Identification and localisation of the NR1 sub-unit homologue of the NMDA glutamate receptor in the honeybee brain

Abstract

The NR1 sub-unit homologue of the NMDA glutamate receptor was characterised in the honeybee. Sequence analysis suggests that the honeybee NMDA receptor may act as a coincidence detector molecule similar to its counterpart in the mammalian nervous system. The localisation of the expression sites at the mRNA and the protein levels indicates that the receptor is expressed throughout the brain, in neurons and in glial cells.