Involvement of the glutamate receptor delta 2 subunit in the long-term depression of glutamate responsiveness in cultured rat Purkinje cells.

An antisense oligonucleotide against the glutamate receptor delta 2 subunit mRNA, which is selectively expressed only in Purkinje neurons, suppressed the induction of long-term depression (LTD) of glutamate responsiveness in the rat cerebellar culture. LTD of glutamate response is induced by pairing glutamate application and depolarization of a Purkinje cell. Treatment of the culture with the antisense oligonucleotide exerted no appreciable effect on basic physiological and morphological properties of Purkinje cells, except for LTD induction and reduction of delta immunoreactivity which was intense in distal dendrites. Sense and missense oligonucleotides, which were used as controls, did not block LTD induction. These results suggest that the glutamate receptor delta 2 subunit is involved in the cerebellar LTD.