POSTNATAL-DEVELOPMENT OF MESSENGER-RNA SPECIFIC FOR A METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR IN THE RAT-BRAIN

We examined the ontogenesis of a subtype of metabotropic glutamate receptors, termed mGluR1, which is linked to phosphoinositide metabolism, in various regions of rat brain during neonatal development. Northern blot analyses of mGluR1 mRNA indicated that mRNA increased monotonously or remained at plateau levels during the first 5 weeks after birth. In situ hybridization analyses supported this conclusion. The result is in contrast with the reported development of the activity in excitatory amino acid-stimulated phosphoinositide turnover during the same period. The latter increases during the first few weeks and then decreases sharply.