Binding of [H]glycine, [H]β-alanine and [H]strychnine in cultured rat spinal cord and brain stem

Cultures of rat brain stem and spinal cord were used to visualize binding sites for ³H]glycine, ³H]β-alanine and their antagonist ³H]strychnine by light microscopic autoradiography. In spinal cord cultures, all radio-ligands were bound mainly to large neurones, probably motoneurones whereas in brain stem cultures, both medium-sized and large neurones were labelled. In contrast, glial cells did not show binding sites for any of the compounds studied, suggesting that glial elements may not possess receptors for glycine and β-alanine.