scholarly journals Architecture and subunit arrangement of native AMPA receptors elucidated by cryo-EM

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 364 (6438) ◽  
pp. 355-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Zhao ◽  
Shanshuang Chen ◽  
Adam C. Swensen ◽  
Wei-Jun Qian ◽  
Eric Gouaux
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Structure ◽  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Receptor Complexes ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Chemical Synapses

Glutamate-gated AMPA receptors mediate the fast component of excitatory signal transduction at chemical synapses throughout all regions of the mammalian brain. AMPA receptors are tetrameric assemblies composed of four subunits, GluA1–GluA4. Despite decades of study, the subunit composition, subunit arrangement, and molecular structure of native AMPA receptors remain unknown. Here we elucidate the structures of 10 distinct native AMPA receptor complexes by single-particle cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM). We find that receptor subunits are arranged nonstochastically, with the GluA2 subunit preferentially occupying the B and D positions of the tetramer and with triheteromeric assemblies comprising a major population of native AMPA receptors. Cryo-EM maps define the structure for S2-M4 linkers between the ligand-binding and transmembrane domains, suggesting how neurotransmitter binding is coupled to ion channel gating.

scholarly journals Control of AMPA receptor activity by the extracellular loops of auxiliary proteins

eLife ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Riva ◽  
Clarissa Eibl ◽  
Rudolf Volkmer ◽  
Anna L Carbone ◽  
Andrew JR Plested
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Binding Assays ◽  
Receptor Kinetics ◽  
Receptor Complexes ◽  
Extracellular Loops ◽  
Kinetics Of

At synapses throughout the mammalian brain, AMPA receptors form complexes with auxiliary proteins, including TARPs. However, how TARPs modulate AMPA receptor gating remains poorly understood. We built structural models of TARP-AMPA receptor complexes for TARPs γ2 and γ8, combining recent structural studies and de novo structure predictions. These models, combined with peptide binding assays, provide evidence for multiple interactions between GluA2 and variable extracellular loops of TARPs. Substitutions and deletions of these loops had surprisingly rich effects on the kinetics of glutamate-activated currents, without any effect on assembly. Critically, by altering the two interacting loops of γ2 and γ8, we could entirely remove all allosteric modulation of GluA2, without affecting formation of AMPA receptor-TARP complexes. Likewise, substitutions in the linker domains of GluA2 completely removed any effect of γ2 on receptor kinetics, indicating a dominant role for this previously overlooked site proximal to the AMPA receptor channel gate.

scholarly journals Control of AMPA receptor activity by the extracellular loops of auxiliary proteins

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Riva ◽  
Clarissa Eibl ◽  
Rudolf Volkmer ◽  
Anna L. Carbone ◽  
Andrew J. R. Plested
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Binding Assays ◽  
Receptor Kinetics ◽  
Receptor Complexes ◽  
Extracellular Loops ◽  
Kinetics Of

AbstractAt synapses throughout the mammalian brain, AMPA receptors form complexes with auxiliary proteins, including TARPs. However, how TARPs modulate AMPA receptor gating remains poorly understood. We built structural models of TARP-AMPA receptor complexes for TARPs γ2 and γ8, combining recent structural studies and de novo structure predictions. These models, combined with peptide binding assays, provide evidence for multiple interactions between GluA2 and variable extracellular loops of TARPs. Substitutions and deletions of these loops had surprisingly rich effects on the kinetics of glutamate-activated currents, without any effect on assembly. Critically, by altering the two interacting loops of γ2 and γ8, we could entirely remove all allosteric modulation of GluA2, without affecting formation of AMPA receptor-TARP complexes. Likewise, substitutions in the linker domains of GluA2 completely removed any effect of Y2 on receptor kinetics, indicating a dominant role for this previously overlooked site proximal to the AMPA receptor channel gate.

scholarly journals GluR2 protein-protein interactions and the regulation of AMPA receptors during synaptic plasticity

2003 ◽  
Vol 358 (1432) ◽  
pp. 715-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrice Duprat ◽  
Michael Daw ◽  
Wonil Lim ◽  
Graham Collingridge ◽  
John Isaac
Keyword(s):  
Synaptic Plasticity ◽  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Synaptic Proteins ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Protein Protein Interactions ◽  
Term Potentiation

AMPA-type glutamate receptors mediate most fast excitatory synaptic transmissions in the mammalian brain. They are critically involved in the expression of long-term potentiation and long-term depression, forms of synaptic plasticity that are thought to underlie learning and memory. A number of synaptic proteins have been identified that interact with the intracellular C-termini of AMPA receptor subunits. Here, we review recent studies and present new experimental data on the roles of these interacting proteins in regulating the AMPA receptor function during basal synaptic transmission and plasticity.

scholarly journals Auxiliary Subunits Control Function and Subcellular Distribution of AMPA Receptor Complexes in NG2 Glia of the Developing Hippocampus

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Hardt ◽  
Dario Tascio ◽  
Stefan Passlick ◽  
Aline Timmermann ◽  
Ronald Jabs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Control Function ◽  
Postnatal Maturation ◽  
Receptor Complexes ◽  
Glutamatergic Signaling ◽  
Sense And Respond ◽  
Property Changes ◽  
Differentiation And Proliferation ◽  
The Impact

Synaptic and axonal glutamatergic signaling to NG2 glia in white matter is critical for the cells’ differentiation and activity dependent myelination. However, in gray matter the impact of neuron-to-NG2 glia signaling is still elusive, because most of these cells keep their non-myelinating phenotype throughout live. Early in postnatal development, hippocampal NG2 glia express AMPA receptors with a significant Ca2+ permeability allowing for plasticity of the neuron-glia synapses, but whether this property changes by adulthood is not known. Moreover, it is unclear whether NG2 glia express auxiliary transmembrane AMPA receptor related proteins (TARPs), which modify AMPA receptor properties, including their Ca2+ permeability. Through combined molecular and functional analyses, here we show that hippocampal NG2 glia abundantly express TARPs γ4, γ7, and γ8 as well as cornichon (CNIH)-2. TARP γ8 undergoes profound downregulation during development. Receptors of adult NG2 glia showed an increased sensitivity to blockers of Ca2+ permeable AMPA receptors, but this increase mainly concerned receptors located close to the soma. Evoked synaptic currents of NG2 glia were also sensitive to blockers of Ca2+ permeable AMPA receptors. The presence of AMPA receptors with varying Ca2+ permeability during postnatal maturation may be important for the cells’ ability to sense and respond to local glutamatergic activity and for regulating process motility, differentiation, and proliferation.

scholarly journals The action of Con-ikot-ikot toxin on single AMPA-type glutamate receptors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Baranovic ◽  
Sebastian Braunbeck ◽  
Nikolai Zaki ◽  
Sonja Minniberger ◽  
Miriam Chebli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Glutamate Receptors ◽  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Single Channel ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
High Specificity ◽  
Direct Consequence ◽  
Binding Mode ◽  
Binding Domains

SummaryConotoxins are a large group of naturally occurring toxic peptides produced by the predatory sea snails of the genus Conus. Many of these toxins target ion channels, often with high specificity and affinity. As such, they have proven to be invaluable for basic research as well as acting as leads for therapeutic strategies. Con-ikot-ikot is the only conotoxin so far identified that targets AMPA-type glutamate receptors, the main mediators of excitatory neurotransmission in the vertebrate brain. Here, we describe how the toxin modifies the activity of AMPA receptors at the single-channel level. The toxin binds to the AMPA receptor with high affinity (EC50 = 5 nM) and once bound, takes minutes to wash out. As shown previously, it effectively blocks desensitization of AMPA receptors, however, compared to other desensitisation blockers, it is a poor stabiliser of the open channel because toxin-bound AMPA receptors undergo frequent, brief closures. We propose this is a direct consequence of its unique binding mode to the ligand binding domains. Unlike other blockers of desensitization, which stabilise individual dimers within an AMPA receptor tetramer, the toxin immobilizes all four ligand binding domains of the tetramer. This result further emphasises that quaternary reorganization of independent LBD dimers is essential for the full activity of AMPA receptors.

scholarly journals Functional studies and distribution define a family of transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins

2003 ◽  
Vol 161 (4) ◽  
pp. 805-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susumu Tomita ◽  
Lu Chen ◽  
Yoshimi Kawasaki ◽  
Ronald S. Petralia ◽  
Robert J. Wenthold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Cerebellar Granule Cells ◽  
Surface Expression ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Regulatory Proteins ◽  
General Role ◽  
Receptor Complexes

Functional expression of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors in cerebellar granule cells requires stargazin, a member of a large family of four-pass transmembrane proteins. Here, we define a family of transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins (TARPs), which comprise stargazin, γ-3, γ-4, and γ-8, but not related proteins, that mediate surface expression of AMPA receptors. TARPs exhibit discrete and complementary patterns of expression in both neurons and glia in the developing and mature central nervous system. In brain regions that express multiple isoforms, such as cerebral cortex, TARP–AMPA receptor complexes are strictly segregated, suggesting distinct roles for TARP isoforms. TARPs interact with AMPA receptors at the postsynaptic density, and surface expression of mature AMPA receptors requires a TARP. These studies indicate a general role for TARPs in controlling synaptic AMPA receptors throughout the central nervous system.

scholarly journals Architecture of fully occupied Glua2 Ampa receptor – TARP complex elucidated by single particle cryo-electron microscopy

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Zhao ◽  
Shanshuang Chen ◽  
Craig Yoshioka ◽  
Isabelle Baconguis ◽  
Eric Gouaux
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channel ◽  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Receptor Activation ◽  
Regulatory Proteins ◽  
Dimer Interface ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Excitatory Neurotransmission ◽  
Conformational Rearrangements ◽  
Kinetics Of

SummaryFast excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian central nervous system is largely carried out by AMPA-sensitive ionotropic glutamate receptors. Localized within the postsynaptic density of glutamatergic spines, AMPA receptors are composed of heterotetrameric receptor assemblies associated with auxiliary subunits, the most common of which are transmembrane AMPA-receptor regulatory proteins (TARPs). The association of TARPs with AMPA receptors modulates the kinetics of receptor gating and pharmacology, as well as trafficking. Here we report the cryo-EM structure of the homomeric GluA2 AMPA receptor saturated with TARP γ2 subunits, showing how the TARPs are arranged with four-fold symmetry around the ion channel domain, making extensive interactions with the M1, M2 and M4 TM helices. Poised like partially opened ‘hands’ underneath the two-fold symmetric ligand binding domain (LBD) ‘clamshells’, one pair of TARPs are juxtaposed near the LBD dimer interface, while the other pair are near the LBD dimer-dimer interface. The extracellular ‘domains’ of TARP are positioned to not only modulate LBD ‘clamshell’ closure, but also to affect conformational rearrangements of the LBD layer associated with receptor activation and desensitization, while the TARP transmembrane (TM) domains buttress the ion channel pore.

Blockade of Glutamate Receptors and Barbiturate Anesthesia 

1999 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 1329-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisy T. Joo ◽  
Zhigang Xiong ◽  
John F. MacDonald ◽  
Zhengping Jia ◽  
John Roder ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Sleep Time ◽  
Mutant Mice ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Null Mutant ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gaba A ◽  
Receptor Complexes ◽  
Null Mutant Mice

Background Barbiturates enhance gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptor function and also inhibit the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) subtype of glutamate receptor. The relative contribution of these actions to the behavioral properties of barbiturates is not certain. Because AMPA receptor complexes that lack the GluR2 subunit are relatively insensitive to pentobarbital inhibition, GluR2 null mutant mice provide a novel tool to investigate the importance of AMPA receptor inhibition to the anesthetic effects of barbiturates. Methods GluR2 null allele (-/-), heterozygous (+/-), and wild-type (+/+) mice were injected with pentobarbital (30 and 35 mg/kg intraperitoneally). Sensitivity to anesthetics was assessed by measuring the latency to loss of righting reflex, sleep time, and the loss of corneal, pineal, and toe-pinch withdrawal reflexes. In addition, patch-clamp recordings of acutely dissociated CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neurons from (-/-) and (+/+) mice were undertaken to investigate the effects of barbiturates on kainate-activated AMPA receptors and GABA-activated GABA(A) receptors. Results Behavioral tests indicate that sensitivity to pentobarbital was increased in (-/-) mice. In contrast, AMPA receptors from (-/-) neurons were less sensitive to inhibition by pentobarbital (concentrations that produced 50% of the maximal inhibition [IC50], 301 vs. 51 microM), thiopental (IC50, 153 vs. 34 microM), and phenobarbital (IC50, 930 vs. 205 microM) compared with wild-type controls, respectively. In addition, the potency of kainate was greater in (-/-) neurons, whereas no differences were observed for the potentiation of GABA(A) receptors by pentobarbital. Conclusions The GluR2 null mutant mice were more sensitive to pentobarbital anesthesia despite a reduced sensitivity of GluR2-deficient AMPA receptors to barbiturate blockade. Our results indicate that the inhibition of AMPA receptors does not correlate with the anesthetic effects of barbiturates in this animal model. We postulate that the increase in the sensitivity to anesthetics results from a global suppression of excitatory neurotransmission in GluR2-deficient mice.

scholarly journals α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid (AMPA) Receptor Channels Lacking the N-terminal Domain

2002 ◽  
Vol 277 (51) ◽  
pp. 49662-49667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arja Pasternack ◽  
Sarah K. Coleman ◽  
Annukka Jouppila ◽  
David G. Mottershead ◽  
Maria Lindfors ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Surface ◽  
Ligand Binding ◽  
Ampa Receptor ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Ampa Receptors ◽  
Terminal Domain ◽  
Gated Channel ◽  
Surface Ligand ◽  
Amino Acid Binding ◽  
G Protein Coupled

Ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) subunits contain a ∼400-residue extracellular N-terminal domain (“X domain”), which is sequence-related to bacterial amino acid-binding proteins and to class C G-protein-coupled receptors. The X domain has been implicated in the assembly, transport to the cell surface, allosteric ligand binding, and desensitization in various members of the iGluR family, but its actual role in these events is poorly characterized. We have studied the properties of homomeric α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazolepropionate (AMPA)-selective GluR-D glutamate receptors carrying N-terminal deletions. Our analysis indicates that, surprisingly, transport to the cell surface, ligand binding properties, agonist-triggered channel activation, rapid desensitization, and allosteric potentiation by cyclothiazide can occur normally in the complete absence of the X domain (residues 22–402). The relatively intact ligand-gated channel function of a homomeric AMPA receptor in the absence of the X domain indirectly suggests more subtle roles for this domain in AMPA receptors,e.g.in the assembly of heteromeric receptors and in synaptic protein interactions.

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