First Author | Takahashi T | Year | 1996 |
Journal | J Neurosci | Volume | 16 |
Issue | 14 | Pages | 4376-82 |
PubMed ID | 8699248 | Mgi Jnum | J:34076 |
Mgi Id | MGI:81551 | Doi | 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.16-14-04376.1996 |
Citation | Takahashi T, et al. (1996) Functional correlation of NMDA receptor epsilon subunits expression with the properties of single-channel and synaptic currents in the developing cerebellum. J Neurosci 16(14):4376-82 |
abstractText | NMDA receptor (NMDAR) subunits epsilon 1-epsilon 4 are expressed differentially with respect to brain region and ontogenic period, but their functional roles still are unclear. We have compared an epsilon 1 subunit-ablated mutant mouse with the wild-type to characterize the effect of epsilon subunit expression on NMDAR-mediated single-channel currents and synaptic currents of granule cells in cerebellar slices. Single-channel and Western blot analyses indicated that the epsilon 2 subunit disappeared gradually during the first postnatal month in both wild-type and mutant mice. Concomitantly, the voltage-dependent Mg2+ block of NMDAR-mediated EPSCs (NMDA-EPSCs) was decreased. Throughout the developmental period studied, postnatal day 7-24 (P7-P24), the decay time course of NMDA-EPSCs in epsilon 1 mutant (-/-) mice was slower than in wild-type mice. We suggest that the expression of the epsilon 3 subunit late in development is responsible for a reduction in the sensitivity of NMDA-EPSCs to block by extracellular Mg2+ and that receptors containing the epsilon 1 subunit determine the fast kinetics of the NMDA-EPSCs. |