First Author | Deep SN | Year | 2019 |
Journal | J Biol Chem | Volume | 294 |
Issue | 29 | Pages | 11154-11165 |
PubMed ID | 31167782 | Mgi Jnum | J:280732 |
Mgi Id | MGI:6368725 | Doi | 10.1074/jbc.RA119.008820 |
Citation | Deep SN, et al. (2019) GluN2A-NMDA receptor-mediated sustained Ca(2+) influx leads to homocysteine-induced neuronal cell death. J Biol Chem 294(29):11154-11165 |
abstractText | Homocysteine, a metabolite of the methionine cycle, is a known agonist of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), a glutamate receptor subtype and is involved in NMDAR-mediated neurotoxicity. Our previous findings have shown that homocysteine-induced, NMDAR-mediated neurotoxicity is facilitated by a sustained increase in phosphorylation and activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK MAPK). In the current study, we investigated the role GluN1/GluN2A-containing functional NMDAR (GluN2A-NMDAR) and GluN1/GluN2B-containing functional NMDAR (GluN2B-NMDAR) in homocysteine-induced neurotoxicity. Our findings revealed that exposing primary cortical neuronal cultures to homocysteine leads to a sustained low-level increase in intracellular Ca(2+) We also showed that pharmacological inhibition of GluN2A-NMDAR or genetic deletion of the GluN2A subunit attenuates homocysteine-induced increase in intracellular Ca(2+) Our results further established the role of GluN2A-NMDAR in homocysteine-mediated sustained ERK MAPK phosphorylation and neuronal cell death. Of note, the preferential role of GluN2A-NMDAR in homocysteine-induced neurotoxicity was distinctly different from glutamate-NMDAR-induced excitotoxic cell death that involves overactivation of GluN2B-NMDAR and is independent of ERK MAPK activation. These findings indicate a critical role of GluN2A-NMDAR-mediated signaling in homocysteine-induced neurotoxicity. |