Emerging structural insights into the function of ionotropic glutamate receptors.
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate excitatory neurotransmission crucial for brain development and function, including learning and memory formation. Recently a wealth of structural studies on iGluRs including AMPA receptors (AMPARs), kainate receptors, and NMDA receptors (NMDARs) became available. These studies showed structures of non-NMDARs including AMPAR and kainate receptor in various functional states, thereby providing the first visual sense of how non-NMDAR iGluRs may function in the context of homotetramers. Furthermore, they provided the first view of heterotetrameric NMDAR ion channels, and this illuminated the similarities with and differences from non-NMDARs, thus raising a mechanistic distinction between the two groups of iGluRs. We review mechanistic insights into iGluR functions gained through structural studies of multiple groups.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, W.M. Keck Structural Biology Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
Erkan
E
Karakas
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, W.M. Keck Structural Biology Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
Michael C
MC
Regan
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, W.M. Keck Structural Biology Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA. Electronic address: furukawa@cshl.edu.
Hiro
H
Furukawa
D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D058446:Ligand-Gated Ion Channels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D011487:Protein Conformation; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D058468:Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000235:genetics
D058446:Ligand-Gated Ion Channels; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D058468:Receptors, Ionotropic Glutamate; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate
ionotropic glutamate receptors; pharmacology; structural biology