Abstract
The role of transferrin as a possible neurotransmitter was examined in cultured chick retinal cells. Brief exposure to transferrin caused a dramatic and transient increase in intracellular calcium levels in approximately 20% of the total population of cultured retinal neurons. The increase in intracellular calcium was observed in cell bodies and neuronal processes. Electrophysiological analysis of a subset of the population, bipolar-like neurons, demonstrated that more than half of these cells responded to the application of transferrin with a transient membrane depolarization. Under voltage clamp conditions, the currents evoked by transferrin were similar to glutamate in that they both displayed non-linear voltage dependence. Furthermore, acute transferrin exposure resulted in a 200% increase in the amount of Na+ independent [3H]glutamate binding observed in these cultures. These results suggest that transferrin may function as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in the developing vertebrate nervous system.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 318-323 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Brain research |
Volume | 561 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 11 1991 |
Keywords
- Calcium
- Culture
- Glutamate
- Neuron
- Retina
- Transferrin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Clinical Neurology
- Developmental Biology