Cellula /Molecula
Numbe s, Densi ies, and Colocaliza ion o AMPA- and
NMDA-Type Glu ama e Recep o s a Indi idual Synapses in
he Supe icial Spinal Do sal Ho n o Ra s
Miklo´s An al,
1
* Yugo Fukazawa,
4
*Ma´ ia Eo¨ do¨gh,
1
Do´ a Muszil,
1
Elek Molna´ ,
2
Mako o I aku a,
3
Masami Takahashi,
3
and Ryuichi Shigemo o
4
1
Depa men o Ana omy, His ology, and Emb yology, Facul y o Medicine, Medical and Heal h Science Cen e , Uni e si y o Deb ecen, H-4012 Deb ecen,
Hunga y,
2
Medical Resea ch Council, Cen e o Synap ic Plas ici y, Depa men o Ana omy, School o Medical Sciences, Uni e si y o B is ol, B is ol BS8
1TD, Uni ed Kingdom,
3
Depa men o Biochemis y, Ki asa o Uni e si y School o Medicine, Sagamiha a, Kanagawa 228-8555, Japan, and
4
Di ision o
Ce eb al S uc u es, Na ional Ins i u es o Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8787, Japan
Iono opic glu ama e ecep o s play impo an oles in spinal p ocessing o nocicep i e senso y signals and induc ion o cen al sensi-
iza ion in ch onic pain. He e we applied highly sensi i e eeze- ac u e eplica labeling o laminae I–II o he spinal do sal ho n o a s
and in es iga ed he numbe s, densi ies, and colocaliza ion o AMPA- and NMDA- ype glu ama e ecep o s a indi idual pos synap ic
memb anespecializa ionswi hahigh esolu ion.Allglu ama e gicpos synap icmemb anesinlaminaeI–IIexp essedAMPA ecep o s,
and mos o hem (96%) we e also immuno eac i e o he NR1 subuni o NMDA ecep o s. The numbe s o gold pa icles o AMPA and
NMDA ecep o s a indi idual pos synap ic memb anes showed a linea co ela ion wi h he size o pos synap ic memb ane specializa-
ions and a ied in he ange o 8–214 and 5–232 wi h median alues o 37 and 28, whe eas hei densi ies a ied in he ange o
325–3365/
m
2
and 102–2263/
m
2
wi h median alues o 1115/
m
2
and 777/
m
2
, espec i ely. Vi ually all (99%) glu ama e gic
pos synap ic memb anes exp essed GluR2, and mos o hem (87%) we e also immuno eac i e o GluR1. The numbe s o gold pa icles
o pan-AMPA,NR1,andGluR2 subuni s showed a linea co ela ion wi h he size o pos synap ic su ace a eas. Conce ning GluR1, he e
may be wo popula ions o synapses wi h high and low GluR1 densi ies. In synapses la ge han 0.1
m
2
, GluR1 subuni s we e eco e ed
in e ylownumbe s.Di e en ial exp ession o GluR1 and GluR2 subuni s sugges s egula ion o AMPA ecep o subuni composi ion by
p esynap ic mechanism.
Key wo ds: iono opic glu ama e ecep o s; NR1; GluR1; GluR2; molecula ana omy; pos synap ic ac i e zones; SDS-FRL
In oduc ion
Fas exci a o y neu o ansmission in he CNS is mainly media ed
by glu ama e. In he supe icial spinal do sal ho n, glu ama e is
eleased by nocicep i e p ima y a e en s and local axon e mi-
nals o spinal exci a o y neu ons and, by ac i a ing iono opic
and me abo opic glu ama e ecep o s, plays majo oles in no-
cicep i e in o ma ion p ocessing. In case o hei epe i i e s im-
ula ion, cen al e minals o nocicep i e p ima y a e en s dis-
cha ge glu ama e oge he wi h neu opep ides and
neu o ophins. The in e play o glu ama e, neu opep ide, and
neu o ophin ecep o mechanisms hen esul s in inc eased
Ca
2⫹
in lux in o he pos synap ic spinal neu ons and he conse-
quen de elopmen o cen al sensi iza ion, which p esen s com-
mon ea u es wi h he ea ly phase o long- e m po en ia ion
(LTP). The p opaga ion o enhanced ac i i ies o spinal nocicep-
i e ci cui s o highe b ain cen e s hen leads o hype algesia and
a ious pain synd omes (Wool and Sal e , 2000). A long line o
e idence indica es ha AMPA and NMDA ecep o s a e in ol ed
in he induc ion o spinal LTP and consequen pain ( o e iew,
see Ji e al., 2003).
I has been demons a ed ex ensi ely ha AMPA and NMDA
ecep o s a e exp essed in high densi ies in he supe icial spinal
do sal ho n (Fu uyama e al., 1993; Pelleg ini-Giampie o e al.,
1994; Tachibana e al., 1994; Jakowec e al., 1995a,b; Ha is e al.,
1996; A. Pop a ilo e al., 1996, 1998; S. A. Pop a ilo e al., 1998;
Ke e al., 1998). The majo i y o AMPA ecep o s in he do sal
ho n consis o GluR2 and GluR1 subuni s ha may o m unc-
ional AMPA ecep o ion channels in bo h homome ic and he -
e ome ic a angemen s. In con as , he exp ession o GluR3 and
GluR4 subuni s and hei mRNAs was ound o be weak (Sa o e
al., 1993; To¨lle e al., 1993, 1995).
Al hough a long line o expe imen s ha e been pe o med o
de ec AMPA and NMDA ecep o s in he spinal do sal ho n,
Recei ed Dec. 19, 2007; e ised Aug. 15, 2008; accep ed Aug. 19, 2008.
This wo k was suppo ed by he Hunga ian Na ional Resea ch Fund (OTKA 46121; M.A.), Hunga ian Scien i ic
Council o Heal h (ETT 079/2006; M.A.), Hunga ian Academy o Sciences (MTA-TKI 242; M.A.), Solu ion O ien ed
Resea ch o Science and Technology om he Japan Science and Technology Agency (R.S.), Minis y o Educa ion,
Cul u e, Spo s, Science, and Technology (Y.F., R.S.), and he Uni ed Kingdom Medical Resea ch Council (E.M.).
*M.A. and Y.F. con ibu ed equally o his wo k.
Co espondence should be add essed o Miklo´s An al, Depa men o Ana omy, His ology, and Emb yology,
Facul yo Medicine,Medical andHeal h ScienceCen e , Uni e si yo Deb ecen,Nagye dei k 98, H-4012Deb ecen,
Hunga y. E-mail: [email p o ec ed].
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1551-08.2008
Copy igh © 2008 Socie y o Neu oscience 0270-6474/08/289692-10$15.00/0
9692 •The Jou nal o Neu oscience, Sep embe 24, 2008 •28(39):9692–9701
hese s udies could e eal he ecep o s mos ly, i no exclusi ely,
in he cy oplasm and no a synap ic apposi ions. Pos synap ic
memb anes a e poo ly accessible o an ibodies in p eembedding
immunos aining p o ocols because o he p esence o ex ensi e
p o ein meshwo k in he synap ic cle and pos synap ic densi y
(Baude e al., 1995; O e sen and Landsend, 1997; F i schy e al.,
1998; Wa anabe e al., 1998). Al hough pos embedding immu-
nogold labeling has also been used o in es iga e synap ic AMPA
and NMDA ecep o s in he spinal co d (A. Pop a ilo e al.,
1996, 1998; S. A. Pop a ilo e al., 1998; Ragna son e al., 2003),
he pa e n o AMPA and NMDA ecep o exp ession a indi id-
ual synapses emains la gely elusi e.
Recen ly an SDS-diges ed eeze- ac u e eplica labeling
(SDS-FRL) me hod was de eloped o in es iga e AMPA ecep-
o s a indi idual synapses (Tanaka e al., 2005; Masugi-Toki a e
al., 2007). By emo ing a ached molecules om he ac u ed
plasma memb anes, hus making in amemb ane p o eins di-
ec ly accessible o an ibodies, he SDS-FRL me hod seems o be
ideal o immunocy ochemical in es iga ion o memb ane-
bound molecules, including neu o ansmi e ecep o s
(Masugi-Toki a and Shigemo o, 2007). In he p esen s udy, we
applied he SDS-FRL me hod o AMPA and NMDA ecep o s in
he supe icial spinal do sal ho n o a s, which allowed us o
examine he numbe s, densi ies, and colocaliza ion o hese e-
cep o s a indi idual pos synap ic memb anes wi h a high
esolu ion.
Ma e ials and Me hods
Animals and p epa a ion o issue sec ions. Expe imen s we e pe o med
on h ee adul male Wis a a s, wo GluR2 knock-ou (Ha mann e al.,
2004), one GluR1 knock-ou (Ha mann e al., 2004), and wo wild- ype
mice. Ca e and handling o he animals be o e and du ing he expe i-
men s ollowed Eu opean Union and Japanese egula ions and was ap-
p o ed by he animal ca e and use commi ees o he au ho s’ ins i u-
ions. The animals we e deeply anes he ized by sodium pen oba bi al
(3.5 mg/100 g o body weigh , i.p.), and ansca dially pe used wi h
iso onic saline solu ion o 10–15 min ollowed by a ixa i e con aining
2% pa a o maldehyde and 15% sa u a ed pic ic acid dissol ed in 0.1 M
phospha e bu e (PB; pH 7.4). The pe usion wi h he ixa i e las ed o
30–40 min, and hen he lumba segmen s (L2–L5) o he spinal co d
we e immedia ely excised and hemisec ed along he midline. The he-
misec ed co ds we e ans e ed in o 0.1 MPB, pH 7.4, o 1–2 h. Then
150-
m- hick pa asagi al sec ions we e cu om he hemisec ed co ds
wi h a ib a ome. A e ex ensi e washes in 0.1 MPB, he sec ions we e
c yop o ec ed in 30% glyce ol dissol ed in 0.1 MPB o e nigh . The ixed
issues we e kep a 4°C un il hey we e c yop ese ed by eezing.
SDS-diges ed eeze- ac u e eplica labeling. The sec ions we e ozen
quickly by a high-p essu e eezing machine (HPM 010; Bal-Tec). The
ozen slices we e hen eeze ac u ed and coa ed wi h ca bon (5 nm),
shadowed by pla inum (2 nm), and hen coa ed wi h ca bon (15 nm)
again in BAF 060 (Bal-Tec). A e hawing, issue deb is a ached o he
eplicas was diges ed wi h gen le s i ing a 80°C o e nigh in a solu ion
con aining 2.5% SDS and 20% suc ose dissol ed in 15 mMT is bu e ,
pH 8.3. The eplicas we e washed in 25 mMT is-bu e ed iso onic saline
(TBS; pH 7.4) washing bu e con aining 0.05% bo ine se um albumin
(BSA) and incuba ed in a blocking solu ion con aining 5% BSA in 25 mM
TBS o 1 h. Subsequen ly, he eplicas we e eac ed wi h he ollowing
p ima y an ibodies: (1) pan-AMPA ecep o (GluR1–4) an ibody aised
in abbi (1
g/ml) (Nusse e al., 1998), (2) mouse monoclonal an ibody
agains he NR1 subuni o NMDA ecep o (1
g/ml; Millipo e Bio-
science Resea ch Reagen s), (3) mix u e o he pan-AMPA and NR1
an ibodies, (4) an ibody agains he GluR1 subuni o AMPA ecep o
aised in abbi (8
g/ml), o (5) mouse monoclonal an ibody agains he
GluR2 subuni o AMPA ecep o s (15
g/ml; Millipo e Bioscience Re-
sea ch Reagen s), dilu ed in 25 mMTBS con aining 1% BSA a ⫹15°C (in
case o 1–3) o a oom empe a u e (in case o 4–5) o 2 d. The abbi
an ibody agains GluR1 was aised agains an ex acellula epi ope
(amino acid esidues 345–362) o he a GluR1 (C-
RFEGLTGNVQFNEKGRRT), ollowed by a ini y pu i ica ion wi h he
same pep ide. Subsequen ly, he an ibody was abso bed wice by GluR2-
speci ic pep ide (C-QVEGLSGNIKFDQNGKRI) o a oid undesi ed
con amina ion o GluR2- eac ing an ibodies. A e se e al washes, he
eplicas we e eac ed wi h goa an i- abbi ( o pan-AMPA and GluR1)
and goa an i-mouse ( o NR1 and GluR2) IgGs coupled o 5 nm gold
pa icles (1:30; BioCell Resea ch Labo a o ies) dilu ed in 25 mMTBS
con aining 5% BSA o e nigh a oom empe a u e. In he double-
labeling p o ocols, one o he seconda y an ibodies was conjuga ed o 5
nm gold pa icle, whe eas he o he was coupled o 10 nm gold pa icle.
The eplicas we e hen washed, picked up on 100-mesh g ids (Fig. 1),
examined wi h an elec on mic oscope (JEOL1010), and pho og aphed
a a magni ica ion o 40,000⫻.
Con ols. To es he speci ici y o an ibodies aised agains GluR1 and
GluR2 subuni s o AMPA ecep o s, eplicas o spinal co d sec ions ob-
ained om GluR1 and GluR2 knock-ou and wild- ype mice we e im-
munolabeled acco ding o he p ocedu e desc ibed abo e. Replicas o
GluR2 knock-ou mice we e almos nega i e o GluR2 in he pos syn-
ap ic memb ane specializa ion. On he a e age, he densi y alue o
GluR2 in he knock-ou mice was 3.3 pa icles/
m
2
, whe eas ha in he
wild- ype animals was 219 pa icles/
m
2
. On he o he hand, he an i-
body aised agains GluR1 appea ed o be highly speci ic and eac ed
selec i ely wi h GluR1 subuni s in Wes e n blo analysis (supplemen al
Fig. 1, a ailable a www.jneu osci.o g as supplemen al ma e ial) How-
e e , labeling densi y o GluR1 a indi idual pos synap ic memb ane
specializa ions in wild ype (144 ⫾13.9; n⫽58) was only h ee imes
highe han ha in knock-ou mice (54 ⫾7.1; n⫽50), al hough he
di e ence was s a is ically signi ican ( p⬍0.001, Mann–Whi ney U es )
(supplemen al Fig. 2, a ailable a www.jneu osci.o g as supplemen al
ma e ial). The e o e, we sub ac ed he densi y o non-GluR1 labeling
om he labeling in wild ype, hus making he densi y 63% o he o ig-
inal alue.
Speci ici y o p ima y an ibodies agains NR1 and pan-AMPA was
ex ensi ely cha ac e ized p e iously (Siegel e al., 1994; Nusse e al.,
1998; Masugi-Toki a e al., 2007).
To es he speci ici y o he immunolabeling p ocedu e, eplicas we e
incuba ed acco ding o he p o ocol desc ibed abo e wi h p ima y an i-
bodies omi ed o eplaced wi h 1% no mal goa se um. Labeling densi-
ies on clus e s o in amemb ane pa icles we e ⬍2.8 pa icles/
m
2
in
hese cases.
Quan i a i e e alua ion o he immunolabeling. Immunogold pa icles
we e coun ed in exci a o y pos synap ic a eas indica ed by clus e s o
in amemb ane pa icles (IMP clus e s) (Ha is and Landis, 1986) on he
exoplasmic ac u e ace (E- ace) o plasma memb anes. Agg ega ions o
Figu e 1. Pho omic og aph o an SDS-FRL eplica on a 100-mesh coppe g id. The eplica
was p epa ed om a pa amedian–sagi al sec ion o he do sal aspec o he a lumba spinal
co d. Whi e lines indica e he p esumed ou e and inne bo de s o laminae I–II. Scale ba , 100
m.
An al e al. •Synap ic Localiza ion o AMPA and NMDA Recep o s J. Neu osci., Sep embe 24, 2008 •28(39):9692–9701 • 9693
in amemb ane pa icles we e ega ded as IMP
clus e s i he pa icles showed a compac a -
angemen in which he dis ances among adja-
cen pa icles we e no la ge han 15 nm. We
conside ed an IMP clus e as pos synap ic
memb ane specializa ion i he clus e con-
ained a leas 30 pa icles. Con i ming he ind-
ings o Masugi-Toki a e al. (2007), all o he
pos synap ic a eas on E- ace we e labeled wi h
he an ibody aised agains pan-AMPA. Immu-
nogold pa icles we e ega ded as associa ed
wi h he pos synap ic memb ane specializa ion
i hey we e abo e o in he immedia e icini y
(no u he han 20 nm om he edge) o he
IMP clus e (Ma suba a e al., 1996).
Measu emen s we e pe o med in h ee ani-
mals, and esul s we e pooled because he den-
si y o immunogold pa icles on IMP clus e s
was no signi ican ly di e en in he di e en
animals. Immunogold pa icles on he p o o-
plasmic ac u e ace (P- ace) o plasma mem-
b anes should no be labeled wi h an ibodies
di ec ed agains ex acellula epi opes, and hus
we e de ined as backg ound labeling, which
u ned ou o be 3.2 pa icles/
m
2
on he a e -
age. The ex en o IMP clus e s on elec on mi-
c og aphs was calib a ed by using a calib a ion
g id (Ted Pella). The ou line o pos synap ic
ac i e zones (IMP clus e s) was dema ca ed
eehand, and he a ea o synap ic si es was
measu ed by Scion Image. The numbe s o gold
pa icles ma king ecep o molecules a synap-
ic si es we e coun ed manually.
S a is ical analysis o dis ibu ion pa e n o
immunogold pa icles. To e alua e he dis ibu ion pa e n o gold pa i-
cles labeling ecep o s wi hin a synapse, we used poin pa e n analysis
using Ripley’s K- unc ion (Ripley, 1977, 1979; P io e al., 2003). Elec-
on mic og aphs o six andomly selec ed IMP clus e s labeled o NR1,
pan-AMPAR, GluR1, and GluR2 we e digi ized wi h an image scanne . A
ec angula a ea ha co e ed a leas 50% o pa icles a indi idual IMP
clus e s was selec ed, and he x–y coo dina es o indi idual pa icles in
he a ea we e ob ained by iTEM image analysis so wa e (So Imaging
Sys em). Dis ibu ion pa e ns o immunogold pa icles we e analyzed
wi h he L( )⫺ alues, which exp ess he second-o de spa ial pa e n
o pa icle dis ibu ion based on he in e pa icle dis ances wi hin he
s udied a ea, by using a p og am kindly p o ided by John Hancock,
Uni e si y o Queensland, B isbane, Aus alia (P io e al., 2003). To
de ine whe he he dis ibu ion pa e ns o immunogold pa icles we e
homogeneous o clus e ed, 99% con idence en elopes o comple e spa-
ial andomness (CSR) we e gene a ed om 100 Mon e Ca lo simula-
ions and plo ed wi h he L( )⫺ cu e (see supplemen al Fig. 3, a ail-
able a www.jneu osci.o g as supplemen al ma e ial). When he L( )⫺
cu e was abo e he en elope a mo e han one poin , dis ibu ion was
classi ied as clus e ed. When all poin s o he L( )⫺ cu e we e below
he en elope, i s dis ibu ion was classi ied as CSR and as homogeneous.
Fo mo e de ailed in o ma ion abou he applica ion o his s a is ical
app oach o immunopa icle-labeled eplicas, please see Fuji a e al.
(2007).
Resul s
Numbe s and densi ies o AMPA ecep o s a indi idual
synap ic con ac a eas
Using he SDS-FRL me hod, we analyzed he numbe s, dis ibu-
ion, and densi ies o AMPA ecep o s a indi idual synap ic con-
ac a eas in he supe icial spinal do sal ho n o a s wi h an
an ibody agains highly conse ed ex acellula amino acid esi-
dues o GluR1–4 (pan-AMPA). The pan-AMPA an ibody has
been shown o eac selec i ely wi h all AMPA ecep o subuni s
GluR1–4, bu no wi h kaina e ecep o subuni s (Nusse e al.,
1998).
The bo de be ween he do sal column and he do sal ho n
was easily iden i ied on he eplicas wi h bo h ligh and elec on
mic oscopy (Fig. 1). The bo de be ween laminae II and III was
also clea because almos no myelina ed axons we e ound in
lamina II, bu many we e in lamina III. Immuno eac i i y o IMP
clus e s on E- ace p o iles o he eplicas was in es iga ed in a
band be ween hese wo bounda ies (Fig. 1), in a zone ha had
ea lie been iden i ied as a laye o he g ay ma e co esponding
o laminae I and II o he spinal do sal ho n (McClung and Cas-
o, 1978; Molande e al., 1984; McNeill e al., 1988).
Pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions we e clea ly indica ed
by agg ega ions o IMPs on E- aces (see Figs. 2, 5, 6), as desc ibed
p e iously (Landis and Reese, 1974; Ha is and Landis, 1986). We
de ined IMP clus e s as hose con aining a leas 30 in amem-
b ane pa icles. Immunogold pa icles o AMPA ecep o s we e
ound almos exclusi ely on IMP clus e s, and all IMP clus e s on
E- ace p o iles we e immuno eac i e o he pan-AMPA an i-
body (Fig. 2a,c). In he majo i y o pos synap ic memb ane spe-
cializa ions, immunogold pa icles we e dis ibu ed o e he en-
i e ield o indi idual IMP clus e s wi h no appa en clus e ing
(Fig. 2a; supplemen al Fig. 2, a ailable a www.jneu osci.o g as
supplemen al ma e ial), al hough he densi y o labeling a ied
conside ably om clus e o clus e (Fig. 3a). The numbe o
immunogold pa icles was coun ed in bo h comple e (n⫽97)
and incomple e (pa ially ac u ed; n⫽65) pos synap ic mem-
b ane specializa ions. In comple e pos synap ic memb ane spe-
cializa ions, he numbe o gold pa icles a ied in he ange o
8–214 wi h a median alue o 37. The numbe o gold pa icles
labeling AMPA ecep o showed a linea co ela ion ( ⫽0.86)
wi h he size o he pos synap ic su ace a eas (Fig. 4a). Because
Figu e 2. a– d, Elec on mic og aphs o SDS-FRL eplicas immunolabeled wi h an an ibody ha ecognizes all subuni s o
AMPA- ype glu ama e ecep o s (pan-AMPA) (a,c) o wi h an an ibody aised agains he NR1 subuni o NMDA- ype glu ama e
ecep o s (b,d). The mic og aphs illus a e pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions (IMP clus e s) ha show s ong immuno e-
ac i i y o pan-AMPA (a,c) o NR1 (b,d) in he supe icial spinal do sal ho n o a s. All subuni s a e labeled wi h 5 nm gold
pa icles. Scale ba s, 0.1
m.
9694 •J. Neu osci., Sep embe 24, 2008 •28(39):9692–9701 An al e al. •Synap ic Localiza ion o AMPA and NMDA Recep o s
densi ies o immunogold labeling o he pan-AMPA an ibody
ob ained om comple e and incomple e pos synap ic ac i e
zones we e no signi ican ly di e en (supplemen al Fig. 4, a ail-
able a www.jneu osci.o g as supplemen al ma e ial), hey we e
pooled. The densi y alues a ied in he ange o 325–3365 pa -
icles/
m
2
wi h a median o 1115 pa icles/
m
2
(Fig. 3a). The
mean densi y alues o he ex asynap ic si es on E- ace and
backg ound es ima ed on P- ace we e 2.7 and 3.2 pa icles/
m
2
,
espec i ely.
Numbe s and densi ies o NMDA ecep o s a indi idual
synap ic con ac a eas
To in es iga e he numbe s, dis ibu ion, and densi ies o NMDA
ecep o s a indi idual synap ic con ac a eas in he supe icial
spinal do sal ho n, eplicas we e eac ed wi h a monoclonal an-
ibody agains he NR1 subuni , which is a cons i uen o all
unc ional NMDA ecep o ion channels [ o e iew, see Cull-
Candy e al. (2001) and Gibb (2004)]. The an ibody was di ec ed
agains a usion p o ein co esponding o amino acid esidues
660–811, ep esen ing he ex acellula loop be ween ansmem-
b ane egions III and IV o he NR1 subuni (Siegel e al., 1994). I
has been ex ensi ely documen ed ha he an ibody is highly spe-
ci ic and eac s selec i ely wi h NMDA ecep o s (Siegel e al.,
1994).
Immunogold pa icles o NR1 we e ound almos exclusi ely
on IMP clus e s. The majo i y (96%) o IMP clus e s ha con-
ained a leas 30 in amemb ane pa icles and hus we e e-
ga ded as pos synap ic memb ane specializa ion on E- ace p o-
iles we e immuno eac i e o he NR1 an ibody (Fig. 2b,d).
Simila ly o he AMPA ecep o labeling, immunogold pa icles
we e andomly dis ibu ed o e he en i e ield o IMP clus e s
wi hou o ming clus e s, al hough he densi y o labeling a ied
om clus e o clus e (Fig. 3b; supple-
men al Fig. 3, a ailable a www.jneu osci.
o g as supplemen al ma e ial). In com-
ple e pos synap ic memb ane specializa-
ions (n⫽99), he numbe o gold pa i-
cles a ied in he ange o 5–232 wi h a
median alue o 28. The numbe o gold
pa icles o NR1 showed a linea co ela-
ion ( ⫽0.87) wi h he size o he pos syn-
ap ic su ace a eas (Fig. 4b). Because o he
andom dis ibu ion o gold pa icles
(supplemen al Fig. 3, a ailable a www.
jneu osci.o g as supplemen al ma e ial),
da a ob ained om comple e (n⫽99) and
incomple e (n⫽48) pos synap ic mem-
b ane specializa ion we e pooled o he
calcula ion o densi ies o immunogold la-
beling o he NR1 an ibody. The densi y
alues a ied in he ange o 102–2263 pa -
icles/
m
2
wi h a median o 777 pa icles/
m
2
(Fig. 3b). The shape o he densi y
dis ibu ion his og am o NR1 labeling
was e y simila o ha o pan-AMPA
labeling.
Colocaliza ion o AMPA- and NMDA-
ype glu ama e ecep o s a indi idual
synap ic con ac a eas
A synch onized ain o epea ed nocicep-
i e inpu e okes a pe iod o acili a ed
ansmission in spinal do sal ho n neu-
ons ha esembles LTP in o he pa s o he CNS. This ac i i y-
dependen o m o cen al sensi iza ion (spinal co d equi alen o
LTP) is he consequence o ac i a ion o mul iple in acellula
signaling pa hways ha in ol es ac i a ion o bo h AMPA- and
NMDA- ype glu ama e iono opic ecep o s [ o e iew, see
Wol and Sal e (2000) and Ji e al. (2003)]. Because o i s unc-
ional impo ance, we in es iga ed he colocaliza ion o AMPA
and NMDA ecep o s a indi idual pos synap ic memb ane spe-
cializa ions by simul aneous double labeling o eplicas wi h pan-
AMPA and NR1 an ibodies.
The colocaliza ion s udies appea ed o be e y consis en . Al-
hough, because o spa ial compe i ion among he simul a-
neously applied an ibodies, he signal in ensi y in double labeling
o a gi en an ibody was app oxima ely one-hal o ha in single
labeling, we ound e y simila dis ibu ion pa e ns o densi y in
single and double labeling (da a no shown). Rega dless o
whe he AMPA ecep o s we e labeled wi h 5 nm and NR1 sub-
uni s wi h 10 nm gold pa icles o ice e sa, he majo i y o
comple e pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions (179 o 186;
96.2%) displayed posi i e labeling o bo h ecep o s (Fig. 5a,b,
Table 1). Se en o he 186 pos synap ic memb anes (3.8%) in es-
iga ed in his s udy we e posi i e o pan-AMPA bu nega i e o
he NR1 (Fig. 5c, Table 1). Howe e , pos synap ic memb anes
posi i e o NR1 and nega i e o pan-AMPA we e no de ec ed
(Table 1).
Numbe s and densi ies o GluR2 subuni s a indi idual
synap ic con ac a eas
A long line o expe imen al e idence sugges s ha he mos
p ominen ly exp essed AMPA ecep o subuni in he spinal do -
sal ho n is GluR2 (Fu uyama e al., 1993; Henley e al., 1993; To¨lle
e al., 1993, 1995). To in es iga e he dis ibu ion and densi ies o
Figu e3. a– d,His og amsshowing hedis ibu iono densi ieso goldpa icles ha label a ioussubuni so AMPA-(a,c,d)
and NMDA- (b) ype glu ama e ecep o s in SDS-FRL eplicas o indi idual pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions in he supe i-
cial spinal do sal ho n o a s. Replicas om which da a we e ob ained we e immunolabeled wi h an ibodies ha ecognize all
subuni s(pan-AMPA)(a) o AMPA ecep o s, NR1 subuni s o NMDA ecep o s(b),and GluR2 (c) and GluR1 (d) subuni s o AMPA
ecep o s.
An al e al. •Synap ic Localiza ion o AMPA and NMDA Recep o s J. Neu osci., Sep embe 24, 2008 •28(39):9692–9701 • 9695
GluR2 subuni s a indi idual synap ic
con ac a eas in he supe icial spinal do -
sal ho n o a s, eplicas we e eac ed wi h
a monoclonal an ibody di ec ed agains a
ecombinan usion p o ein co espond-
ing o amino acid esidues 175–430, ep-
esen ing he N- e minal po ion o he e-
cep o molecule. The an ibody p o ed o
be highly speci ic and appea ed o eac
selec i ely wi h GluR2 subuni s, because
he applica ion o he an ibody o eplicas
o GluR2 knock-ou mice did no esul in
any labeling (Fig. 6a), whe eas s ong im-
munolabeling was obse ed a IMP clus-
e s on eplicas o wild- ype animals (Fig.
6b).
Immunogold pa icles o GluR2 sub-
uni s we e ound almos exclusi ely on
IMP clus e s, and i ually all IMP clus e s
on E- ace p o iles we e immuno eac i e
o he GluR2 an ibody (Fig. 6c). The en-
i e ield o IMP clus e s was densely bu
andomly labeled wi hou clus e ing (sup-
plemen al Fig. 3, a ailable a www.
jneu osci.o g as supplemen al ma e ial),
al hough he densi y o immunogold pa -
icles o e indi idual IMP clus e s was e y
a iable (coe icien o a ia ion ⫽0.437)
(Fig. 3c). In comple e pos synap ic ac i e
zones (n⫽62), he numbe o gold pa i-
cles a ied in he ange o 4–162 wi h a median alue o 21. The
numbe o gold pa icles o GluR2 showed a linea co ela ion
( ⫽0.92) wi h he size o pos synap ic su ace a eas (Fig. 4c).
Because o he andom dis ibu ion o gold pa icles, da a ob-
ained om comple e (n⫽62) and incomple e (n⫽24) pos syn-
ap ic memb ane specializa ions we e pooled o he calcula ion
o densi ies o immunogold pa icles o he GluR2 an ibody. The
densi y alues a ied in he ange o 144–1422 pa icles/
m
2
wi h a median o 733 pa icles/
m
2
. The shape o he densi y
dis ibu ion his og am o GluR2 labeling showed a p ominen
peak a he median alue (Fig. 3c).
Numbe s and densi ies o GluR1 subuni s a indi idual
synap ic con ac a eas
Wi h a li le lag behind GluR2, he second mos abundan ly ex-
p essed AMPA ecep o subuni in he supe icial spinal do sal
ho n is GluR1 (Fu uyama e al., 1993; To¨lle e al., 1993; Pop a il-
o e al., 1996; Engelman e al., 1999; B own e al., 2002; Ha -
mann e al., 2004). Analogous o he p edominan ole o GluR1
in hippocampal LTP (Zamanillo e al., 1999) and spa ial memo y
consolida ion (Reisel e al., 2002), he p esence o GluR1 subuni
is equi ed also o a apid sensi iza ion o glu ama e gic synap ic
e en s in he spinal do sal ho n (Ha mann e al., 2004). To in-
es iga e he dis ibu ion o GluR1 subuni s, eplicas we e eac ed
wi h an an ibody ha was di ec ed agains esidues 345–362, ep-
esen ing he pu a i e N- e minal ex acellula po ion o GluR1.
The an ibody appea ed o be highly speci ic and eac ed selec-
i ely wi h GluR1 subuni s in Wes e n blo analysis (supplemen-
al Fig. 1, a ailable a www.jneu osci.o g as supplemen al ma e-
ial). Howe e , he applica ion o he an ibody o eplicas o
GluR1 knock-ou mice showed subs an ial amoun o labeling a
IMP clus e s (supplemen al Fig. 2, a ailable a www.jneu osci.
o g as supplemen al ma e ial). The e o e we sub ac ed he e-
maining densi y o labeling in GluR1 knock-ou animals om he
labeling obse ed in a samples. Thus, we educed he numbe s
o gold pa icles and densi y o labeling o 63% o he o iginal
alues (see Ma e ials and Me hods). These educed alues can be
ound in he nex pa ag aph.
Immunogold pa icles o GluR1 subuni s we e ound almos
exclusi ely on IMP clus e s, and 87% o IMP clus e s on E- ace
p o iles we e conside ed immuno eac i e o GluR1 (Fig. 6 ).
The en i e ield o IMP clus e s was andomly labeled, and no
clus e ing o immunopa icles was de ec ed (supplemen al Fig. 3,
a ailable a www.jneu osci.o g as supplemen al ma e ial), al-
hough he densi y o immunogold pa icles o e indi idual IMP
clus e s was e y a iable (coe icien o a ia ion ⫽0.67). In
comple e pos synap ic ac i e zones (n⫽66), he numbe o gold
pa icles a ied in he ange o 2–47 wi h a median alue o 9. The
numbe o gold pa icles o GluR1 showed a less linea co ela-
ion ( ⫽0.14) han ha o GluR2 wi h he size o he pos syn-
ap ic su ace a eas. Sea ching o an explana ion o his poo
linea co ela ion, we ound ha he e migh be wo popula ions
o synapses, one wi h high and ano he wi h e y low GluR1
densi ies. When we selec ed synapses la ge han 0.06
m
2
, hey
could be clea ly sepa a ed in o wo g oups, one wi h a high mean
densi y o GluR1 (240–696 pa icles/
m
2
wi h a median o 349
pa icles/
m
2
) and ano he wi h ⬍10 pa icles/synapse (12–96
pa icles/
m
2
wi h a median o 52 pa icles/
m
2
) (labeled wi h
open ci cles in Fig. 4d). Synapses la ge han 0.1
m
2
we e all
wi hin he second g oup wi h e y low pa icle densi y. Sepa a -
ing all synapses ha showed low pa icle densi y and we e la ge
han 0.06
m
2
(labeled wi h open ci cles in Fig. 4d) om he o al
popula ion, he numbe o gold pa icles o GluR1 in he es o
he synapses showed a nice linea co ela ion ( ⫽0.74) wi h he
size o pos synap ic su ace a eas (Fig. 4d).
Figu e 4. a– d, Sca e plo s showing he co ela ion be ween su ace a eas o pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions and
numbe so gold pa icleslabelingallsubuni s(pan-AMPA)(a)o AMPA ecep o s,NR1subuni o NMDA ecep o s(b),andGluR2
(c) and GluR1 (d) subuni s o AMPA ecep o s. Open ci cles in dlabel da a om pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions ha a e
la ge han 0.06
m
2
andp esen lownumbe s o gold pa icles.These synapseswe eexcluded om hecalcula iono he alue
o linea co ela ion.
9696 •J. Neu osci., Sep embe 24, 2008 •28(39):9692–9701 An al e al. •Synap ic Localiza ion o AMPA and NMDA Recep o s
Sizes o pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions
Finally, we pooled all comple e pos synap ic memb ane special-
iza ions ha showed any kind o posi i e labeling o AMPA
and/o NMDA ecep o subuni s. Thus we collec ed 740 pos syn-
ap ic memb ane specializa ions o glu ama e gic synap ic con-
ac s in laminae I–II o he spinal do sal ho n o a s, and mea-
su ed hei su ace a eas by Scion Image. Al hough he ypes o
neu ons ha p esen ed he pos synap ic memb ane specializa-
ions as well as he o igin o p esynap ic axon e minals ha we e
associa ed wi h he in es iga ed pos synap ic memb anes could
be e y he e ogeneous in ou sample, he dis ibu ion his og am
o su ace a eas o pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions
showed only one peak (Fig. 7). The su ace a eas o indi idual
pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions a ied in he ange o
0.0026–0.3609
m
2
(median, 0.0419
m
2
); only 26 (3.5%) o
he 740 pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions we e la ge han
0.15
m
2
.
Discussion
Applying he SDS-FRL me hod, which has almos one gold pa -
icle–one unc ional channel sensi i i y (Tanaka e al., 2005) o
laminae I–II o he spinal do sal ho n o a s, we showed ha
i ually all glu ama e gic pos synap ic
memb anes in laminae I–II exp essed
AMPA and NMDA ecep o s. Fu he -
mo e, mos o hem we e immuno eac i e
o GluR2, whe eas GluR1 is exp essed in
selec i e popula ions o he synapses. In
synapses la ge han 0.1
m
2
, GluR1 sub-
uni s we e eco e ed in e y low numbe s.
This di e en ial exp ession o GluR1 and
GluR2 subuni s was encoun e ed e en a
synapses ha we e loca ed in a close icin-
i y o each o he on he e y same neu on
(supplemen al Fig. 5, a ailable a www.
jneu osci.o g as supplemen al ma e ial).
Ne e heless, he numbe s o gold pa i-
cles o AMPA and NMDA ecep o s
showed linea co ela ions wi h he size o
pos synap ic su ace a eas.
I is e y likely ha in ou p esen s udy
we in es iga ed he pos synap ic mem-
b ane specializa ions o a qui e he e oge-
neous popula ion o synap ic con ac s. C-
and A
␦
- ype p ima y a e en s as well as
exci a o y local in e neu ons all o m glu-
ama e gic synap ic con ac s wi h a ious
ypes o neu ons in laminae I–II o he spi-
nal do sal ho n. Despi e his he e ogene-
i y, howe e , he densi ies o AMPA and
NMDA ecep o subuni s as well as su ace
a eas o he pos synap ic memb ane spe-
cializa ions showed homogeneous dis i-
bu ions. Synapses could be clea ly di ided
in o wo g oups only on he basis o hei
GluR1 subuni densi ies.
Size o indi idual pos synap ic
memb ane specializa ions
Synap ic s uc u e plays a key ole in syn-
ap ic ansmission (Walmsley e al., 1998).
In addi ion o p esynap ic mechanisms,
pos synap ic esponses may be in luenced
by he numbe and densi y o pos synap ic
ecep o s, which in u n may be ela ed o he size o he pos syn-
ap ic memb ane specializa ions (Nusse e al., 1997; Lim e al.,
1999; Mackenzie e al., 1999; Nusse , 2000). Because o hei
unc ional impo ance, mo phological pa ame e s o pos synap-
ic ac i e zones ha e ex ensi ely been s udied in a ious b ain
egions, and a conside able a iabili y has been obse ed (An al
e al., 1992; Pie ce and Mendel, 1993; Ryugo e al., 1996; Taschen-
be g e al., 2002). Fo ins ance, he sizes o pos synap ic mem-
b ane specializa ions a ce ebella climbing ibe and pa allel i-
be synapses a e among he la ges on a e age (0.14
m
2
) (Xu-
F iedman e al., 2001), whe eas his alue has been de ined a
a ound only 0.04–0.07
m
2
on CA1 dend i ic spines (Schiko ski
and S e ens, 1997; Shephe d and Ha is, 1998). The size dis i-
bu ion o indi idual pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions ha
we encoun e ed in laminae I–II o he spinal do sal ho n o a s
appea s o be simila o he ones ha ha e been obse ed on CA1
dend i ic spines.
Numbe s and densi ies o AMPA and NMDA ecep o s
The numbe o iono opic ecep o s in synapses is an essen ial
ac o o de e mining he e icacy o as neu al ansmission. As
Figu e5. Elec on mic og aphs o SDS-FRL eplicassimul aneouslydouble immunolabeled wi h an ibodies aisedagains he
NR1 subuni o NMDA- ype glu ama e ecep o s and an amino acid sequence ha is common in all subuni s o AMPA- ype
glu ama e ecep o s(pan-AMPA).a– c,AMPA ecep o s a elabeledwi h10nmgoldpa icles,andNR1subuni sa e ma kedwi h
5 nm gold pa icles in a, whe eas 5 nm gold pa icles label AMPA ecep o s, and 10 nm gold pa icles ma k NR1 subuni s in band
c. Pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions in he mic og aphs in aand bshow immuno eac i i y o bo h an ibodies, whe eas
pos synap icmemb anespecializa ionsin hemic og aphinca eposi i e o pan-AMPAbu nega i e o NR1.Scaleba s,0.1
m.
An al e al. •Synap ic Localiza ion o AMPA and NMDA Recep o s J. Neu osci., Sep embe 24, 2008 •28(39):9692–9701 • 9697
a gene al ule o bo h glu ama e gic and GABAe gic iono opic
ecep o s, i appea s ha he numbe o unc ional ecep o s is p o-
po ional o he synap ic a ea in a pa icula ype o synapse. The
ecep o densi y, howe e , shows a g ea deal o a iabili y, which
mayde i e om di e ence in ypes o synapsesin es iga ed o quan-
i a i e me hods used in he di e en s udies (Nusse e al., 1998;
Somogyi e al., 1998a; Nusse , 1999; Tanaka e al., 2005; Masugi-
Toki a e al., 2007). The a e age immunogold pa icle densi y ha
we obse ed in laminae I–II o he spinal do sal ho n o AMPA
ecep o s was close o he igu e ha was ob ained a synap ic con-
ac s be ween mossy ibe s and ce ebella g anule cells (⬃1000 e-
cep o s/
m
2
) (Sil e e al., 1996). Howe e , i is impo an o no e
ha we in es iga ed a he e ogeneous popula ion o synap ic con ac s
es ablished by nocicep i e p ima y a e en s, segmen al and in e -
segmen al p op iospinal axons wi h a ious spinal neu ons ha may
possess AMPA and NMDA ecep o s in di e en quan i ies. Ac u-
ally, ou esul s sugges ha he densi ies o AMPA and NMDA
ecep o s a indi idual pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions o
a iousg oupso synap ic apposi ions in he supe icialspinal do sal
ho n o a s can eally be he e ogeneous. Acco ding o he non-
Gaussiandis ibu ion o immunogold pa icledensi ies (Fig. 4a), he
densi y alues may a y om400–500 o 1800–2000 ecep o s/
m
2
o AMPA ecep o s. Simila a ia ion was also ound o NMDA
ecep o densi y.
Figu e 6. Elec on mic og aphs o SDS-FRL eplicas immunolabeled wi h an ibodies ha ecognize GluR2 o GluR1 subuni s. a– , The mic og aphs illus a e pos synap ic memb ane specializa-
ions(IMP clus e s) in he supe icial spinaldo sal ho n o GluR2 (a)andGluR1 (d)knock-ou mice andwild- ype(w ) mice(b,e)and a s(c, ).SDS-FRL eplicas omGluR2 knock-ou mice(a) and
wild- ypemice(b)and a s(c)we elabeled o GluR2.Thepos synap icmemb anespecializa ionsa e eeo labelingin heGluR2knock-ou animal(a),andshows ongimmuno eac i i y o GluR2
in he wild- ype mice (b) and a s (c). SDS-FRL eplicas om GluR1 knock-ou (d) and wild- ype (e) mice we e double labeled o GluR1 and GluR2, whe eas eplicas om a a we e labeled only o
GluR1 ( ). The pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions om GluR1 knock-ou animals a e posi i ely labeled o GluR2 bu nega i e o GluR1 (d). The pos synap ic memb ane specializa ion om
wild- ype mice a e posi i e o bo h GluR1 and GluR2 (e), whe eas pos synap ic memb ane specializa ion om a a show s ong immuno eac i i y o GluR1 ( ). GluR2 subuni s we e labeled wi h
10 nm (b,d,e)and5nm(c), whe eas GluR1 subuni s we e labeled wi h 5 nm (d,e) and 10 nm ( ) gold pa icles. Scale ba s, 0.1
m.
Table 1. Numbe s and pe cen age o comple e pos synap ic memb ane specializa ions immuno eac i e o pan-AMPA and/o NR1 subuni o NMDA ecep o in he
supe icial spinal do sal ho n
pan-AMPA⫹, NR1⫹pan-AMPA⫹, NR1⫺pan-AMPA⫺, NR1⫹To al
pan-AMPA–10 nm, NR1–5 nm 89 3 0 92
pan-AMPA–5 nm, NR1–10 nm 90 4 0 94
To al 179 7 0 186
(96.2%) (3.8%) (100%)
9698 •J. Neu osci., Sep embe 24, 2008 •28(39):9692–9701 An al e al. •Synap ic Localiza ion o AMPA and NMDA Recep o s
I is also impo an o no e ha ex asynap ic memb ane com-
pa men s showed ema kably weak, i any, immunolabeling o
bo h AMPA and NMDA ecep o subuni s, indica ing ha ex a-
synap ic iono opic ecep o s may play a negligible ole in glu a-
ma e gic coupling among neu ons in he supe icial spinal do sal
ho n.
Colocaliza ion o AMPA and NMDA ecep o s
We ound ha all synap ic con ac s ha exp essed NMDA ecep-
o s also con ained AMPA ecep o s in laminae I–II o he a
spinal g ay ma e . In addi ion, none o he pos synap ic mem-
b anes eco e ed in his s udy ca ied less han eigh gold pa i-
cles ma king AMPA ecep o s. These indings con i m ea lie
physiological s udies, concluding ha he e is no di ec e idence
o he p esence o “silen ” synapses (NMDA ecep o -
con aining synapses wi hou unc ional AMPA ecep o s) in he
spinal do sal ho n o adul animals, al hough hei p esence has
been con i med in he neona al a (Ba doni e al., 1998; Li and
Zhuo, 1998; Baba e al., 2000). Thus, i appea s ha pu e-NMDA
ecep o -media ed EPSCs a e ansien , de elopmen ally egu-
la ed phenomena, and al hough hey may ha e a ole in synap ic
e inemen in he imma u e do sal ho n, hey a e unlikely o be
in ol ed in nocicep i e in o ma ion p ocessing mechanisms in
he adul .
I has been sugges ed ha AMPA and NMDA ecep o s migh
be a anged in unc ional mic odomains wi hin synap ic mem-
b anes. The no ion is based on esul s ob ained in independen
labo a o ies, sugges ing ha he dis ibu ion o AMPA ecep o s
may no be uni o m o e he pos synap ic densi y bu mo e con-
cen a ed la e ally, whe eas NMDA ecep o s a e loca ed cen-
ally (Ma suba a e al., 1996; Kha azia and Weinbe g, 1997; So-
mogyi e al., 1998b; He e al., 2001). O he heo ies, howe e ,
claim jus he opposi e and a gue in a o o a uni o m dis ibu-
ion o iono opic glu ama e ecep o s o e synap ic memb ane
specializa ions (Nusse e al., 1994, 1998, Masugi-Toki a e al.,
2007). Al hough we canno exclude he possibili y ha subsyn-
ap ic o ganiza ion o ecep o s migh ha e changed du ing spec-
imen p epa a ion, ou p esen esul s suppo he “homogeneous
dis ibu ion” heo y o spinal co d synapses. The high sensi i i y
and wo-dimensional esolu ion o SDS-FRL ha e e ealed a
a he homogeneous dis ibu ion o bo h AMPA and NMDA
ecep o s wi hin indi idual pos synap ic memb ane specializa-
ions. This ype o ecep o dis ibu ion may ha e p o ound bio-
logical signi icance; i may make he coope a ion be ween AMPA
and NMDA ecep o mechanisms di ec and e y e ec i e.
Subuni composi ion o AMPA ecep o s
AMPA ecep o s wi h di e en subuni composi ion ha e cha -
ac e is ic pha macological and physiological p ope ies ( o e-
iew, see Ha is, 1995). Fo ins ance, he p esence o GluR2 sub-
uni s ende s he e ome ic AMPA ecep o assemblies Ca
2⫹
impe meable, whe eas ecep o s lacking GluR2 subuni s a e
Ca
2⫹
pe meable (Gasic and Heinemann, 1991; Hollmann e al.,
1991; Ve doo n e al., 1991; Bu nashe e al., 1992; Somme and
Seebu g, 1992; Pelleg ini-Giampie o e al., 1997; Swanson e al.,
1997). A g ea deal o ea lie expe imen al e idence indica ed ha
di e en popula ions o neu ons in he supe icial spinal do sal
ho n show di e en ial AMPA ecep o exp ession. Kaina e-
induced cobal -up ake and immunocy ochemical s udies
s ongly indica ed ha a majo i y o neu ons immuno eac i e o
GABA a e posi i ely s ained o GluR1 bu no GluR2 and do
exp ess Ca
2⫹
-pe meable AMPA ecep o s, whe eas se e al sub-
popula ions o pu a i e exci a o y in e neu ons do no exp ess
Ca
2⫹
-pe meable AMPA ecep o s (Ke e al., 1998; Albuque -
que e al., 1999; Engelman e al., 1999). The con as ing dis ibu-
ion o GluR1 and GluR2/3 immuno eac i i y aised he possibil-
i y ha some neu ons in he supe icial do sal ho n may exp ess
only one o he wo ecep o subuni s. O he s udies, howe e ,
sugges ed ha indi idual do sal ho n neu ons can exp ess bo h
Ca
2⫹
-pe meable and Ca
2⫹
-impe meable AMPA ecep o s
(Golds ein e al., 1995; Gu e al., 1996; Albuque que e al., 1999).
This no ion was s ongly ein o ced by a ecen immuno luo es-
cence s udy showing ha i ually all GluR1-immuno eac i e
punc a ha we e assumed o ep esen pos synap ic memb anes
we e also GluR2 immuno eac i e h oughou he do sal ho n
(Nagy e al., 2004).
Al hough immunocy ochemical colocaliza ion s udies p o-
ide only ci cums an ial e idence ega ding he subuni compo-
si ion o indi idual AMPA ecep o complexes, ou p esen ind-
ings a e in ag eemen wi h he epo o Nagy e al. (2004). We
also ound ha he majo i y o comple e pos synap ic memb ane
specializa ions (99%) displayed posi i e immunolabeling o
GluR2, and mos o hem (87%) we e also immuno eac i e o
GluR1. On he o he hand, howe e , al hough he o e lap be-
ween GluR1 and GluR2 immuno eac i i y was high, he num-
be s o gold pa icles labeling GluR1 and GluR2 molecules a ied
a indi idual pos synap ic ac i e zones. I is he e o e likely ha
he a ge ing o AMPA ecep o subuni s o indi idual pos syn-
ap ic memb anes is ema kably complex. Di e en AMPA ecep-
o ion channels wi hin he same pos synap ic memb ane may
p esen di e en subuni composi ion. Ca
2⫹
-pe meable AMPA
ecep o s can be in e mingled wi h GluR2-con aining ecep o s
wi hin he same pos synap ic ac i e zones, and he a io be ween
Ca
2⫹
-pe meable and Ca
2⫹
-impe meable AMPA ecep o s may
a y in a wide ange. Mo eo e , we encoun e ed his di e en ial
exp ession o GluR1 and GluR2 subuni s e en a pos synap ic
memb ane specializa ions ha we e loca ed in a close icini y o
each o he on he same neu on, indica ing ha he a ge ing o
AMPA ecep o subuni s o pos synap ic memb anes migh be
egula ed by p esynap ic mechanisms.
Figu e 7. His og am showing he dis ibu ion o su ace a eas o comple e pos synap ic
memb ane specializa ions exp essing AMPA- and/o NMDA- ype glu ama e ecep o s in he
supe icial spinal do sal ho n o a s.
An al e al. •Synap ic Localiza ion o AMPA and NMDA Recep o s J. Neu osci., Sep embe 24, 2008 •28(39):9692–9701 • 9699
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