Potentiation of NMDA Currents by Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide in Neonatal Rat Sympathetic Preganglionic Neurons
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-1997
Description
Whole cell patch-clamp recordings were made from sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs) in the intermediolateral cell column of thoracolumbar spinal cord slices of 12- to 16-day-old rats, and the effects of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP)-38 on N- methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)- and kainate (KA)-induced inward currents were examined. PACAP, in concentrations (10-30 nM) that caused no significant change of holding currents, reversibly increased NMDA-induced currents but not KA-induced currents. At higher concentrations (>30 nM), the peptide produced a sustained inward current. The potentiating effect of PACAP was nullified by prior incubation of the slices with the adenylate cyclase inhibitor MDL-12.330A (25 μM). Further, superfusing the slices with the membrane-permeable cyclic AMP analogue N6,2'-0-dibutyryladenosine 3'-5'- cyclic monophosphate (100-300 μM) in the presence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (700 μM) increased the NMDA currents. This result suggests that PACAP selectively increases NMDA-receptor-mediated responses in the rat SPNs, probably via a cyclic-AMP-dependent mechanism, providing evidence that the peptide may be involved in synaptic plasticity.
Citation Information
Wu, S. Y.; and Dun, N. J.. 1997. Potentiation of NMDA Currents by Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase Activating Polypeptide in Neonatal Rat Sympathetic Preganglionic Neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology. Vol.78(2). 1175-1179. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1997.78.2.1175 PMID: 9307147 ISSN: 0022-3077