Selection of a pure cerebellar granule cell culture by kainate treatment.

Chronic exposure of dissociated cerebellar cultures to 50 microM kainate results in a complete loss of [3H]-GABA release which is a marker of GABAergic interneurons. No loss of granule cells was found and the glutamatergic nature of the granule cells appeared unaltered by the kainate treatment, since evoked release of [3H]-D-aspartate was maintained after kainate exposure. Glial cells in such cultures are virtually eliminated by treatment with an antimitotic such as cytarabine. In consequence a pure culture of cerebellar granule cells virtually free of stellate, basket and glial cells may be obtained by a combined chronic treatment of the cultures with kainate and cytarabine.