학술논문

Mutations in GRIN2A and GRIN2B encoding regulatory subunits of NMDA receptors cause variable neurodevelopmental phenotypes.
Document Type
Article
Source
Nature Genetics. Nov2010, Vol. 42 Issue 11, p1021-1026. 6p. 2 Diagrams, 2 Charts, 1 Graph.
Subject
*METHYL aspartate
*MAMMALOGICAL research
*GENETIC mutation
*PHENOTYPES
*INTELLECTUAL disabilities
Language
ISSN
1061-4036
Abstract
N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors mediate excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian brain. Two glycine-binding NR1 subunits and two glutamate-binding NR2 subunits each form highly Ca2+-permeable cation channels which are blocked by extracellular Mg2+ in a voltage-dependent manner. Either GRIN2B or GRIN2A, encoding the NMDA receptor subunits NR2B and NR2A, was found to be disrupted by chromosome translocation breakpoints in individuals with mental retardation and/or epilepsy. Sequencing of GRIN2B in 468 individuals with mental retardation revealed four de novo mutations: a frameshift, a missense and two splice-site mutations. In another cohort of 127 individuals with idiopathic epilepsy and/or mental retardation, we discovered a GRIN2A nonsense mutation in a three-generation family. In a girl with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy, we identified the de novo GRIN2A mutation c.1845C>A predicting the amino acid substitution p.N615K. Analysis of NR1-NR2AN615K (NR2A subunit with the p.N615K alteration) receptor currents revealed a loss of the Mg2+ block and a decrease in Ca2+ permeability. Our findings suggest that disturbances in the neuronal electrophysiological balance during development result in variable neurological phenotypes depending on which NR2 subunit of NMDA receptors is affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]