The model of glutamate-induced intracellular Ca~(2+) oscillation and intercellular Ca~(2+) wave in brain astrocytes

摘要

Astrocytes have glutamate (Glu) receptors as well as neurons do and they have been suggested to participate in the information processing of brain with neurons. The cultured hippocampal astrocytes have spontaneous oscillation of intracellular Ca~(2+) concentration ([Ca~(2+)]i). The application of Glu induces not only [Ca~(2+)]i oscillation but also Ca~(2+) wave which is propagating among the astrocytes. In the present study, we proposed the PLCδ model which could induce some types of glutamate-induced [Ca~(2+)]i responses and the intercellular Ca~(2+) wave observed in the experiment. Our simulation results suggested that PLCδ is a key molecule for [Ca~(2+)]i oscillation and wave.