In this study, the first quantitative analysis of a complete set of TRPC subunits in Purkinje neurons, by using the fast and highly sensitive method of the quantitative single-cell RT-PCR, is described. While the TRPC1 was the dominant subunit in the whole brain, the expression of TRPC3 was as high as the expression of the TRPC1 subunit in the cerebellum. In the single Purkinje neurons, the TRPC3 subunit was found to be predominately expressed followed by the TRPC1 and TRPC4 subunits. The TRPC5, TRPC6 and TRPC7 subunits were found to be present in a very low amount or not at all. No up-or down-regulation of the TRPC subunits was noticed in the TRPC1 knockout mice. Based on these results it was possible to assign a physiological function to a TRPC channel in a central neuron. The TRPC channels and specifically the TRPC1 channel subunit have been reported to mediate the mGluR1-evoked slow excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) in the Purkinje neurons (Kim et al., 2003). Nevertheless, namely in the TRPC3 knockout mice, the Purkinje cells lack the mGluR1 mediated slow EPSC and the motor coordination is disturbed (Hartmann et al., 2008.).
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In this study, the first quantitative analysis of a complete set of TRPC subunits in Purkinje neurons, by using the fast and highly sensitive method of the quantitative single-cell RT-PCR, is described. While the TRPC1 was the dominant subunit in the whole brain, the expression of TRPC3 was as high as the expression of the TRPC1 subunit in the cerebellum. In the single Purkinje neurons, the TRPC3 subunit was found to be predominately expressed followed by the TRPC1 and TRPC4 subunits. The TRPC5,...
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