Premium
Reduced expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor 2mRNA in T cells of ALS patients
Author(s) -
Poulopoulou Cornelia,
Davaki Panagiota,
Koliaraki Vassiliki,
Kolovou Dimitra,
Markakis Ioannis,
Vassilopoulos Dimitrios
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.20675
Subject(s) - metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 , metabotropic glutamate receptor 3 , metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 , metabotropic glutamate receptor 6 , metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 , metabotropic glutamate receptor , glutamate receptor , metabotropic receptor , metabotropic glutamate receptor 8 , metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 , metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 , glutamatergic , neuroscience , receptor , medicine , endocrinology , biology
Metabotropic glutamate receptors alter the vulnerability of neurons to excitotoxic damage and are reported to display abnormal expression in the central nervous system of ALS patients. Using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, we investigated the mRNA expression of specific metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes in T lymphocytes of 20 patients with sporadic ALS, compared with healthy age‐matched control subjects and patients with other neurological disorders. The levels of metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 mRNA were markedly reduced, whereas the expression of other subtypes (1b, 3, 8) was similar to control levels. Our findings may provide a reliable peripheral marker of the glutamatergic dysfunction that characterizes ALS. Ann Neurol 2006