NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors are excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the brain critical for synaptic plasticity and neuronal development. These receptors are Ca2+-permeable glutamate-gated ion channels whose physiological properties are regulated by intracellular Ca2+. We report here the purification of a 20 kDa protein identified as calmodulin that interacts with the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor. Calmodulin binding to the NR1 subunit is Ca2+ dependent and occurs with homomeric NR1 complexes, heteromeric NR1/NR2 subunit complexes, and NMDA receptors from brain. Furthermore, calmodulin binding to NR1 causes a 4-fold reduction in NMDA channel open probability. These results demonstrate that NMDA receptor function can be regulated by direct binding of calmodulin to the NR1 subunit, and suggest a possible mechanism for activity-dependent feedback inhibition and Ca2+-dependent inactivation of NMDA receptors.

Ca2+ influx through N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors activates signal transduction pathways critical for many forms of synaptic plasticity in the brain. NMDA receptor-mediated Ca2+ influx also downregulates the gating of NMDA channels through a process called Ca2+-dependent inactivation (CDI). Recent studies have demonstrated that the calcium binding protein calmodulin directly interacts with NMDA receptors, suggesting that calmodulin may play a role in CDI. We report here that the mutation of a specific calmodulin binding site in the CO region of the NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor blocks CDI. Moreover, intracellular infusion of a calmodulin inhibitory peptide markedly reduces CDI of both recombinant and neuronal NMDA receptors. Furthermore, this inactivating effect of calmodulin can be prevented by coexpressing a region of the cytoskeletal protein alpha-actinin2 known to interact with the CO region of NR1. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the binding of Ca2+/calmodulin to NR1 mediates CDI of the NMDA receptor and suggest that inactivation occurs via Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent release of the receptor complex from the neuronal cytoskeleton.

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