Glutamate regulates intracellular calcium and gene expression in oligodendrocyte progenitors through the activation of DL-(alpha)-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors

The hypothesis that glutamate may regulate intracellular calcium concentration and gene expression in O-2A progenitor cells was tested, particularly the analysis of a set of immediate early genes (IEGs) in view of their rapid receptor-dependent regulation. These IEGs are known to encode transcription factors that can in turn regulate the expression of other genes necessary for cell growth and differentiation.