• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2013

Glutamate receptors are important components of synaptic transmission in the nervous system. Especially, ${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors mediate most abundant excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain. There is elaborate mechanism of regulation of AMPA receptors including protein synthesis/degradation, intracellular trafficking, exocytosis/endocytosis and protein modification. In recent studies, it is revealed that functional dysregulation of AMPA receptors are related to major psychiatric disorders. In this review, we describe the structure and function of AMPA receptors in the synapse. We will introduce three steps of mechanism involving trafficking of AMPA receptors to neuronal membrane, lateral diffusion into synapses and synaptic retention by membrane proteins and postsynaptic scaffold proteins. Lastly, we will describe recent studies showing that regulation of AMPA receptors is important pathophysiological mechanism in psychiatric disorders.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.613-617
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• 2001

The present study examined the hypothesis that NMDA, AMPA/Kainate, and metabotropic (mGlu) glutamate receptors contribute to a behavioral stimulation induced by activation of dopamine receptors by comparing responses in apomorphine-induced cage climbing behaviors in mice. MK-801, CNQX, and MCPG were served as the NMDA receptor, AMPA/Kainate receptor, and mGlu receptor antagonist, respectively, to elucidate the glutamatergic modulation in apomorphine-induced eopaminergic activation in mice. Drugs were administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) into the mouse brain 15 min before the apomorphine treatment (2 mg/kg, s.c.). 1.c.v. injection of MK-801 inhibited the apomorphine-induced cage climbing behavior dose-dependently. However, treatments with CNQX and MCPG did not any significant change in apomorphine-induced cage climbing behavior in mice. These results suggest that stimulation of NMDA type of glutamate receptors could contribute to the dopaminergic sti mutation, but not AMPA/Kainate and mGlu type glutamate receptors.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.209-214
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• 2009

The striatum receives glutamatergic afferents from the cortex and thalamus, and these synaptic transmissions are mediated by ${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) and N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The purpose of this study was to characterize glutamate receptors by analyzing NMDA/AMPA ratio and rectification of AMPA and NMDA excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) using a whole-cell voltage-clamp method in the dorsal striatum. Receptor antagonists were used to isolate receptor or subunit specific EPSC, such as (DL)-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV), an NMDA receptor antagonist, ifenprodil, an NR2B antagonist, CNQX, an AMPA receptor antagonist and IEM-1460, a GluR2-lacking AMPA receptor blocker. AMPA and NMDA EPSCs were recorded at - 70 and + 40 mV, respectively. Rectification index was calculated by current ratio of EPSCs between + 50 and - 50 mV. NMDA/AMPA ratio was 0.20${\pm}$0.05, AMPA receptor ratio of GluR2-lacking/GluR2-containing subunit was 0.26${\pm}$0.05 and NMDA receptor ratio of NR2B/NR2A subunit was 0.32${\pm}$0.03. The rectification index (control 2.39${\pm}$0.27) was decreased in the presence of both APV and combination of APV and IEM-1460 (1.02${\pm}$0.11 and 0.93${\pm}$0.09, respectively). These results suggest that the major components of the striatal glutamate receptors are GluR2-containing AMPA receptors and NR2A-containing NMDA receptors. Our results may provide useful information for corticostriatal synaptic transmission and plasticity studies.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.113-119
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• 2002

Long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses is often associated with increases in quantal size, traditionally attributed to enhanced availability or efficacy of postsynaptic glutamate receptors. However, augmented quantal size might also reflect increases in neurotransmitter concentration within the synaptic cleft since AMPA-type glutamate receptors are not generally saturated during basal transmission. Here we report evidence that peak cleft glutamate concentration $([glu]_{cleft})$ increases during LTP, as indicated by a lessening of the blocking effects of rapidly unbinding antagonists of AMPA. The efficacy of slowly equilibrating antagonists remained unchanged. The elevated $[glu]_{cleft}$ helps support the increased quantal amplitude of AMPA-type EPSCs (excitatory postsynaptic currents) during LTP.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.53-57
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• 2003

The glutamate receptors (GluRs) are key receptors for modulatory synaptic events in the central nervous system. It has been reported that glutamate increases the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) and induces cytotoxicity. In the present study, we investigated whether the glutamate-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase was associated with the activation of ionotropic (iGluR) and metabotropic GluRs (mGluR) in substantia gelatinosa neurons, using spinal cord slice of juvenile rats (10${\sim}21 day). $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ was measured using conventional imaging techniques, which was combined with whole-cell patch clamp recording by incorporating fura-2 in the patch pipette. At physiological concentration of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$, the inward current and $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase were induced by membrane depolarization and application of glutamate. Dose-response relationship with glutamate was observed in both $Ca^{2+}$ signal and inward current. The glutamate-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase at holding potential of -70 mV was blocked by CNQX, an AMPA receptor blocker, but not by AP-5, a NMDA receptor blocker. The glutamate-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase in $Ca^{2+}$ free condition was not affected by iGluR blockers. A selective mGluR (group I) agonist, RS-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG), induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase at holding potential of -70 mV in SG neurons. These findings suggest that the glutamate-induced $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ increase is associated with AMPA-sensitive iGluR and group I mGluR in SG neurons of rats.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.3 s.70
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• pp.505-512
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• 2005

Excitotoxicity and epileptogenesis have often been associated with glutamate receptor activation. Accumulating evidences indicates that topiramate (TPM), an antiepileptic drug with multiple mechanisms of action has neuroprotective activity. We explored the neuroprotective effect of TPM on the status epilepticus (SE)-induced hippocampal neuronal death. After development of SE by kainite injection (15 mg/Kg), rats were treated with TPM (10mg/kg) for 1 week. The neuronal death was detected by Apop tag in situ detection kit, and the expression levels of glutamate receptors were semi-quantitatively analyzed by immunoblot. Kainate-induced SE caused a significant neuronal death and cell loss in CAI and CA3 regions of hippocampus at 1 week. However, treatment of TPM for 1 week after SE markedly reduced hippocampal neuronal death. The expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit 1, was increased by SE, but was not affected by 1 week treatment of TPM. The expressions of NMDA receptor subunit 2a and 2b were not changed by either SE or TPM. As for ${\alpha}-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate$ (AMPA) glutamate receptors (GluR), kainate-induced SE markedly up-regulated GluR1 expression but down-regulated GluR2 expression, leading to increased formation of $Ca^{2+}$ permeable GluR2- lacking AMPA receptors. TPM administration for 1 week attenuated SE-induced expression of both the up-regulation of GluR1 and down-regulation of GluR2, reversing the ratio of GluR1/GluR2 to the control value. In conclusion, TPM protects neuronal cell death against glutamate induced excitotoxicity in kainate-induced SE model, supporting the potential of TPM as a neuroprotective agent.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.301-305
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• 2004

This study examined the effects of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), ${\alpha}-amino$-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) and kainate on basal and electrically-evoked release of acetylcholine (ACh) from the rat hippocampal and striatal slices which were preincubated with $[^3H]choline$. Unexpectedly, the basal and evoked ACh release were not affected at all by the treatment with NMDA $(3{\sim}100{\mu}M)$, AMPA $(1{\sim}100{\mu}M)$ or kainate $(1{\sim}100{\mu}M)$ in hippocampal slices. However, in striatal slices, under the $Mg^{2+}-free$ medium, $30{\mu}M$ NMDA increased the basal ACh release with significant decrease of the electrically-evoked releases. The treatment with $1{\mu}M MK-801 not only reversed the $30{\mu}M$ NMDA-induced decrease of the evoked ACh release, but also attenuated the facilitatory effect of $30\;{\mu}M$ NMDA on the basal ACh release. The treatment with either $30\;{\mu}M$ AMPA or $100\;{\mu}M$ kainate increased the basal ACh release without any effects on the evoked release. The treatment with $10{\mu}M$ NBQX abolished the AMPA- or kainate-induced increase of the basal ACh release. Interestingly, NBQX significantly attenuated the evoked release when it was treated with AMPA, although it did not affect the evoked release alone without AMPA. These observations demonstrate that in hippocampal slices, ionotropic glutamate receptors do not modulate the ACh release in cholinergic terminals, whereas in striatal slices, activations of ionotropic glutamate receptors increase the basal ACh release though NMDA may decrease the electrically-evoked ACh release.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.1055-1061
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• 2009

${\alpha}$-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptors are widespread throughout the central nervous system and appear to serve as synaptic receptors for fast excitatory synaptic transmission mediated by glutamate. Their modulation is believed to affect learning and memory. To identify the interaction proteins for the AMPA receptor subunit glutamate receptor-interacting protein 1 (GRIPl), GRIP1 interactions with armadillo family protein p0071/plakophilin-4 were investigated. GRIP1 protein bound to the tail region of p0071/plakophilin-4 but not to other armadillo family protein members in a yeast two-hybrid assay. The "S-X-V" motif at the carboxyl (C)-terminal end of p0071/plakophilin-4 is essential for interaction with GRIP1. p0071/plakophilin-4 interacted with the Postsynaptic density-95/Discs large/Zona occludens-1 (PDZ) domains of GRIPI in the yeast two-hybrid assay, as is indicated also by Glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down, and co-immunoprecipitated with GRIP1 antibody in brain fraction. The findings of this study provide evidence that p0071/plakophilin-4 is an interactor of GRIP1.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.375-379
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• 2003

$Ca^{2+}$ influx appears to be important for triggering myoblast fusion. It remains, however, unclear how $Ca^{2+}$ influx rises prior to myoblast fusion. Recently, several studies suggested that NMDA receptors may be involved in $Ca^{2+}$ mobilization of muscle, and that $Ca^{2+}$ influx is mediated by NMDA receptors in C2C12 myoblasts. Here, we report that other types of ionotropic glutamate receptors, non-NMDA receptors (AMPA and KA receptors), are also involved in $Ca^{2+}$ influx in myoblasts. To explore which subtypes of non-NMDA receptors are expressed in C2C12 myogenic cells, RT-PCR was performed, and the results revealed that KA receptor subunits were expressed in both myoblasts and myotubes. However, AMPA receptor was not detected in myoblasts but expressed in myotubes. Using a $Ca^{2+}$ imaging system, $Ca^{2+}$ influx mediated by these receptors was directly measured in a single myoblast cell. Intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ level was increased by KA, but not by AMPA. These results were consistent with RT-PCR data. In addition, KA-induced intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ increase was completely suppressed by treatment of nifedifine, a L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker. Furthermore, KA stimulated myoblast fusion in a dose-dependent manner. CNQX inhibited not only KA-induced myoblast fusion but also spontaneous myoblast fusion. Therefore, these results suggest that KA receptors are involved in intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ increase in myoblasts and then may play an important role in myoblast fusion.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.141-144
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• 1995

Serotonergic neurons in brainstem play important roles in the endogenous descending pain inhibitory system. To illucidate the involvement of glutamate receptors in the regulation of brainstem serotonergic neurons, we studied the effects of glutamate receptor agonists on 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) release from cultured neurons of rat fetal (gestational age 14th day) brainstem. Cultured cells maintained for 10 days in vitro were stimulated for 30 minutes with agonists of glutamate receptor subtypes at 10-1,000 micromolar concentration. Glutamate (10-1,000 M) increased 5-HT release in a concentration-dependent manner. N-methyl-D-aspartic acid $(NMDA)(10-1,000\;{\mu}M)$ increased 5-HT release in a concentration-dependent manner. Non-NMDA receptor agonists, kainate and $AMPA(3-1,000\;{\mu}M)$ also concentration-dependently increased 5-HT release. These results suggest that both NMDA and non-NMDA receptors regulate 5-HT release from brainstem serotonergic neurons.