Glutamate receptors localize postsynaptically at neuromuscular junctions in mice
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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Single Synapse Indicators of Glutamate Release and Uptake in Acute Brain Slices from Normal and Huntington Mice
Published on: March 11, 2020
Tessily A Mays1, Jamie L Sanford, Toshihiko Hanada
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 410 Hamilton Hall, College of Medicine, Ohio State University, 1645 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
Abstract:
Dlg (Discs Large) is a multidomain protein that interacts with glutamate receptors and potassium channels at Drosophila neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and at mammalian central nervous system synapses. Dlg also localizes postsynaptically at cholinergic mammalian NMJs. We show here that alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-proprionate (AMPA) receptor subunits, together with glutamate, are present at the mammalian NMJ. Both AMPA and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) glutamate receptor subunits display overlapping postsynaptic localization patterns with Dlg at all NMJs examined in normal mice. Kir2 potassium channels also localize with Dlg and glutamate receptors at this synapse. Localization of the components of a glutamatergic system suggests novel mechanisms at mammalian neuromuscular synapses.
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