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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
An Electrochemiluminescence-Based Assay for MeCP2 Protein Variants
Published on: May 22, 2020
Diminished prevalence but preserved synaptic distribution of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits in the methyl CpG
E Maliszewska-Cyna1, D Bawa, J H Eubanks
1Division of Genetics and Development, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON M5T 2S8, Canada.
Abstract:
In this study, we examined the prevalence and distribution of NMDA receptor subunits within crude synaptic membranes derived from the brains of mice lacking methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Our results show that the distribution of NMDA receptor subunits within the detergent soluble, detergent resistant, and postsynaptic density microdomains is preserved at MeCP2-null synapses. However, analysis of the NMDA receptor subunit expression revealed a decrease in the prevalence of the GluN1 and GluN2A subunits in MeCP2-null tissue. Collectively, these results indicate that synaptic membrane microdomains at synapses of the MeCP2-null brain develop normally, and that NMDA receptor subunits are properly targeted and distributed within them. The under-representation of the GluN1 and GluN2A subunits suggests that MeCP2-null synapses contain fewer mature NMDA receptor complexes, and raises the possibility that impaired NMDA receptor ontogeny could contribute to Rett syndrome pathophysiology.
