Differential expression of glutamate receptors by the dopaminergic neurons of the primate striatum.

Neostriatal neurons are targets of glutamatergic input from the cortex and thalamus. Glutamate receptors are abundantly, but differentially, expressed by the striatal neurons. We previously described the presence of dopaminergic cells intrinsic to the primate striatum that increase in number following MPTP treatment. In this study we have used double-label immunocytochemistry to analyze the expression of the glutamate receptor subunits GluR1, GluR2/3, NR1, mGluR1, and mGluR5 in the dopaminergic cells of the striatum. Our results show that 75% of these cells express GluR1 while 25% of them express NR1. They do not express GluR2/3 or the group 1 metabotropic receptors. Our results suggest that this potentially important population of cells expresses only calcium-permeable ionotropic glutamate receptors. We speculate that glutamate may play a role in regulating the number of these dopaminergic neurons after MPTP treatment and may also influence their ability to release dopamine. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.