The unfolded protein response regulates glutamate receptor export from the endoplasmic reticulum.

Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors mediate the majority of excitatory signaling in the CNS, and the functional properties and subcellular fate of these receptors depend on receptor subunit composition. Subunit assembly is thought to occur in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), although we are just beginning to understand the underlying mechanism. Here we examine the trafficking of Caenorhabditis elegans glutamate receptors through the ER.