Structural highlights
Function
[GRIA3_RAT] Receptor for glutamate that functions as ligand-gated ion channel in the central nervous system and plays an important role in excitatory synaptic transmission. L-glutamate acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter at many synapses in the central nervous system. Binding of the excitatory neurotransmitter L-glutamate induces a conformation change, leading to the opening of the cation channel, and thereby converts the chemical signal to an electrical impulse. The receptor then desensitizes rapidly and enters a transient inactive state, characterized by the presence of bound agonist. In the presence of CACNG4 or CACNG7 or CACNG8, shows resensitization which is characterized by a delayed accumulation of current flux upon continued application of glutamate (By similarity).
Evolutionary Conservation
Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
Glutamate receptors are important potential drug targets for cognitive enhancement and the treatment of schizophrenia in part because they are the most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the vertebrate central nervous system. One approach to the application of therapeutic agents to the AMPA subtype of glutamate receptors is the use of allosteric modulators, which promote dimerization by binding to a dimer interface thereby reducing the degree of desensitization and deactivation. AMPA receptors exist in two alternatively spliced variants (flip and flop) that differ in desensitization and receptor activation profiles. Most of the structural information about modulators of the AMPA receptor targets the flip subtype. We report here the crystal structure of the flop-selective allosteric modulator, PEPA, bound to the binding domains of the GluA2 and GluA3 flop isoforms of AMPA receptors. Specific hydrogen bonding patterns can explain the preference for the flop isoform. This includes a bidentate hydrogen bonding pattern between PEPA and N754 of the flop isoforms of GluA2 and GluA3 (the corresponding position in the flip isoform is S754). Comparison with other allosteric modulators provides a framework for the development of new allosteric modulators with preferences for either the flip or flop isoforms. In addition to interactions with N/S754, specific interactions of the sulfonamide with conserved residues in the binding site are characteristics of a number of allosteric modulators. These, in combination with variable interactions with five subsites on the binding surface, lead to different stoichiometries, orientations within the binding pockets, and functional outcomes.
Molecular Mechanism of Flop Selectivity and Subsite Recognition for an AMPA Receptor Allosteric Modulator: Structures of GluA2 and GluA3 in Complexes with PEPA.,Ahmed AH, Ptak CP, Oswald RE Biochemistry. 2010 Mar 12. PMID:20199107[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Ahmed AH, Ptak CP, Oswald RE. Molecular Mechanism of Flop Selectivity and Subsite Recognition for an AMPA Receptor Allosteric Modulator: Structures of GluA2 and GluA3 in Complexes with PEPA. Biochemistry. 2010 Mar 12. PMID:20199107 doi:10.1021/bi1000678
