Coexpression of glutamate vesicular transporter (VGLUT1) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) proteins in fetal rat hippocampal neurons in culture.

A very small population of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactive cells is observed in all layers of the adult hippocampus. This is the intrinsic source of the hippocampal cholinergic innervation, in addition to the well-established septo-hippocampal cholinergic projection. This study aimed at quantifying and identifying the origin of this small population of ChAT-immunoreactive cells in the hippocampus at early developmental stages, by culturing the fetal hippocampal neurons in serum-free culture and on a patternable, synthetic silane substrate N-1 [3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl] diethylenetriamine. Using this method, a large proportion of glutamatergic (glutamate vesicular transporter, VGLUT1-immunoreactive) neurons, a small fraction of GABAergic (GABA-immunoreactive) neurons, and a large proportion of cholinergic (ChAT-immunoreactive) neurons were observed in the culture. Interestingly, most of the glutamatergic neurons that expressed glutamate vesicular transporter (VGLUT1) also co-expressed ChAT proteins. On the contrary, when the cultures were double-stained with GABA and ChAT, colocalization was not observed. Neonatal and adult rat hippocampal neurons were also cultured to verify whether these more mature neurons also co-express VGLUT1 and ChAT proteins in culture. Colocalization of VGLUT1 and ChAT in these relatively more mature neurons was not observed. One possible explanation for this observation is that the neurons have the ability to synthesize multiple neurotransmitters at a very early stage of development and then with time follows a complex, combinatorial strategy of electrochemical coding to determine their final fate.