| ID | Sequence | Length | GC content |
|---|---|---|---|
| GCAGUCGCCGCAGCGUCCGGACCGGAACCAGCGCCGUCCGCGGAGCCGC… | 3905 nt | 0.6597 | |
| GCAGUCGCCGCAGCGUCCGGACCGGAACCAGCGCCGUCCGCGGAGCCGC… | 4079 nt | 0.6524 | |
| GCAGUCGCCGCAGCGUCCGGACCGGAACCAGCGCCGUCCGCGGAGCCGC… | 3968 nt | 0.6562 | |
| GCAGUCGCCGCAGCGUCCGGACCGGAACCAGCGCCGUCCGCGGAGCCGC… | 4379 nt | 0.6600 | |
| GCAGUCGCCGCAGCGUCCGGACCGGAACCAGCGCCGUCCGCGGAGCCGC… | 4268 nt | 0.6638 |
The protein encoded by this gene is a critical subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, members of the glutamate receptor channel superfamily which are heteromeric protein complexes with multiple subunits arranged to form a ligand-gated ion channel. These subunits play a key role in the plasticity of synapses, which is believed to underlie memory and learning. Cell-specific factors are thought to control expression of different isoforms, possibly contributing to the functional diversity of the subunits. Alternatively spliced transcript variants have been described. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
A study in humans demonstrated that the GRIN1 gene, encoding the essential NMDA GluN1 subunit, had the highest expression across all 16 examined brain regions and was expressed to the same degree in each region [Enoch et al. DOI:10.1111/Gbb.12179]. In a mouse model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the GRIN1 transcript was identified as a member of a hippocampal gene expression module correlated with anxiety-like behavior and treatment involving prenatal ethanol exposure and postnatal stress [Alberry et al. DOI:10.1186/S11689-020-09316-3]. A study in mouse fetal cortical neurons demonstrated that chronic ethanol exposure significantly upregulates the binding activity of a specific 156-nt cis-acting region within the NR1 mRNA 3'-UTR to polysomal trans-acting proteins, including the 88-kDa protein identified as the beta subunit of alpha glucosidase II (GIIβ), whose polypeptide levels and specific RNA-binding activity increase by approximately 41% and 80%, respectively, following treatment [Anji & Kumari DOI:10.1111/J.1460-9568.2006.04776.X]. In humans, research on peripheral blood lymphocytes from opioid-addicted, methadone-maintained, and abstinent subjects investigated NMDA receptor subunits, noting that NR1 mRNA expression is increased in specific rat brain regions after chronic opioid treatment, as cited in the discussion of the study [Sedaghati et al. DOI:10.1016/J.Ejphar.2010.02.007].