Calcium (Ca 2+ ) release from intracellular stores plays a crucial role in many cellular functions in the brain. These intracellular signals have been shown to be transmitted within and between cells. We report a non-uniform distribution of proteins essential for Ca 2+ signaling in acutely prepared brain slice preparations and organotypic slice cultures, both made from rat hippocampus. The Type I inositol-1,4,5 trisphosphate receptor (InsP 3 R1) is the main InsP 3 R subtype in neurons. Immunohistochemistry experiments showed a prominent expression of InsP 3 R1 in the CA1 region of the hippocampus whereas the CA3 region and dentate gyrus (DG) showed only moderate immunoreactivity. In contrast, chromogranin B (CGB), a protein binding to the InsP 3 R1 on the luminal side of the endoplasmic reticular membrane was enriched in the CA3 region whereas DG and the CA1 region showed only faint CGB signals. The neuronal kinases leading to the formation of inositol-1,4,5 trisphosphate (InsP 3 ), phosphatidylinositol-4-kinase (PI4K), and phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate-5-kinase (PIPK), showed strong immunoreactivity throughout all hippocampal cell fields with differences in the subcellular distribution. Moreover, a distinct band of strong CGB and PIPK immunoreactivity was observed in the CA3 region that coincides with the mossy fiber tract (stratum lucidum). These data show differential expression of the components of the signaling toolkit leading to InsP 3 -mediated Ca 2+ release in cells of the hippocampus. The regulation of these differences may play an important role in various neuropathologic conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, or schizophrenia. Keywords rat; intracellular signaling; calcium; immunohistochemistry; organotypic slice culture Calcium (Ca 2+ ) as an intracellular second messenger plays a crucial role in a variety of neuronal functions like development, excitability, neurotransmitter release, synaptic plasticity, gene transcription, and neurodegeneration (Berridge, 1998
NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript side through voltage-gated, ligand-gated, and possibly store-operated channels (Berridge, 1998) or from internal stores through Ca 2+ channels in the endoplasmatic reticulum (ER), the Golgi apparatus, and the mitochondria (Rizzuto, 2001). The ER is the main intracellular calcium store and it is found throughout the cell (Spacek and Harris, 1997) forming a complex network (Terasaki et al., 1994;Berridge, 1998).Different Ca 2+ signals exhibit distinct temporal and spatial patterns. An increase of intracellular Ca 2+ can either be restricted to the site of Ca 2+ entry or spread throughout the neuron (Augustine et al., 2003). Because an increase in cytosolic Ca 2+ can cause a plethora of cellular effects, all Ca 2+ signals have to be regulated accurately (Usachev and Thayer, 1999). For this purpose, all neurons use a variety of channels, receptors, enzymes, and associated proteins that form a complex Ca 2+ signaling toolkit (Berridge et al., 2003). Th...