Transformation by concanavalin A of the response of molluscan neurones to L-glutamate

Abstract

Concanavalin A [Con A] caused in all Aplysia californica and Helix neurons a depolarizing response to L-glutamate. The Con A-induced glutamate response was pharmacologically distinct from the 3 cell-specific glutamate responses (2 inhibitory, 1 excitatory) that could be elicited from untreated molluscan neurons. The transformation in glutamate sensitivity brought about by Con A did not seem related to the lectin''s capacity to produce redistribution of receptor sites in cell membranes.