Excitatory amino acid stimulation of the survival of rat cerebellar granule cells in culture is associated with an increase in SMN, the spinal muscular atrophy disease gene product.

Excitatory amino acids which promote the survival of cerebellar granule cells in culture, also promote the expression of the survival of motor neuron (SMN) protein. Immunolocalization studies using SMN monoclonal antibody showed that SMN is decreased in cultures grown in low K+ or chemically defined medium with respect to cultures grown in high K+ medium and that an increase of SMN can be induced by treatment of low K+ cultures with glutamate or N-methyl-D-aspartate.