The complete sequences and expression patterns of the NR1 (aptNR1) subunit of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and its alternative splice isoforms have been determined for the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus. The deduced amino acid sequence of aptNR1 is approximately 88 % identical to the NR1 sequences of other vertebrate. Two of the three alternative splice cassettes pre...

Although the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor plays a critical role in the central nervous system, many questions remain regarding the relationship between its structure and functional properties. In particular, the involvement of ligand-binding domain closure in determining agonist efficacy, which has been reported in other glutamate receptor subtypes, remains unresolved. To address this q...

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation in rat kidney reduces renal perfusion and ultrafiltration. Hypoperfusion-induced ischemia is the most frequent cause of functional insufficiency in the endotoxemic kidney. Here, we used non-hypotensive rat model of lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxemia to examine whether NMDA receptor hyperfunction contributes to acute kidney injury. Lipopolysacc...

The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors comprises both NR1 and NR2 subunits, and plays numerous roles in both physiological and pathophysiological processes in the central nervous system (CNS). NR2C-containing NMDA receptors are most abundant in cerebellum, thalamus and olfactory bulb, and are also expressed in oligodendrocytes and hippocampal interneurons. We ...

Glutamatergic neurotransmission in the neostriatum and the globus pallidus is mediated through NMDA-type as well as other glutamate receptors and is critical in the expression of basal ganglia function. In order to characterize the cellular, subcellular and subsynaptic localization of NMDA receptors in the neostriatum and globus pallidus, multiple immunocytochemical techniques were applied usin...

The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is fundamental to normal and pathological functioning of neurons. The receptor subunits are N-glycosylated proteins synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) that fold, mature, and oligomerize as they transit through the secretory pathway. Although the early processes of biogenesis are fundamental to NMDAR expression and function, our knowledge of t...

The four stereoisomers of azetidine-2,3-dicaroxylic acid (L-trans-ADC, L-cis-ADC, D-trans-ADC, and D-cis-ADC) were synthesized in a stereocontrolled fashion following two distinct strategies: one providing the two cis-ADC enantiomers and one giving access to the two trans-ADC enantiomers. The four azetidinic amino acids were characterized in a radioligand binding assay ([(3)H]CGP39653) at nativ...

Two types of subunit (an NR1 subunit and one of the NR2 subunits) are sufficient to form efficient NMDA receptors. In order to investigate whether functional receptors may contain more than one sort of NR2 subunit, NR1, NR2A and NR2D subunits were co-expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Single channel recordings from the oocytes showed, as expected, channel openings that are characteristic of NR1/NR2A...

The presence of anti-NMDA receptor autoantibody can cause various neuropsychiatric symptoms in the affected patients, termed anti-NMDA receptor autoimmune encephalitis. Detection of the specific autoantibody against the NMDA receptor in the blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is essential for the accurate diagnosis of this condition. The NMDA receptor is an ion channel protein complex that conta...

N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) mediate interneuronal communication and are broadly involved in nervous system physiology and pathology (Dingledine et al., 1999). Memantine, a drug that blocks the ion channel formed by NMDARs, is a widely prescribed treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (Schmitt, 2005; Lipton, 2006; Parsons et al., 2007). Research on memantine’s mechanism of action has focus...