Non-neuronal glutamate signalling pathways

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the role of glutamate receptors in signalling at synapses is not confined to the CNS, as once believed, and that they also function in several non-neuronal tissues. The aim of this review is to summarise current knowledge regarding peripheral glutamate signalling and discuss the role of glutamate as a more ubiquitous signalling agent. As one avenue for therapeutic intervention may be by manipulation of intercellular communication pathways, increased awareness and understanding of glutamate signalling will help in the design of treatment schedules for a range of biological disorders including skin disease, osteoporosis, blood clotting disorders and diabetes. These avenues have the possibility to advance rapidly into clinical practice because agents developed to modulate central glutamate receptor function could be targeted to new sites without the requirement for completely new drug discovery or clinical chemistry programmes.

Glutamate Signalling in Bone.

“…A comprehensive overview of synaptic glutamate signalling mechanisms is beyond the scope of any single article, and is the subject of a huge and growing volume of literature. In contrast, because the subject of glutamate in bone is relatively new, there have been few reviews to date [13]. Here we will review outlines of processes in glutamate signalling that are directly relevant to studies so far performed in bone before presenting the results of recent published work and new data.…”