Different expression role among glutamate transporters in rat retinal glial cells under various culture conditions.

Using cultured rat retinal glial cells, the changes in the expression of glutamate transporters (GLTs) under such conditions as the degree of confluence of the cells, hypoxia, glutamate loading, and potassium loading, were assessed. After the retinal glial cells were isolated from 3-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats, GLAST, GLT-1, and EAAC1 mRNA expression was confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and their protein expression was confirmed by Western blot analysis and immunostaining. Changes in the expression of the GLTs at 6 h after passage and at confluence, during culture in 5% oxygen, during glutamate loading and during potassium loading were assessed using real-time PCR.