Expression of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit NR3B regulates dendrite morphogenesis in spinal motor neurons.

ABSTRACT: During postnatal development, the dendrites of spinal motor neurons are refined in an activity-dependent manner that can be influenced by blocking activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. In late postnatal life, dendritic refinement ceases, and dendrite architecture is unaffected by NMDA antagonists; however the molecular substrate for limiting dendritic plasticity is not understood. During late postnatal development, expression of the NR3B NMDA receptor subunit, a putative dominant-negative subunit that reduces glutamate-induced ionic currents, is upregulated within motor neurons. To investigate whether increasing NR3B expression may contribute to the loss in late development of activity-dependent dendritic reorganization in the spinal cord, we over-expressed NR3B in cultured

SUBMITTER: Prithviraj R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2597659 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature