Expression of AMPA-type glutamate receptors in HEK cells and cerebellar granule neurons impairs CXCL2-mediated chemotaxis

We find that cerebellar granule neurons (CGN) obtained from newborn rats (p3) migrate in response to both CXC chemokine ligand-2 (CXCL2) and -12 (CXCL12), while CGN from p7 rats are unresponsive to CXCL2. The expression of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA)-type glutamate receptor 1 (GluR1) greatly impairs the chemotaxis induced by CXCL2 in CXCR2-expressing HEK cells. By immunoprecipitation, we show that CXCR2 is associated with AMPA receptors (AMPARs) in p7 CGN, and with GluR1 co-expressed in HEK cells. Taken together, these results suggest that the association between CXCR2 and AMPARs results in the inhibition of CXCL2-dependent chemotaxis, and may represent a molecular mechanism underlying the modulation of nerve cell migration.