PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Y Zilberter
AU  - V Uteshev
AU  - S Sokolova
AU  - B Khodorov
TI  - Desensitization of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in neurons dissociated from adult rat hippocampus.
DP  - 1991 Sep 01
TA  - Molecular Pharmacology
PG  - 337--341
VI  - 40
IP  - 3
4099  - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/40/3/337.short
4100  - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/40/3/337.full
SO  - Mol Pharmacol1991 Sep 01; 40
AB  - Desensitization of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-channel complex was studied in isolated rat hippocampal neurons using a fast drug application system. 1) Desensitization rate was slower at more negative membrane potentials and when external [Ca2+] was lowered. 2) In the presence of 10 microM glycine, 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate neither induced desensitization nor prevented recovery from it. 3) Preincubation in 500 microM aspartate or 10 microM glycine alone elicited desensitization only weakly or not at all. 4) Aspartate appeared to bind at its receptor site in the absence of glycine, and vice versa. It is proposed that, for the NMDA receptor, channel opening is necessary for the occurrence of desensitization and, thus, that desensitization involves structural changes in the channel-lining section of the protein rather than the glycine or NMDA binding sites.