Abstract

The autofluorescent serotonin analogue 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) was used to identify living catecholaminergic neurons in monolayer cultures derived from the embryonic rat mesencephalon. A high correlation between 5,7-DHT accumulation and aldehyde-induced catecholamine fluorescence as well as tyrosine hydroxylase but not dopamine-beta-hydroxylase or phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase immunoreactivity was found. This indicates that these cells were dopamine-containing neurons. Whole-cell patch recordings showed that all mesencephalic neurons had resting membrane potentials of -50 mV or greater and input resistances ranging between 200 and 700 M omega and exhibited spontaneous action potentials and postsynaptic potentials. The duration of the action potential of the dopamine-containing neurons was characteristically longer than that of the non-dopamine-containing mesencephalic cells. In some dopamine-containing neurons, repolarization of the action potential was clearly biphasic, and the slow phase of repolarization was reversibly blocked by local application of Cd2+ or Co2+. This "shoulder" in the action potential was never observed in non-dopamine-containing neurons, where Cd2+ or Co2+ application was always without effect. It is concluded that 5,7-DHT can be used to identify living dopamine-containing neurons in dissociated mesencephalic cultures and these neurons express distinct electrical properties.