N-TERMINAL SPLICE VARIANTS OF THE NMDAR1 GLUTAMATE-RECEPTOR SUBUNIT -DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION IN HUMAN AND MONKEY BRAIN

The distribution of the mRNA coding for the two N-terminal splice vari ants of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1) subunit of the gl utamate NMDA receptor was studied on whole-hemisphere human and macaca fascicularis brain sections by insitu hybridisation. Synthetic oligon ucleotides directed against NMDAR1a and NMDAR1b variants showed a spec ific distribution that was similar in human and monkey brain, with the NMDAR1 a isoform present in the majority of the NMDA receptors, and t he NMDAR1b variant present at high levels only in the cortex and denta te gyrus of the hippocampus. The distribution of the mRNAs for the NMD AR1pan and NMDAR1 a subunit reported in this study support previous fi ndings in rodent brain, while the restricted distribution of the NMDAR 1b variant found in human and monkey suggests some important differenc es in the composition of the NMDA receptor in rodents and primates. (C ) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.