Excitatory amino acid recognition sites coupled with inositol phospholipid metabolism: developmental changes and interaction with alpha 1-adrenoceptors.

Glutamate, aspartate, ibotenate, and quisqualate activate inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in hippocampal slices prepared from brains of 6- to 8-day-old rats. The stimulation by glutamate and aspartate progressively declines during postnatal development and is negligible after the 24th day of life. In contrast, the stimulation of inositol phospholipid hydrolysis by norepinephrine is low in hippocampal slices from newborn animals and increases during development, reaching mature values after the 35th day of life. In adult hippocampal slices, the stimulation of inositol phospholipid hydrolysis elicited by norepinephrine is inhibited by glutamate in a concentration-dependent fashion. This inhibition can also be brought about by aspartate, 2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoate, and L-phosphoserine, a product of endogenous phosphatidylserine hydrolysis.