Role of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in glial cells

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We found calcium-permeable AMPA receptors for the first time in rat hippocampal culture (lino et al., J. Physiol., 424 : 151-165, 1990). Now it is known that receptor is widely distributed not only in neurons but also in glial cells. In particular, Bergmann glia in the cerebellum abundantly expresses these receptors. In order to change the calcium permeable AMPA receptors into impermeable ones, transgenic mice that expressed GluR2 in Bergmann glia were constructed in this study. First, we made a plasmid vector that express GluR2_<flip> of the rat under the control of the human glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) promoter. Then the expression unit was injected into fertilized eggs of the mouse. GluR2 expression unit was transferred into seven offspring. These transgenic mice were backcrossed with C57BL6 mice for eight generations. The transgenic mice have smaller brains compared with wild type mice. Matching with the region of GFAP, GluR2 were strongly expressed in cerebellar cortex, forming patchy wedges, which were never observed in wild type mice. Examination of cerebellar function is under work.