Identification of a Site in Glutamate Receptor Subunits That Controls Calcium Permeability

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1653450
• Publication Date: 2006-10-05T22:10:16Z
• Authors: Richard I. Hume; Raymond Dingledine; Stephen F. Heinemann
• Keywords: Glutamic acid; Neurotransmitter receptor

The neurotransmitter glutamate mediates excitatory synaptic transmission throughout the brain. A family of genes encoding subunits non- N -methyl-D-aspartate (non-NMDA) type receptor has been cloned. Some combinations these assemble into receptors with a substantial permeability to calcium, whereas others do not. To investigate structural features that control ion permeation through ligand-gated channels, mutant single-amino acid changes were constructed. Mutation certain amino results in net charge change (from glutamine arginine or vice versa) alters both current-voltage relation and calcium non-NMDA receptors. site thus identified regulates properties