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Updated: Aug 26, 2026
Genetic Manipulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons In Vitro and In Vivo to Study Neuronal Morphology and Migration
Published on: March 17, 2014
Electrophysiological evidence for glial-subtype glutamate transporter functional expression in rat cerebellar granule
R A Mafra1, R M Leão, P S L Beirão
1Laborat rio de Membranas Excitáveis, Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
Abstract:
A glutamate-sensitive inward current (Iglu) is described in rat cerebellar granule neurons and related to a glutamate transport mechanism. We examined the features of Iglu using the patch-clamp technique. In steady-state conditions the Iglu measured 8.14 1.9 pA. Iglu was identified as a voltage-dependent inward current showing a strong rectification at positive potentials. L-Glutamate activated the inward current in a dose-dependent manner, with a half-maximal effect at about 18 M and a maximum increase of 51.2 4.4%. The inward current was blocked by the presence of dihydrokainate (0.5 mM), shown by others to readily block the GLT1 isoform. We thus speculate that Iglu could be attributed to the presence of a native glutamate transporter in cerebellar granule neurons.
