GRIN2B/A0003

GRIN2B protein, also known as NR2B or A0003, is a subunit of the transmembrane N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), an important glutamate-gated ion channel expressed mostly in neurons.

GRIN2B protein, also known as NR2B or A0003, is a subunit of the transmembrane N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), an important glutamate-gated ion channel expressed mostly in neurons. As an integral part of the NMDAR complex, GRIN2B is involved in synaptic transmission and transduction of extracellular signals to various intracellular proteins. Within the NMDA receptor GRIN2B is associated with other subunits, GRIN1 and GRIN2A, GRIN2C, GRIN2D and GRIN3B. GRIN2B is especially important in early developmental stages and knock-out mice die shortly after birth. Interaction of the cytoplasmic C-terminus of the GRIN2B with intracellular proteins may account for severity of this phenotype, as knock-in mice with targeted deletion of only the cytoplasmic tail, die perinatally. Certain genetic polymorphisms of the GRIN2B protein are associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and alcoholism.