A gene coding for a modification of an NMDA type glutamate receptor obtained from a mouse cerebellum is prepared by the site-specific mutagenesis of the glutamate receptor cDNA. The above modification is prepared by synthesizing an mRNA from the above gene and introducing the mRNA into the ovocyte of Xenopus laevis to effect translation. The modification is useful for clarifying the mechanism of neurotransmission across synapses, that of development of synaptic plasticity serving as the base of memory and learning and that of neurocyte necrosis occurring in the morbidity caused by cerebral ischemia and status epilepticus, for understanding the mechanism of neurotransmission in the central nervous system and the superstructure and morbidity of the brain, and for creating the therapy of genetic diseases and novel medicines. <IMAGE>
NOVEL PROTEIN AND GENE CODING FOR THE SAME.