Intracellular Ca2+ imaging of cultured chicken telencephalic cells: characterization of ionotropic glutamate receptor activation.

In the present study we investigated the intracellular [Ca2+] increasing effect of the excitatory amino acid agonists kainate, AMPA and NMDA on fura-2/AM loaded chicken telencephalic cells in various conditions. Kainate (110 microM) increased [Ca2+]i to 256 +/- 23% of the basal level (n = 7). In Ca(2+)-free medium the effect of kainate on intracellular Ca2+ was completely abolished indicating that the primary source of the Ca2+ signal was the extracellular pool. Voltage dependent Ca2+ channel antagonism by Cd2+ decreased the intracellular Ca2+ elevation caused by 100 microM kainate indicating the involvement of voltage dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCC).