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ABSTRACT Lurcher (_Lc_) is a spontaneous, semidominant mouse neurological mutation1. Heterozygous Lurcher mice (_Lc_/+) display ataxia as a result of a selective, cell-autonomous and
apoptotic death of cerebellar Purkinje cells during postnatal development2,3,4. Homozygous Lurcher mice (_Lc_/_Lc_) die shortly after birth because of a massive loss of mid- and hindbrain
neurons during late embryogenesis5. We have used positional cloning to identify the mutations responsible for neurodegeneration in two independent _Lc_ alleles as G-to-A transitions that
change a highly conserved alanine to a threonine residue in transmembrane domain III of the mouse δ2 glutamate receptor gene (GluRδ2). _Lc_/+ Purkinje cells have a very high membrane
conductance and a depolarized resting potential, indicating the presence of a large, constitutive inward current. Expression of the mutant GluRδ2_Lc_ protein in _Xenopus_ oocytes confirmed
these results, demonstrating that _Lc_ is inherited as a neurodegenerative disorder resulting from a gain-of-function mutation in a glutamate receptor gene. Thus the activation of apoptotic
neuronal death in Lurcher mice may provide a physiologically relevant model for excitotoxic cell death. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription
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ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS ADULT-ONSET DELETION OF _ATP13A2_ IN MICE
INDUCES PROGRESSIVE NIGROSTRIATAL PATHWAY DOPAMINERGIC DEGENERATION AND LYSOSOMAL ABNORMALITIES Article Open access 20 July 2024 _GRID1_/GLUD1 HOMOZYGOUS VARIANTS LINKED TO INTELLECTUAL
DISABILITY AND SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA IMPAIR MGLU1/5 RECEPTOR SIGNALING AND EXCITATORY SYNAPSES Article Open access 28 February 2024 LOSS OF ZINC-FINGER PROTEIN 212 LEADS TO PURKINJE CELL DEATH
AND LOCOMOTIVE ABNORMALITIES WITH PHOSPHOLIPASE D3 DOWNREGULATION Article Open access 23 November 2021 REFERENCES * Phillips, R. J. S. “Lurcher”, new gene in linkage group XI of the house
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_Methods Neurosci._ 19, 261–279 (1994). Article CAS Google Scholar Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank W. Hu for technical assistance; R. MacKinnon and J. Imredy for advice and
help with oocyte physiology experiments; colleagues of the Heintz and Linden laboratories for discussion and support; and C. Desplan, R. Duvoisin, J. Friedman, A. Hirano, A. J. Hudspeth, A.
S. Peterson, N. Segil and Z. P. Sun for critical reading of the manuscript. J.Z., W.J. and N.H. are supported by HHMI; P.L.D. is supported by NIH/NIGMS; D.J.L. is supported by PHS MH51106,
the McKnight Foundation, the Develbiss Fund, and the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Laboratory of Molecular
Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, 10021, New York, USA Jian Zuo, Philip L. De Jager, Weining Jiang & Nathaniel Heintz *
Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, 21205, Maryland, USA Kanji A. Takahashi & David J. Linden Authors * Jian
Zuo View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Philip L. De Jager View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google
Scholar * Kanji A. Takahashi View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Weining Jiang View author publications You can also search for this author
inPubMed Google Scholar * David J. Linden View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Nathaniel Heintz View author publications You can also
search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Nathaniel Heintz. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE
Zuo, J., De Jager, P., Takahashi, K. _et al._ Neurodegeneration in Lurcher mice caused by mutation in δ2 glutamate receptor gene. _Nature_ 388, 769–773 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/42009
Download citation * Received: 10 March 1997 * Accepted: 02 June 1997 * Issue Date: 21 August 1997 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/42009 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link
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