The expression of excitatory amino acid binding sites during neuritogenesis in the developing rat cerebellum

The present study has examined excitatory amino acid transmitter binding sites as measured autoradiographically in cryostat sections prepared from developing rat cerebella during the period of granule cell neuritogenesis. The external germinal layer (EGL) and molecular layer (ML), which during development contain granule cells at early stages of axon growth, contained only low levels of NMDA-displaceable L-[3H]glutamate binding sites. Similarly, [3H]glycine binding to the NMDA receptor linked binding site was not enriched in the EGL. Radioligand binding to the NMDA receptor was always greater in the granular layer (GL) than in the ML. The developmental increases in NMDA-displaceable L-[3H]glutamate and in [3H]glycine binding to the GL were similar but NMDA displaceable L-[3H]glutamate binding density increased before [3H]glycine binding sites. Glycine increased NMDA-displaceable L-[3H]glutamate binding only in the adult cerebellum. These results suggest that NMDA stimulation of neuritogenesis in granule cell cultures may reflect stimulation of dendritogenesis in the developing glomerulus rather than a stimulation of axon growth in the EGL. Also, NMDA receptors may be present in an immature form during cerebellar development and have different properties to the adult receptor. Binding sites for [3H]kainate and [3H]AMPA were present in both the GL and ML and increased during development. At all times the amount of binding sites for [3H]kainate were highest in the GL whereas those for [3H]alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate were highest in the ML.