Inhibition of GABA and Glycine Responses by Glutamate in Rat Hippocampal Neurons

Currents elicited by activation of GABAA, glycine (GLY) and glutamate (GLU) receptors (R) in pyramidal neurons of CA1 region from thin slices of rat hippocampus were studied using the tight-seal whole-cell recording techniques. GLU (100 mM) induced a long-lasting depression of GABA- and GLY-activated currents (IGABA and IGLY) when using standard saline in conjunction with depolarization. The long-lasting depression was not observed: (1) in neurons held at -70 mV during GLU application; (2) in neurons depolarized by current injection but not exposed to GLU; (3) when GLU/depolarization protocol was performed in Ca(2+)-free medium; or (4) by using recording patch-pipettes filled with a medium that tightly controlled cytosolic Ca2+ transients. Sphingosine (10 mM), staurosporine (1 mM) and the specific inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC(19-36) (200 mM in the patch-pipette solution), blocked the long-lasting depression of IGABA. IGABA was depressed even when the treatment with GLU was performed before patch-clamping the neuron. We conclude that the sustained IGABA and IGLY depression is mediated by cytosolic events triggered by the activation of GLUR.