Nerve injury enhances rat neuronal glutamate transporter expression: identification by differential display PCR.

An increase in neuronal glutamate transporter expression after nerve injury was demonstrated by means of differential display PCR (DD-PCR) coupled with in situ hybridization. DD-PCR was carried out to compare differences in expression of mRNAs between axotomized and normal hypoglossal motoneurons in the rat. The expression of several gene fragments were found to be increased following nerve injury; the full length cDNA corresponding to one fragment was cloned by subsequent rat cDNA library screening. The close homology of glutamate transporters with our rat cDNA led us to conclude that this clone corresponds to the rat neuronal glutamate transporter (rat EAAC1). We speculate that the upregulation of this glutamate uptake system may increase the resistance of these cells against neurotoxic glutamate accumulation during the process of nerve regeneration.