LRRC8A-dependent volume-regulated anion channels contribute to ischemia-induced brain injury and glutamatergic input to hippocampal neurons.

LRRC8A-dependent volume-regulated anion channels contribute to ischemia-induced brain injury and glutamatergic input to hippocampal neurons. Exp Neurol. 2020 Jun 26;:113391 Authors: Zhou JJ, Luo Y, Chen SR, Shao JY, Sah R, Pan HL Abstract Volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) are critically involved in regulating cell volume, and leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 8A (LRRC8A, SWELL1) is an obligatory subunit of VRACs. Cell swelling occurs early after brain ischemia, but it is unclear whether neuronal LRRC8a contributes to ischemia-induced glutamate release and brain injury. We found that Lrrc8a conditional knockout (Lrrc8a-cKO) mice produced by crossing NestinCre+/- with Lrrc8aflox+/+ mice died 7-8 weeks of age, indicating an essential role of brain LRRC8A for survival. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) caused an early increase in LRRC8A protein levels in the hippocampus in wild-type (WT) mice. Whole-cell patch-clamp recording in brain slices revealed that oxygen-glucose deprivation significantly increased the amplitude of VRAC currents in hippocampal CA1 neurons in WT but not in Lrrc8a-cKO mice. Hypotonicity increased the frequency of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) in hippocampal CA1 neurons in WT mice, and this was abolished by DCPIB, a VRAC blocker. But in Lrrc8a-cKO mice, hypotonic solution had no effect on the frequency of sEPSCs in these neurons. Furthermore, the brain infarct volume and neu...
Source: Experimental Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Exp Neurol Source Type: research