Process for the permanent expression of glutamate receptors

The invention concerns a method for the preparation of eucaryotic cell lines for the permanently ectopic expression of glutamate receptors, the cell lines being prepared by the transformation of cells containing nucleic acids coding for glutamate receptors. The method is characterized in that, during the establishment of the cell lines, at least one of the following conditions is satisfied for the culture: a) the transformed cells are cultured in a culture medium containing a glutamate precursor; b) the transformed cells are cultured in the presence of a glutamate-receptor antagonist; c) the transformed cells are cultured in a first phase under conditions in which glutamate-receptor expression is repressed and in a second phase under conditions in which the repression is discontinued. The invention also concerns the cell lines thus obtained and their use.