Abstract
Recent receptor cloning strategies have identified the existence of multiple NMDA receptor subunits in rodent and primate CNS [1-3]. The relationship of these NMDA subunits with other members of the glutamate receptor family, and the history of NMDA subunit cloning, have been comprehensively reviewed by Priestley in the preceding chapter. Briefly, three families of subunits have been identified, termed NMDA NR1 and NMDA NR2 and more recently NMDA NR3 [4, 5]. A single gene containing 22 exons encodes for the NR1 subunit. Three of these exons can undergo alternative splicing to produce eight different isoforms. The first site for alternative splicing is at exon 5 (situated near the 5’ end of the mRNA and coding for a 21 amino acid sequence near the extracellular N-terminal). The other sites are at exons 21 and 22 at the 3’ end (which code for changes in the peptide of 37 and 38 amino acids respectively near the intracellular C-terminal). Expression studies suggest that these isoforms confer distinct functional properties on the NMDA receptor complex ([6-9]; for review see Priestley, this volume). Varied nomenclature has been used for these isoforms (and is shown in Table 1). In this and the preceding chapter the system used is that proposed by Durand [8] which follows the format: NR1000 to NR1111where the subscripts represent the absence (0) or presence (1) of exons 5, 21 and 22 respectively. It is possible to design oligonucleotide probes for in situ hybridisation studies and antibodies for immunocytochemistry studies that are selective for the variation at the 5’ end (exon 5) or for the variations at the 3’ end (exons 21,22), but not for both termini simultaneously. Thus the precise isoform species can only be inferred and it is necessary to introduce a subscript (x) for mRNA species where the full isoform is not known. For example when testing to determine whether exon 5 is present the notation would be NR11xxor NRl0xx, however if determining the 3’ end the notation might be NR1x11 orNR1x01 etc. To date the isoform NR1110 has not been found.
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Rigby, M., Heavens, R.P., Smith, D., O’Donnell, R., Hill, R.G., Sirinathsinghji, D.I.S. (2002). Distribution of NMDA receptors in brain and spinal cord. In: Sirinathsinghji, D.J.S., Hill, R.G. (eds) NMDA Antagonists as Potential Analgesic Drugs. Progress in Inflammation Research. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8139-5_3
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