The red nucleus (RN) has been widely used to study the formation and remodeling of synaptic connections during development and in post-lesion plasticity. Since glial cells are thought to contribute to synaptic plasticity, and information on functional properties of brain stem glia is missing, we analyzed voltage-gated ion channels as well as glutamate receptors expressed by glial cells of the RN. The patch-clamp technique was applied to identified cells in acute brain stem slices of 5- to 12-days-old rats. Based on their pattern of membrane currents, two types of glial cells could be distinguished. A first type was characterized by passive, symmetrical currents. The second population of cells, which was the focus of the present study, expressed a complex pattern of voltage-gated channels. These cells could be labeled with antibodies against glutamine synthetase and S100 beta, suggesting an astroglial origin. Depolarizing voltage steps activated transient and delayed rectifier K+ currents as well as Na+ currents. In addition, a subset of cells expressed Ba2+ sensitive inward rectifier K+ currents activated by hyperpolarization. All "complex" glial cells analyzed possessed ionotropic glutamate receptors of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) subtype, while functional kainate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors could not be detected. Receptor activation blocked outward rectifying K+ currents, similar to previous observations in glial cells of the hippocampus and the corpus callosum.
Animals Astrocytes