Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, CNRS UMR 8197, Inserm U1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France.
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2013 Jun;14(6):383-400. doi: 10.1038/nrn3504.
NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are glutamate-gated ion channels and are crucial for neuronal communication. NMDARs form tetrameric complexes that consist of several homologous subunits. The subunit composition of NMDARs is plastic, resulting in a large number of receptor subtypes. As each receptor subtype has distinct biophysical, pharmacological and signalling properties, there is great interest in determining whether individual subtypes carry out specific functions in the CNS in both normal and pathological conditions. Here, we review the effects of subunit composition on NMDAR properties, synaptic plasticity and cellular mechanisms implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders. Understanding the rules and roles of NMDAR diversity could provide new therapeutic strategies against dysfunctions of glutamatergic transmission.
N-甲基-D-天冬氨酸受体（NMDARs）是谷氨酸门控离子通道，对于神经元通讯至关重要。NMDAR 形成由几个同源亚基组成的四聚体复合物。NMDAR 的亚基组成具有可塑性，导致大量的受体亚型。由于每个受体亚型具有独特的生物物理、药理学和信号转导特性，因此人们非常感兴趣的是确定在中枢神经系统中，在正常和病理条件下，是否单个亚型执行特定的功能。在这里，我们综述了亚基组成对 NMDAR 特性、突触可塑性以及与神经精神疾病相关的细胞机制的影响。了解 NMDAR 多样性的规律和作用可能为对抗谷氨酸能传递功能障碍提供新的治疗策略。
