Issue Information

Abstract

Front cover Calcium-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs) are involved in synaptogenesis and formation of neuronal circuitry. However, these receptors provide additional Ca2+ inflow into neurons, contributing dysregulation of Ca2+ homeostasis and neuronal dysfunction in excitotoxicity associated with numerous CNS disorders. Considering these aspects of Ca2+ activity, we have proposed the method of vital identification of neurons containing CP-AMPARs. Using this method we demonstrate that approximately 80% CP-AMPARs-containing neurons in rat hippocampal cell cultures are GABAergic. As with most GABAergic neurons, GABAergic neurons containing CP-AMPARs demonstrate weaker GABA(A)R-mediated innervation compared to glutamatergic neurons. This peculiarity together with the presence of CP-AMPARs may contribute to vulnerability of these neurons to excitotoxicity. Image content Microphotographs of neurons in rat hippocampal neuron-glial culture stained with antibodies against GABA (red) and a marker of a GABAergic synapse, vesicular GABA transporter (green puncta). The panel shows the distribution of GABAergic synapses on two glutamatergic neurons (left image) and GABAergic neuron with (right image) and without CP-AMPARs (middle image). Read the full article ‘A novel approach for vital visualization and studying of neurons containing Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors’ by S. G. Gaidin, S. A. Maiorov, D. P. Laryushkin, V. P. Zinchenko and A. M. Kosenkov, (J. Neurochem. 2023, vol.164 (5), pp. 583–587) on doi:10.1111/jnc.15729