Group-II metabotropic glutamate receptors negatively modulate NMDA transmission at striatal cholinergic terminals: role of P/Q-type high voltage activated Ca++ channels and endogenous dopamine

Striatal cholinergic nerve terminals express functional group-II metabotropic (mGlu) and NMDA glutamate receptors. To investigate whether these receptors interact to regulate ACh release, LY354740 (a group-II mGlu receptor agonist) and NMDA were co-applied in striatal synaptosomes and slices. LY354740 prevented the NMDA-evoked [3H]-choline release from synaptosomes and ACh release from slices. In synaptosomes, this modulation was prevented by omega-agatoxin IVA, suggesting that it was mediated by P/Q-type high voltage activated Ca++ channels. In slices, LY341495 (a group-II mGlu receptor antagonist) enhanced the NMDA-induced ACh release, suggesting that group-II mGlu receptor activation by endogenous glutamate inhibits NMDA transmission. Co-immunoprecipitation studies excluded direct group-II mGlu-NMDA receptor interactions. Finally, group-II mGlu negative modulation of NMDA transmission was abolished in dopamine-depleted synaptosomes and slices, suggesting that it relied on endogenous dopamine. We conclude that group-II mGlu receptors attenuate NMDA inputs at striatal cholinergic terminals via Ca++ channel modulation and dopamine-sensitive pathways.