POLYAMINES POTENTIATE RESPONSES OF N-METHYL-D-ASPARTATE RECEPTORS EXPRESSED IN XENOPUS OOCYTES

被引:153
作者
MCGURK, JF
BENNETT, MVL
ZUKIN, RS
机构
[1] Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx
关键词
Excitatory neurotransmitter; Glutamate; Spermine; Synaptic transmission;
D O I
10.1073/pnas.87.24.9971
中图分类号
O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];
学科分类号
07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;
摘要
Glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, activates at least three types of channel-forming receptors defined by the selective agonists N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), kainate, and quisqualate [or more selectively by α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)]. Activation of the NMDA receptor requires glycine as well as NMDA or glutamate. Recent studies have provided evidence that certain polyamines potentiate the binding by NMDA receptors of glycine and the open channel blocker MK-801. To determine whether polyamines alter channel opening, we examined their effects on rat brain glutamate receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes. Our results demonstrate that spermine potentiates the response of the NMDA receptor but has no effect on responses to kainate and quisqualate. Furthermore, spermine increases the maximum response to NMDA and glycine and acts, at least in part, by increasing the apparent affinity of the NMDA receptor/channel complex for glycine. The present findings and the fact that polyamines are a natural constituent of brain suggest that polyamines may play a role in the regulation of glutamatergic transmission.
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页码:9971 / 9974
页数:4
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