N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subtype 3A promotes apoptosis in developing mouse brain exposed to hyperoxia

In the present study, 7 day postnatal C57/BL6 wild-type mice (hyperoxia group) and 7 day postnatal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subtype 3A knockout mice (NR3A KO group) were exposed to 75% oxygen and 15% nitrogen in a closed container for 5 days. Wild-type mice raised in normoxia served as controls. TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)/neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)/NeuN immunofluorescence staining showed that the number of apoptotic cells and the number of proliferative cells in the dentate subgranular zone significantly increased in the hyperoxia group compared with the control group. However, in the same hyperoxia environment, the number of apoptotic cells and the number of proliferative cells significantly decreased in the NR3A KO group compared with hyperoxia group. TUNEL(+)/NeuN(+) and BrdU(+)/NeuN(+) cells were observed in the NR3A KO and the hyperoxia groups. These results demonstrated that the NR3A gene can promote cell apoptosis and mediate the potential damage in the developing brain induced by exposure to non-physiologically high concentrations of oxygen.