Glutamate ionotropic receptor NMDA type subunit 2A (GRIN2A) mRNA (GRIN2A mRNA)

GluN2A mRNA is the transcript of the GRIN2A gene, which encodes the GluN2A (or NR2A) subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, a critical component of excitatory synapses in the central nervous system (UniProt Q12879). This subunit is essential for mediating synaptic plasticity, long-term potentiation, and cognitive functions such as learning and memory (NCBI Gene 2903). Mutations in the GRIN2A gene, which affect the resulting mRNA and protein, are linked to a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, including the epilepsy-aphasia syndrome and Landau-Kleffner syndrome (Lemke et al., 2013). Therapeutic intervention at the mRNA level using antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) is an emerging strategy to treat these conditions by either degrading gain-of-function transcripts or enhancing the expression of functional subunits in haploinsufficiency cases (Strehlow et al., 2019). By targeting the mRNA directly, researchers aim to restore the balance of glutamatergic signaling and reduce seizure activity without the broad side effects often associated with small-molecule NMDA receptor antagonists. This precision medicine approach is currently in the preclinical and early clinical stages of development for various genetic epilepsies (Ionis Pharmaceuticals, 2024).

Other names

GluN2A mRNANR2A mRNANMDAR2A mRNAGlutamate receptor ionotropic NMDA 2A mRNAGRIN2A transcript

Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated degradation or splice modulation of the GRIN2A transcript to normalize GluN2A protein levels.