Anti-GRM2 (aa 707-716) polyclonal antibody

Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mG1uR2 and mGluR3, also called mGlu2 and mGlu3, encoded by GRM2 and GRM3, respectively) are therapeutic targets for several psychiatric disorders. GRM3 may also be a schizophrenia susceptibility gene. mG1uR2(-/-) and mG1uR3(-/-) mice provide the only unequivocal means to differentiate between these receptors, yet interpretation of in vivo findings may be complicated by secondary effects on expression of other genes. To address this issue, we examined the expression of NMDA receptor subunits (NR1, NR2A, NR2B) and glutamate transporters (EAAT1-3), as well as the remaining group II mGluR, in the hippocampus of mG1uR2(-/-) and mGluR3(-/-) mice, compared with wild-type controls. mG1uR2 mRNA was increased in mGluR3(-/-) mice, and vice versa. NR2A mRNA was increased in both knockout mice. EAAT1 (GLAST) mRNA and protein, and EAAT2 (GLT-1) protein, were reduced in mGluR3(-/-) mice, whereas EAAT3 (EAAC1) mRNA was decreased in mGluR2(-/-) mice. Transcripts for NR1 and NR2B were unchanged. The findings show a compensatory upregulation of the remaining group II metabotropic glutamate receptor in the knockout mice. Upregulation of NR2A expression suggests modified NMDA receptor signaling in mG1uR2(-/-) and mGluR3(-/-) mice, and downregulation of glutamate transporter expression suggests a response to altered synaptic glutamate levels. The results show a mutual interplay between mGluR2 and mGluR3, and also provide a context in which to interpret behavioral and electrophysiological results in these mice.

Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu2 and mGlu3, encoded by GRM2 and GRM3) have been implicated in both cognitive and emotional processes, although their precise role remains to be established. Studies with knockout (KO) mice provide an important approach for investigating the role of specific receptor genes in behaviour. In the present series of experiments we extended our prior characterisation of GRM2/3(-/-) double KO mice and, in complementary experiments, investigated the behavioural phenotype of single GRM2(-/-) and GRM3(-/-) mice. We found no consistent effect on anxiety in either the double or single KO mice. The lack of an anxiety phenotype in any of the lines contrasts with the clear anxiolytic effects of mGlu2/3 ligands. Motor co-ordination was impaired in GRM2/3(-/-) mice, but spared in single GRM2(-/-) and GRM3(-/-) mice. Spatial working memory (rewarded alternation) testing on the elevated 1-maze revealed a deficit in GRM2(-/-) mice throughout testing, whereas GRM3(-/-) mice exhibited a biphasic effect (initially impaired, but performing better than controls by the end of training). A biphasic effect on activity levels was seen for the GRM2(-/-) mice. Overall, the phenotype in both GRM2(-/-) and GRM3(-/-) mice was less pronounced - if present at all - compared to GRM2/3(-/-) mice, across the range of task domains. This is consistent with possible redundancy of function and/or compensation in the single KO lines. Results are discussed with reference to a possible role for group II metabotropic glutamate receptors at the interface between arousal and behavioural performance, according to an inverted U-shaped function. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).