Trends in Pharmacological Sciences
ReviewGlutamate signalling in non-neuronal tissues
Section snippets
Glutamate signalling in the CNS
It is beyond the scope of this review to explain in detail the functioning of a glutamatergic synapse 1., 2., 3., 4.. However, the relevance of the discoveries related to glutamate signalling in non-neuronal tissues is dependent on some understanding of the process as it functions in the CNS. Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the CNS and is responsible for most fast synaptic neurotransmission. Among the functions that are dependent on glutamate signalling in the CNS are
Glutamate signalling in non-neuronal sites
Even within the CNS, there is evidence of non-neuronal glutamate signalling activity. Astrocytes, which play prominent roles in EAAT-mediated glutamate recycling, also express functional glutamate receptors 10, and functional NMDA, AMPA and metabotropic receptors have been identified on cerebral endothelial cells 11. In retrospect, clear indications of sites where glutamate signalling could occur outside of the CNS were the result of studies of the distribution of radiolabelled glutamate
Concluding remarks
Clearly, many components of glutamatergic synapses are expressed in several tissues that are remote both functionally and embryologically from the CNS (Table 1). However, it is not yet known whether all the other elements of a synapse are present in these tissues. It seems unlikely that non-neuronal tissues express all the components of a complex central synapse, although the significance of this is unclear. Opponents of the view that glutamate is a more ubiquitous signalling molecule than
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr Nicky Peet for assistance with the preparation of the figures in this article.
Glossary
- MK801 (dizocilpine)
- (5r,10s)-(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo(a,d)cyclohepten-5,10-imine hydrogen
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