No abstract

Hippocampal inhibitory postsynaptic potentials are depolarizing in granule cells but hyperpolarizing in CA3 neurons because the reversal potentials and membrane potentials of these cells differ. Here the hippocampal slice preparation was used to investigate the role of chloride transport in these inhibitory responses. In both cell types, increasing the intracellular chloride concentration by injection shifted the reversal potential of these responses in a positive direction, and blocking the outward transport of chloride with furosemide slowed their recovery from the injection. In addition, hyperpolarizing and depolarizing inhibitory responses and the hyperpolarizing and depolarizing responses to the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid decreased in the presence of furosemide. These effects of furosemide suggest that the internal chloride activity of an individual hippocampal neuron is regulated by two transport processes, one that accumulates chloride and one that extrudes chloride.

Efficacy of postsynaptic inhibition through GABA A receptors in the mammalian brain depends on the maintenance of a Cl Ϫ gradient for hyperpolarizing Cl Ϫ currents. We have taken advantage of the reduced complexity under which Cl Ϫ regulation can be investigated in cultured neurons as opposed to neurons in other in vitro preparations of the mammalian brain. GABA is the main inhibitory transmitter in the mammalian brain. The dominant effect of GABA A receptor activation is a hyperpolarization caused by C l Ϫ flux into the cell (for review, see Sivilotti and Nistri, 1991;Kaila, 1994;Thompson, 1994). However, the direction of the C l Ϫ flux depends on the C l Ϫ gradient across the membrane. Indeed, GABA A receptor-mediated hyperpolarizing and /or depolarizing postsynaptic potentials have been observed (for review, see Kaila, 1994;Thompson, 1994). Some findings suggest variations in intracellular [C l Ϫ ] between different neurons and even a distinct C l Ϫ distribution in different compartments of a single neuron (Misgeld et al., 1986). Depolarizing GABA A responses, however, can be caused by bicarbonate efflux in combination with C l Ϫ influx or combined Cl Ϫ and HCO 3 Ϫ efflux (Grover et al., 1993;Kaila, 1994;Thompson, 1994;Staley et al., 1995;Perkins and Wong, 1996;Kaila et al., 1997). To be able to predict the direction of C l Ϫ currents flowing during GABA A receptor-mediated inhibition it is essential to understand the regulation of C l Ϫ homeostasis that provides the transmembrane gradient.A recently cloned K ϩ -Cl Ϫ cotransporter gene (KCC2) represents a perfect candidate for the regulation of neuronal Cl Ϫ homeostasis (Payne et al., 1996). In contrast to the ubiquitous presence of the K ϩ -Cl Ϫ cotransporter KCC1, expression of the K ϩ -Cl Ϫ cotransporter KCC2 is detected in C NS only and seems to be neuron specific. KCC2 is also distinct from KCC1 in that KCC2 is not involved in cell volume regulation and not activated by osmotic changes. Furthermore, KCC2 has a high affinity for extracellular K ϩ ions. The properties of KCC2 allow the regulation of [Cl Ϫ ] i to maintain Cl Ϫ gradients for hyperpolarizing GABAergic inhibition. Thermodynamic considerations predict that the electroneutral K ϩ -Cl Ϫ cotransporter KCC2 operates near equilibrium under physiological ionic conditions. Depending on [Cl Ϫ ] i and [K ϩ ] o (Payne, 1997), the transport will extrude or accumulate Cl Ϫ .The functional role of a particular Cl Ϫ transport system in neuronal Cl Ϫ regulation is difficult to establish in studies using integral preparations such as brain slices. One complicating factor is the presence of HCO 3 Ϫ anions. The HCO 3 Ϫ permeability of the GABA A channel (Bormann, 1988;Fatima-Shad and Barry, 1993) impedes conclusions toward actual [Cl Ϫ ] i if they are calculated from reversal potentials of GABA A receptor-mediated anion currents. Furthermore, a HCO 3 Ϫ /Cl Ϫ exchanger (RaleySusman et al., 1993) may well interfere (Chesler, 1990), and pH changes that result from manipulations of [HCO 3 Ϫ ] o strongly affect neur...

GABA neurons in the substantia nigra pars reticulata receive input from GABAergic fibers originating in the forebrain. The role of dopaminergic D1 receptors located on these fibers was investigated using tight-seal whole-cell recordings from visually identified pars reticulata neurons of rat substantia nigra slices. Nondopaminergic pars reticulata neurons were characterized by their electrophysiological properties. Postsynaptic currents evoked by minimal stimulation in the presence of ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists were blocked by bicuculline, indicating that they were GABAA IPSCs. Evoked GABAA IPSCs were potentiated by D1 receptor agonists. After application of D1 receptor agonists, miniature IPSCs [recorded in the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and the Ca2+ channel blocker Cd2+] increased in frequency but not in amplitude. Effects of D1 receptor stimulation were mimicked by forskolin, as expected, if a cAMP-dependent mechanism was involved. The D1 antagonist SCH23390 blocked the effects of the agonists, and perfusion with SCH23390 resulted in a reduction of evoked IPSCs. In TTX and Cd2+, which prevented dopamine release, the D1 antagonist had no effect on miniature IPSCs. Blocking of monoamine uptake by imipramine increased the amplitude of evoked IPSCs. We conclude that dopamine released from dendrites of dopaminergic neurons enhances GABA release in the pars reticulata of the substantia nigra through D1 receptors presumably located on striatonigral afferents. These D1 receptors, thereby, can reinforce D1 receptor-mediated activation of striatal projection neurons that inhibit the inhibitory output neurons of the basal ganglia in substantia nigra.

The development of hyperpolarizing inhibition is an important step in the maturation of neuronal networks. Hyperpolarizing inhibition requires Cl(-) outward transport that is accomplished by KCC2, a K(+)/Cl(-) cotransporter. We show that cultured hippocampal neurons initially contain an inactive form of the KCC2 protein, which becomes activated during subsequent maturation of the neurons. We also show that this process is accelerated by transient stimulation of IGF-1 receptors. Because the transporter can be rapidly activated by coapplication of IGF-1 and an Src kinase and can be deactivated by membrane-permeable protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors, we suggest that activation of K(+)/Cl(-) cotransporter function by endogenous protein tyrosine kinases mediates the developmental switch of GABAergic responses to hyperpolarizing inhibition.