protein tyrosine kinases, cycline-dependent kinase 5, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II or phosphatase calcineurin failed to do so. Moreover, treatment of PFC slices with APDC significantly increased the PKC activity. These findings suggest that activation of mGluR2/3 receptors potentiates NMDAR channel functions in PFC through a PKC-dependent mechanism. This modulation may be relevant for developing novel mGluR-related pharmacological agents for the treatment of mental illnesses.
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