During development, NMDA receptors consist primarily of NR2B, but a few weeks after birth there is a switch to NR2A-containing receptors. The trigger for this switch is unknown, but Rodenas-Ruano et al. show that at developing rat hippocampal synapses, NMDA receptor genes are subject to transcriptional control by repressor element 1 silencing transcription factor (REST). Analysis of dentate granule cells revealed that REST becomes activated between postnatal day 15 (p15) and p60 and acts to repress GRIN2B (the gene that encodes NR2B). Interestingly, maternal deprivation reduced REST activation and prevented the switch in NMDA receptor phenotype, suggesting an involvement in experience-dependent synaptic plasticity.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Rodenas-Ruano, A. et al. REST-dependent epigenetic remodeling promotes the developmental switch in synaptic NMDA receptors. Nature Neurosci. 15, 1382–1390 (2012)
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Lewis, S. No REST for NMDA receptors. Nat Rev Neurosci 13, 740 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3369
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3369
