BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A tiny piece of a critical receptor that fuels the brain and without which sentient beings cannot live has been discovered by University at Buffalo scientists as a promising new drug target for Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
The research on the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor is being published online Oct. 11 in Nature Communications.
"This is the first time that this site has been shown to be useful as a drug target," says Gabriela K. Popescu, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry in UB's School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and senior author on the study.
"If we could find a drug that attaches itself to this site and locks together NMDA receptor subunits, that would be huge for fighting disability from stroke and Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases."
The research focuses on the brain's receptors for the neurotransmitter, glutamate, which is implicated in these diseases as well as in other conditions, such as glaucoma.
The two main glutamate receptors in the brain are NMDA and AMPA receptors, both of which play critical roles in human learning and memory. Both types of receptors are made of four subunits and within each receptor these subunits are organized in pairs called dimers.
Because these receptors are so similar in structure, Popescu explains, it was assumed that they function in much the same way.
"But when we altered the dimer interface, the site where two subunits come together within each pair, we found that the NMDA receptor works just the opposite of the way that the AMPA receptor works," Popescu explains. "Cementing this interface in AMPA receptors leads to more activity, whereas we found just the opposite to be true in NMDA receptors."
By locking the subunits together, the UB researchers were able to achieve a marked reduction in NMDA activity and, subsequently, a marked reduction in the amount of calcium that enters neurons in response to
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| Contact: Ellen Goldbaum goldbaum@buffalo.edu 716-645-4605 University at Buffalo Source:Eurekalert |
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