Scripps VIVO scripps research logo

  • Index
  • Log in
  • Home
  • People
  • Organizations
  • Research
  • Events
Search form

Glutamate receptor activity is required for normal development of tectal cells dendrites in vivo

Academic Article
uri icon
  • Overview
  • Research
  • Identity
  • Additional Document Info
  • View All
scroll to property group menus

Overview

authors

  • Rajan, I.
  • Cline, Hollis

publication date

  • October 1998

journal

  • Journal of Neuroscience  Journal

abstract

  • Glutamatergic retinotectal inputs mediated principally by NMDA receptors can be recorded from optic tectal neurons early during their morphological development in Xenopus tadpoles. As tectal cell dendrites elaborate, retinotectal synaptic responses acquire an AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic component, in addition to the NMDA component. Here, we tested whether glutamatergic activity was required for the elaboration of dendritic arbors in Xenopus optic tectal neurons. In vivo time-lapse imaging of single DiI-labeled neurons shows that the NMDA receptor antagonist APV (100 microM) blocked the early development of the tectal cell dendritic arbor, whereas the AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX (20 microM) or the sodium channel blocker TTX (1 microM) did not. The decreased dendritic development is attributable to failure to add new branches and extend preexisting branches. These observations indicate that NMDA-type glutamatergic activity promotes the initial development of the dendritic arbor. At later stages of tectal neuron development when AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission is strong, both APV and CNQX decrease dendritic arbor branch length, consistent with a role for glutamatergic synaptic transmission in maintaining dendritic arbor structure. These results indicate that AMPA and NMDA receptors can differentially influence dendritic growth at different stages of neuronal development, in correlation with changes in the relative contribution of the receptor subtype to synaptic transmission.

subject areas

  • 2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate
  • 6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Size
  • Dendrites
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists
  • Receptors, Glutamate
  • Superior Colliculi
  • Synapses
  • Tetrodotoxin
  • Xenopus laevis
scroll to property group menus

Research

keywords

  • NMDA receptor
  • Xenopus development
  • activity-dependent
  • dendrite growth
  • in vivo imaging
  • retinotectal
scroll to property group menus

Identity

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0270-6474

PubMed ID

  • 9742152
scroll to property group menus

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 7836

end page

  • 7846

volume

  • 18

issue

  • 19

©2021 The Scripps Research Institute | Terms of Use | Powered by VIVO

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Support