Cholinergic Interneurons Mediate Fast VGluT3-Dependent Glutamatergic Transmission in the Striatum
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: The neurotransmitter glutamate is released by excitatory projection neurons throughout the brain. However, non-glutamatergic cells, including cholinergic and monoaminergic neurons, express markers that suggest that they are also capable of vesicular glutamate release. Striatal cholinergic interneurons (CINs) express the Type-3 vesicular glutamate transporter (VGluT3), although whether they form functional glutamatergic synapses is unclear. To examine this possibility, we utilized mice expressing Cre-recombinase under control of the endogenous choline acetyltransferase locus and conditionally expressed light-activated Channelrhodopsin2 in CINs. Optical stimulation evoked action potentials in CINs and produced postsynaptic responses in medium spiny neurons that were blocked by glutamate receptor antagonists. CIN-mediated glutamatergic responses exhibited a large contribution of NMDA-type glutamate receptors, distinguishing them from corticostriatal inputs. CIN-mediated glutamatergic responses were insensitive to antagonists of acetylcholine receptors and were not seen in mice lacking VGluT3. Our results indicate that CINs are capable of mediating fast glutamatergic transmission, suggesting a new role for these cells in regulating striatal activity.
Source: PLoS ONE
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,382
Funders: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, W. M. Keck Foundation, Parkinson's Disease Foundation, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Awards: Location and Function of VGLUT3, Boston Area Diabetes Endocrinology Research Center, Presynaptic Mechanisms of Neural Plasticity, G1710889197, The AgRP / POMC -> Paraventricular (PVH) -> Parabrachial (PBN) -> Limbic/Reward Satiety Circuit, Action and interaction of ionotropic and metabotropic neurotransmission, Dopamineergic Modulation of Synaptic Transmission in the Straitum, Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center, Transport of Neurotransmitter Into Synaptic Vesicles, Transport of Neurotransmitter Into Synaptic Vesicles, Neuron- and Circuit-Specific Mechanisms and Adaptations Regulating Motor Function in Parkinson Disease Models, Action and interaction of ionotropic and metabotropic neurotransmission, G746189243, Control of Glutamatergic Transmission by Acetylcholine Release in Striatum, G9000320096
OpenAlex ID: W2137833675