Purinergic signaling in terminal Schwann cells associated with lanceolate sensory endings

摘要

To examine roles of endogenous ecto-ATPases for regulation of local glial signals, terminal Schwann cells in lanceolate sensory endings innervating rat vibrissae were observed both by enzyme histochemistry and by confocal Ca~(2+) imaging. In the latter, ATP release was induced by local mechanical stimuli in a culture medium containing the ecto-ATPase inhibitor ARL67156. The peripheral glia revealed an intense ecto- ATPase activity on the lamellar processes covering receptor axons. Ca~(2+) image analyses show that the glial lamellae can individually respond to local purinergic stimuli with their own Ca~(2+) signals through enzymatic regulation of the range of signal propagation.