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Sci. STKE, 21 May 2002
Vol. 2002, Issue 133, p. pe26
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.2002.133.pe26]

PERSPECTIVES

RNA Editing of Neurotransmitter Receptors in the Mammalian Brain

Claudia Schmauss1 and James R. Howe2*

1Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10032, USA.
2Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8066, USA.

Summary: RNA editing refers to various posttranscriptional mechanisms that alter the nucleotide sequence of RNA. In the mammalian brain, RNA editing results in significant changes in the functional properties of receptors for the important neurotransmitters glutamate and serotonin. These changes result from site-specific deamination of single adenosines in the pre-messenger RNA encoding these receptors. Here, we review what is known about the mechanisms underlying this editing, the consequences of RNA editing for glutamate and serotonin receptor function, and recent studies on transgenic mice and human post-mortem tissue that have begun to elucidate the role of RNA editing in the intact mammalian brain.

*Corresponding author. Telephone, 203-737-2398; e-mail, james.howe{at}yale.edu

Citation: C. Schmauss, J. R. Howe, RNA Editing of Neurotransmitter Receptors in the Mammalian Brain. Sci. STKE 2002, pe26 (2002).

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