Work

Mechanism of Partial Agonism at the GluR2 AMPA Receptor: Measurements of Lobe Orientation in Solution

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: The mechanism by which the binding of a neurotransmitter to a receptor leads to channel opening is a central issue in molecular neurobiology. The structure of the agonist binding domain of ionotropic glutamate receptors has led to an improved understanding of the changes in structure that accompany agonist binding and have provided important clues about the link between these structural changes and channel activation and desensitization. However, because the binding domain has exhibited different structures under different crystallization conditions, understanding the structure in the absence of crystal packing is of considerable importance. The orientation of the two lobes of the binding domain in the presence of a full agonist, an antagonist, and several partial agonists was measured using NMR spectroscopy by employing residual dipolar couplings. For some partial agonists, the solution conformation differs from that observed in the crystal. A model of channel activation based on the results is discussed.

Source: Biochemistry

DOI: 10.1021/bi800843c

Authors: Alexander S. Maltsev, Ahmed H. Ahmed, Michael K. Fenwick, David E. Jane, Robert E. Oswald

Institutions: Cornell University, University of Bristol

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Award: G5410594385