In recombinant N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, two redox modulatory sites are thought to exist, one formed by Cys744 and Cys798 on NMDA receptor subunit (NR) 1, and a second one, not yet localized, on NR2A. Reductants increase the open dwell-time and opening frequency of NR1/NR2A channels. In contrast, NR1/NR2B and NR1/NR2C channels exhibit changes only in opening frequency after redox t...

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDA-Rs) activation has been implicated in various forms of synaptic plasticity depending on the receptor subtypes involved. However, the contribution of NR2A and NR2B subunits in glycine-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) in layer II/III pyramidal neurons of the rat visual cortex remains unclear. The prese...

Abnormal function of NMDA receptor has been suggested to be correlated with the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) as well as with the development of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA)-induced dyskinesia. Here we show that NMDA receptor NR2 subunits display specific alterations of their subcellular distribution in striata from unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned, L-DOPA-treated dyski...

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are clustered at synapses via their association with the PSD-95 (post-synaptic density-95) membrane associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) family of scaffolding proteins. PSD-95 is the best characterized of this family. It is known to associate with NMDA receptor NR2 subunits via a conserved ES(E/D)V amino acid sequence located at their C-termini and thus to p...

The subunit composition of glutamate receptors affects their functional properties, and could contribute to abnormal electrophysiology in pediatric cortical dysplasia (CD). We examined electrophysiological responses and subunit assembly of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in acutely dissociated normal-appearing pyramidal and cytomegalic neurons from CD tissue and normal-appearing pyramidal...

Interactions between NMDA receptors (NMDARs) and the PDZ [postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95)/Discs large/zona occludens-1] domains of PSD-95/SAP90 (synapse-associated protein with a molecular weight of 90 kDa) family proteins play important roles in the synaptic targeting and signaling of NMDARs. However, little is known about the mechanisms that regulate these PDZ domain-mediated interactions. H...

BACKGROUND NR2B subunits (NMDA receptor 2B subunit) play an important role in generation of pain and forming central sensitization of pain. Ro 25-6981, a highly selective NR2B antagonist, gained much attention in recent years. In this study, we used a rat model of incisional pain to investigate effects of postoperative analgesia and changes of postoperative hyperalgesia induced by remifentanil ...

NMDA receptor (NMDAR) 2A (NR2A)- and NR2B-type NMDARs coexist in synapses of CA1 pyramidal cells. Recent studies using pharmacological blockade of NMDAR subtypes proposed that the NR2A type is responsible for inducing long-term potentiation (LTP), whereas the NR2B type induces long-term depression (LTD). This contrasts with the finding in genetically modified mice that NR2B-type NMDARs induce L...

During early postnatal development in the rat hippocampus, synaptogenesis occurs in parallel with a developmental switch in the subunit composition of NMDA receptors from NR2B to NR2A. It is unclear how this switch affects the process of synaptogenesis, synapse maturation, and synapse stabilization. We investigated the role of NR2 subunits in synaptogenesis during the period in which expression...

The development of cortical neurons in vivo and in vitro is accompanied by alterations in NMDA receptor subunit expression and concomitant modifications in the pharmacological profile of NMDA-activated ionic currents. For example, we observed that with decreasing NR2B/NR2A subunit expression ratio, the block of NMDA receptor-mediated whole-cell responses by the NR2B-selective antagonist haloper...