NMDA受体NR2A亚单位C末端突变体在HEK293细胞的共表达研究

目的：研究N—甲基—D—天冬氨酸(NMDA)受体NR2A亚单位的细胞内羧基端在受体装配和表面表达中的作用。方法：构建N末端GFP标记、C末端不同区域缺失的NR2A亚单位表达载体GFP—NR2A△C1～GFP—NR2A△C5，其C末端缺失区依次分别为897L—1017S、1024D—1142P、1149D—1347G、1354S—1464V和897L—1464V。将它们单独转染或与NR1亚单位共转染到HEK293细胞，用抗GFP多克隆抗体和Cy3荧光素交联的二抗作活细胞表面受体染色。结果：成功构建了5个C末端不同区域缺失的GFP—NR2A表达质粒GFP—NR2A△C1～GFP—NR2A△C5。将这些载体分别单独转染HEK293细胞，均不能获得达细胞膜表面表达。而将这些质粒分别与NR1—1a共转染HEK293细胞，发现它们均能与NR1—1a表达于细胞膜表面。结论：NR1—1a与NR2A的共表达是形成NR1—1a／NR2A亚型NMDA受体并获得细胞表面表达的必要条件。NR2AC末端897L下游并未找到直接与NR1—1a C1盒中内质网滞留基序相互作用的某一特定区域，也不含有决定NR2A亚单位本身细胞内滞留的区域。

Surface expression of NMDA receptors composed of NR1 subunit and NR2A subunit mutants with partially deleted C-terminus in HEK293 cells

OBJECTIVE: To examine the potential function of NMDA receptor NR2A subunit C-terminus in assembling and surface expression of the receptor in HEK293 cells. METHODS: Five vectors GFP- NR2ADeltaC1- DeltaC5 were constructed for expressing N-terminally GFP-tagged NR2A with C-terminal deletion at different regions by using conventional techniques of molecular cloning. The deleted region for NR2ADeltaC1-Delta C5 was 897L-1017S, 1024D-1142P, 1149D-1347G, 1354S-1464V, and 897L-1464V. These plasmids were transfected alone or co-transfected with NR1-1a into HEK293 cells. The surface NMDA receptors were immuno-stained using rabbit antibody against GFP and Cy3 conjugated secondary antibody in living cells. RESULT: The vectors GFP-NR2ADeltaC1-DeltaC5 were generated and all of them expressed GFP fluorescence in the transfected cells. Surface NMDA receptors were detected by immuno-labeling with anti-GFP in the cells co-transfected by NR1-1a and any one of GFP-NR2ADeltaC1-DeltaC5. However, no surface expression of NR2A proteins was found in the transfected cells with any one of these plasmids alone. CONCLUSION: Within the region downstream from the 897L of NR2A subunit, neither a particular domain directly interacted with ER retention domain in NR1-1a C1 cassette, nor that determining ER retention of NR2A subunit itself has been found, indicating that more complicated mechanisms might exist in which the subunit assembling and targeting to plasma membrane of NMDA receptors undergo.