Developmental expression and activity of high affinity glutamate transporters in rat cortical primary cultures

The expression and activity of glutamate transporters (EAAC1, GLAST and GLT1) were examined during the development of cortical neuron-enriched cultures. Protein content and mitochondrial respiration both increased during the first 7 days, later stabilized and decreased from DIV14. Glutamate transport and extracellular concentration were relatively constant from DIV3 to 18. The kinetic parameters of glutamate transport were at DIV7: K(m)=19+/-3 microM and V(max)=1068+/-83 pmol/mg protein/min and at DIV14: K(m)=40.8+/-9.3 microM and V(max)=1060+/-235 pmol/mg protein/min. The shift in K(m) towards higher values suggest a more important participation of GLAST after DIV14. At DIV7 and 14, glutamate transport was poorly sensitive to dihydrokaïnate (DHK) suggesting a weak participation of GLT1 in glutamate transport. Western blot experiments and immunocytochemistry showed that EAAC1 was expressed by neurons whatever the stage of the culture. GLAST was found in astrocytes as soon as DIV3 and labeling increased during the development of the culture. There was little neuronal GLT1 immunoreactivity at DIV7, only detected by immunocytochemistry. From DIV10 to 18, an increasing astrocytic expression of GLT1 was observed, also detected by Western blotting. These results show that: (1) glutamate uptake remains stable all along the development of the cultures although the pattern of expression of the different transporters is changing, suggesting that glutamate transport is highly regulated; (2) neuronal EAAC1 may play a critical role during the early stages of the culture when it is expressed alone; and (3) the developmental expression pattern of glutamate transporters in cortical neuron-enriched cultures is quite similar to that observed in vivo during early postnatal development.