Purification of IgY against the NR3 subunit of the rat brain NMDA receptor

Objective. To obtain IgY antibodies against synthetic peptides of NR3A and NR3B subunits of the rat NMDA receptor, to recognize and follow the expression of these subunits in rat brain extract at different ages. Materials and methods. By using Entrez data base and ClustalW-PBIL program for sequence alignment two peptides against NR3A and NR3B subunits of the NMDA receptor were designed, Once synthesized by SSPS-fmoc method, peptides were then inoculated into 16-week-old chickens (Gallus gallus, var. Hy Line Brown). After 57 days specific IgY was purified and confronted with postnatal and adult rat brain extract. Results. Both subunits NR3A and NR3B were detected and their expression was related to rat age. The level of expression of NR3A was higher in postnatal rat brain extract; no marked differences in expression of NR3B were found for either age. Conclusions. This is the first research using native protein for recognition of the NR3 subunit of the NMDA receptor It shows the antibody specificity and contributes to understanding the receptor’s functions and its relation to spatial memory regulation.