RNA editing of neurotransmitter receptors in the mammalian brain

RNA editing refers to various posttranscriptional mechanisms that alter the nucleotide sequence of RNA. In the mammalian brain, RNA editing results in significant changes in the functional properties of receptors for the important neurotransmitters glutamate and serotonin. These changes result from site-specific deamination of single adenosines in the pre-messenger RNA encoding these receptors. Here, we review what is known about the mechanisms underlying this editing, the consequences of RNA editing for glutamate and serotonin receptor function, and recent studies on transgenic mice and human post-mortem tissue that have begun to elucidate the role of RNA editing in the intact mammalian brain.