Glial @entity2227 transporters and maturation of the XXXX somatosensory cortex.

@entity2227 @entity25842 @entity15368 @entity19 @entity897
In the adult nervous system, glutamatergic neurotransmission is tightly controlled by neuron-glia interactions through glial @entity2227 reuptake by the specific transporters @entity15368 and @entity25842 . Here, we have explored the role of these transporters in the structural and functional maturation of the somatosensory cortex of the @entity19 . We provide evidence that @entity15368 and @entity25842 are early and selectively expressed in barrels from P5 to P10. Confocal and electron microscopy confirm that the expression is restricted to the astroglial membrane. By P12, and despite an increased global expression as observed by immunoblotting, the barrel pattern of @entity25842 and @entity15368 staining is no longer evident. In P10 @entity15368 -/- and @entity25842 -/- @entity19 , the cytoarchitectural segregation of the barrels is preserved. However, at P9-10, the functional response to whisker stimulation, measured by @entity897 uptake, is markedly decreased in @entity15368 -/- and @entity25842 -/- @entity19 . The role of @entity25842 is transient since the metabolic response is already restored at P11-12 in @entity25842 -/- @entity19 and remains unchanged in adulthood. However, deletion of @entity15368 seems to impair the functional metabolic response until adulthood. Our data suggest that astrocyte-neuron interactions via the glial @entity2227 transporters are involved in the functional maturation of the whisker representation in the somatosensory cortex.
