Glutamate receptor ionotropic, NMDA 2A subunit (GluN2A (also known as NR2A))

Glutamate receptor ionotropic, NMDA 2A subunit (GluN2A/NR2A) is a critical component of the NMDA subtype of ionotropic glutamate receptors, which function as ligand-gated ion channels permeable to calcium, sodium, and potassium ions[5][2][3]. The receptor is a heterotetramer, typically composed of two GluN1 and two GluN2A subunits; the GluN2A subunit binds glutamate and determines key channel properties such as conductance, gating kinetics, and pharmacological profile. GluN2A is primarily expressed in the forebrain and cerebral cortex and is essential for normal synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory[1][3]. The NMDA receptor, and specifically its GluN2A subunit, is implicated in a variety of neurological disorders, including epilepsy, schizophrenia, and cognitive deficits. Drugs targeting this subunit modulate synaptic transmission by influencing channel opening and calcium permeability, but carry significant safety concerns related to excitotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and neuropsychiatric effects[7][5][3].

Other names

NR2AGluN2AGRIN2AGlutamate receptor NMDA type subunit 2AN-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 2A

Noncompetitive antagonism (e.g., memantine, ketamine block the ion channel pore); Competitive antagonism (at the glutamate or glycine binding site); Allosteric modulation (by zinc and other modulators binding the ATD)