The discovery of the Glutamate Receptor Interacting Protein (GRIP-1) came as a result of the observation that Glutamate Receptors, such as the NMDA receptor, cluster during a synapse. By using immunocytochemistry and comparing the location of GRIP and AMPA receptors it was determined that GRIP and AMPA receptors experience colocalization in hippocampal neurons. Mutations to GRIP1 play a role in less than 10% of confirmed cases of the group of congenital defects known as Fraser syndrome. GRIP1 is also essential for proper function and structure of the dermo-epidermal junction.
