Regulation of proteins affecting NMDA receptor-induced excitotoxicity in a Huntington's mouse model.

Symptoms of Huntington's disease may be caused by a toxic insult triggered by the mutant human huntingtin (Htt) protein itself, by a maladaptive protective mechanism initiated in response to an insult, or by a combination of these. We observed a protection from N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-induced excitotoxicity in striata of symptomatic N171-82Q mice, a new transgenic model of Huntington's disease. The goal of this study was to determine if NMDA receptor-mediated signalling pathways are altered in these mice.

Association of NR3A with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor NR1 and NR2 subunits.

The NR3A subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor has been shown to form glutamatergic receptor complexes with NR1 and NR2 subunits and excitatory glycinergic receptor complexes with NR1 alone. We developed an antibody to NR3A and, using quantitative immunoblotting techniques, determined the degree of association between the NR3A subunit and the NR1 and NR2 subunits as well as changes in these associations during development. NR3A expression peaks between postnatal days 7 and 10 in the cortex, midbrain, and hippocampus and reaches higher maximal expression levels in these areas than in the olfactory bulb and cerebellum.

Tris(benzylthiolato)bismuth. Efficient Precursor to Phase-Pure Polycrystalline Bi(2)S(3).

Details of the synthesis, physical and spectroscopic characterization, and thermal decomposition of tris(benzylthiolato)bismuth, (BnS)(3)Bi, Bn = CH(2)C(6)H(5), are presented. Results from pyrolysis of (BnS)(3)Bi demonstrate that this compound is a convenient precursor to phase-pure, polycrystalline Bi(2)S(3) with low carbon and hydrogen contamination under mild thermal conditions (ca. 275 degrees C).