Gene structure of the murine N-methyl D-aspartate receptor subunit NR2C.

The murine N-methyl D-aspartate receptor subunit NR2C (epsilon-3) is encoded by a unique gene composed of 12 translated and three 5'-untranslated exons that spread over approximately 20 kilobases of genomic sequence. The GC-rich promoter that lacks TATA- and CAAT-positioning elements has two transcriptional start sites separated by 18 base pairs. One of these sites is located in a conserved initiator motif and, together with the first four exons, specifies the 5'-untranslated sequence of 772 nucleotides. In this sequence, two alternative splice variants were detected that show identical expression patterns in adult mouse brain. Comparison of intron positions in genes encoding different members of the glutamate receptor family confirms a close evolutionary relationship of the NR2C and NMDAR1 subunit genes.