Structure and Function of Glutamate Receptor Ion Channels

@article{citeulike:2920036, abstract = {Abstract A vast number of proteins are involved in synaptic function. Many have been cloned and their functional role defined with varying degrees of success, but their number and complexity currently defy any molecular understanding of the physiology of synapses. A beacon of success in this medieval era of synaptic biology is an emerging understanding of the mechanisms underlying the activity of the neurotransmitter receptors for glutamate. Largely as a result of structural studies performed in the past three years we now have a mechanistic explanation for the activation of channel gating by agonists and partial agonists; the process of desensitization, and its block by allosteric modulators, is also mostly explained; and the basis of receptor subtype selectivity is emerging with clarity as more and more structures are solved. In the space of months we have gone from cartoons of postulated mechanisms to hard fact. It is anticipated that this level of understanding will emerge for other synaptic proteins in the coming decade.}, author = {Mayer, Mark L. and Armstrong, Neali }, citeulike-article-id = {2920036}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.physiol.66.050802.084104}, journal = {Annual Review of Physiology}, keywords = {ion\_channels, nmda}, number = {1}, pages = {161--181}, posted-at = {2008-07-20 15:31:13}, priority = {2}, title = {Structure and Function of Glutamate Receptor Ion Channels}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.physiol.66.050802.084104}, volume = {66}, year = {2004} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2920036 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2920036 TI - Structure and Function of Glutamate Receptor Ion Channels JF - Annual Review of Physiology VL - 66 IS - 1 SP - 161 EP - 181 N2 - Abstract A vast number of proteins are involved in synaptic function. Many have been cloned and their functional role defined with varying degrees of success, but their number and complexity currently defy any molecular understanding of the physiology of synapses. A beacon of success in this medieval era of synaptic biology is an emerging understanding of the mechanisms underlying the activity of the neurotransmitter receptors for glutamate. Largely as a result of structural studies performed in the past three years we now have a mechanistic explanation for the activation of channel gating by agonists and partial agonists; the process of desensitization, and its block by allosteric modulators, is also mostly explained; and the basis of receptor subtype selectivity is emerging with clarity as more and more structures are solved. In the space of months we have gone from cartoons of postulated mechanisms to hard fact. It is anticipated that this level of understanding will emerge for other synaptic proteins in the coming decade. KW - ion_channels KW - nmda AU - Mayer, Mark AU - Armstrong, Neali PY - 2004/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.physiol.66.050802.084104 ER -