Regulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors by astrocytic d-serine

1. Neuroscience. 2009 Jan 12;158(1):275-83. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.01.071.
Epub 2008 Feb 19.

Regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors by astrocytic D-serine.

Oliet SH(1), Mothet JP.

Author information:
(1)Neurocentre Magendie, INSERM U862, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33077 Bordeaux,
France.

NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are key glutamatergic receptors in the CNS. Their
permeability to Ca2+ and their voltage-dependent Mg2+ block make them essential
for synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, rhythmogenesis, gene expression
and excitotoxicity. One very peculiar property is that their activation requires
the binding of both glutamate and a co-agonist like glycine or D-serine. There is
a growing body of evidence indicating that D-serine, rather than glycine as
originally thought, is the endogenous ligand for NMDARs in many brain structures.
D-serine is synthesized mainly in glial cells and it is released upon activation
of glutamate receptors. Its concentration in the synaptic cleft controls the
number of NMDAR available for activation by glutamate. Consequently, the glial
environment of neurons has a critical impact on the direction and magnitude of
NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity.

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.01.071
PMID: 18358625 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

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