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Glutamate-dependent elongation factor-2 phosphorylation in Bergmann glial cells
Iliana Barrera1, Luisa C Hernández-Kelly, Francisco Castelán
1Departamento de Genética y Biología Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Apartado Postal 14-740, México 07000, DF, Mexico.
Neurochemistry International
|January 29, 2008
Summary
Glutamate receptors control protein synthesis in glial cells by regulating translation elongation. This process involves calcium, calmodulin, and specific signaling pathways, impacting synaptic plasticity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Cellular Signaling
Background:
- Glutamate, a key excitatory neurotransmitter, regulates protein biosynthesis at both transcriptional and translational levels.
- Synaptic plasticity relies on dynamic changes in protein repertoire, influenced by glutamate signaling.
- Glutamate receptor stimulation affects protein synthesis in glial cells, suggesting a role in neuronal-glial communication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of glutamate receptor activation on translation elongation in glial cells.
- To elucidate the specific signaling pathways involved in glutamate-mediated regulation of protein synthesis.
Main Methods:
- Cultured chick cerebellar Bergmann glia were used to study glutamate receptor signaling.
- Eukaryotic elongation factor-2 (eEF2) phosphorylation was measured as an indicator of translation elongation.
- Pharmacological agents (AMPA, Kainate, NMDA receptor antagonists), calcium depletion, and calmodulin antagonists were employed.
Main Results:
- Glutamate receptor activation led to a time- and dose-dependent increase in eEF2 phosphorylation.
- Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA) and Kainate receptors, but not NMDA receptors, triggered this phosphorylation.
- The effect was dependent on extracellular calcium and involved calmodulin and extracellular-regulated kinases (ERK1/2).
Conclusions:
- Glutamate receptors modulate peptide chain elongation in glial cells.
- The signaling cascade involves Ca2+/calmodulin/ERK1/2 pathway, linking glutamate receptor activity to translational control in glia.
