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Ex Vivo Imaging of Postnatal Cerebellar Granule Cell Migration Using Confocal Macroscopy
Published on: May 12, 2015
NMDA receptor NR2B subunit over-expression increases cerebellar granule cell migratory activity
Krisztián Tárnok1, Katalin Czöndör, Márta Jelitai
1Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Journal of Neurochemistry
|November 17, 2007
Summary
The NR2B subunit of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) enhances cerebellar granule cell migration. Overexpression of NR2B increased cell translocation, suggesting a specialized role in this developmental process.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Glutamate signaling via NMDA receptors (NMDARs) regulates cerebellar granule cell migration.
- NMDAR subunit composition in granule cells shifts during development, with NR2B abundant during migration and NR2A/NR2C predominant in mature cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of NR2B and NR2C subunits in cerebellar granule cell migration.
- To determine if NR2B-containing NMDARs influence the speed and extent of granule cell migration.
Main Methods:
- Utilized NR2C(-/-) and NR2C-2B mutant mouse lines.
- Employed BrdU-labeling for in vivo migration analysis.
- Analyzed dissociated cerebellar granule cell cultures using intracellular Ca2+ imaging and time-lapse videomicroscopy.
Main Results:
- Overexpression of NR2B significantly increased cerebellar granule cell translocation in vivo.
- NR2C-2B mutant cultures exhibited higher NR2B subunit levels and increased sensitivity to NR2B-selective antagonists.
- Time-lapse microscopy revealed significantly higher migratory velocity and proportion of translocating cells in NR2C-2B cultures compared to wild-type.
Conclusions:
- NR2B-containing NMDARs play a specialized role in promoting cerebellar granule cell migration.
- NR2B subunit expression can enhance the speed of cerebellar granule cell migration.
