A novel physiological mechanism of glycine-induced immunomodulation: Na+-coupled amino acid transporter currents in cultured brain macrophages

The Journal of Physiology
Tom Schilling, Claudia Eder

Abstract

Glycine is known to modulate immune cell responses. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying inhibitory effects of glycine on macrophages are not well understood. Here we show that glycine is capable of inducing inward currents in brain macrophages (microglia). In contrast to glycine, the glycine receptor agonist taurine failed to elicit currents. Glycine-evoked currents of brain macrophages were unaffected by strychnine, Cl(-)-free extracellular solution, N-[3-(4'-fluorophenyl)-3-(4'-phenylphenoxy)propyl])sarcosine (NFPS) and amoxapine, but were abolished upon omission of extracellular Na(+). Furthermore, glycine caused increases in the intracellular Na(+) concentration and pronounced membrane depolarization. Glycine-evoked depolarization was Na(+) dependent and occurred independently of the intracellular Cl(-) concentration. Similarly to glycine, glutamine and alpha-(methylamino)isobutyric acid (MeAIB) elicited inward currents in brain macrophages. In the presence of either glutamine or MeAIB, glycine-induced currents were inhibited. It is concluded that neither functional glycine receptors nor glycine transporters are expressed in brain macrophages. We suggest that glycine mediates its effects by activation of system...Continue Reading

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Mar 17, 2004·The Journal of Physiology·Tom SchillingClaudia Eder
May 4, 2004·Trends in Pharmacological Sciences·K George ChandyMichael D Cahalan

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Citations

Feb 26, 2011·Pflügers Archiv : European journal of physiology·Jimmy Van den EyndenJean-Michel Rigo
Feb 6, 2010·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Roopa BhatLawrence Steinman
Apr 25, 2014·Amino Acids·Barbara KommHubert H Kerschbaum
Apr 19, 2008·Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica·F WesseldijkF J Zijlstra
Nov 16, 2006·Glia·Alain BessisAnne Roumier
Mar 20, 2009·Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology·Jaap W HolDurk Fekkes
Sep 12, 2019·Frontiers in Pharmacology·Knut BiberThomas Möller
Apr 14, 2016·Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences : CMLS·Joel M WeinbergM A Venkatachalam
Sep 26, 2020·Frontiers in Immunology·Siyuan ChenWenkai Ren
Dec 24, 2017·Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. Bioenergetics·Adam M NagyLaszlo Tretter
Jul 3, 2021·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Laszlo G HarsingLászló Köles

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