Since the discovery and molecular characterization of Ca(2+)-permeable AMPA channels just over two decades ago, a large body of evidence has accumulated implicating contributions of these unusual glutamate activated channels to selective neurodegeneration in certain conditions, including ischemia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Factors likely involved in their contributions to disease include their distinct patterns of expression in certain neuronal populations, their upregulation via various mechanisms in response to disease associated stresses, and their high permeability to Zn(2+) as well as to Ca(2+). However, full characterization of their contributions to certain diseases as well as development of therapeutics has been limited by the lack of selective and bioavailable blockers of these channels that can be employed in animals or humans. This review summarizes some of the clues that have emerged over recent years to the contributions of these channels in disease.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3214733 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2011.00042 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Structure of transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory protein subunit γ2.
Nat Commun
January 2025
Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins (TARPs) are claudin-like proteins that tightly regulate AMPA receptors (AMPARs) and are fundamental for excitatory neurotransmission. With cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) we reconstruct the 36 kDa TARP subunit γ2 to 2.3 Å, which points to structural diversity among TARPs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFN-methyl-D-aspartate Receptors and Depression: Linking Psychopharmacology, Pathology and Physiology in a Unifying Hypothesis for the Epigenetic Code of Neural Plasticity.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel)
November 2024
Relmada Therapeutics, Inc., Coral Gables, FL 33134, USA.
Uncompetitive NMDAR (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor) antagonists restore impaired neural plasticity, reverse depressive-like behavior in animal models, and relieve major depressive disorder (MDD) in humans. This review integrates recent findings from in silico, in vitro, in vivo, and human studies of uncompetitive NMDAR antagonists into the extensive body of knowledge on NMDARs and neural plasticity. Uncompetitive NMDAR antagonists are activity-dependent channel blockers that preferentially target hyperactive GluN2D subtypes because these subtypes are most sensitive to activation by low concentrations of extracellular glutamate and are more likely activated by certain pathological agonists and allosteric modulators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMINFLUX fluorescence nanoscopy in biological tissue.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
December 2024
Department of NanoBiophotonics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen 37077, Germany.
Optical imaging access to nanometer-level protein distributions in intact tissue is a highly sought-after goal, as it would provide visualization in physiologically relevant contexts. Under the unfavorable signal-to-background conditions of increased absorption and scattering of the excitation and fluorescence light in the complex tissue sample, superresolution fluorescence microscopy methods are severely challenged in attaining precise localization of molecules. We reasoned that the typical use of a confocal detection pinhole in MINFLUX nanoscopy, suppressing background and providing optical sectioning, should facilitate the detection and resolution of single fluorophores even amid scattering and optically challenging tissue environments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKnockout of AMPA receptor binding protein Neuron-specific gene 2 (NSG2) enhances associative learning and cognitive flexibility.
Mol Brain
December 2024
Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 915 Camino de Salud NE, Fitz Hall 145, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA.
The vast majority of gene mutations and/or gene knockouts result in either no observable changes, or significant deficits in molecular, cellular, or organismal function. However, in a small number of cases, mutant animal models display enhancements in specific behaviors such as learning and memory. To date, most gene deletions shown to enhance cognitive ability generally affect a limited number of pathways such as NMDA receptor- and translation-dependent plasticity, or GABA receptor- and potassium channel-mediated inhibition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe VGCC auxiliary subunit α2δ1 is an extracellular GluA1 interactor and regulates LTP, spatial memory, and seizure susceptibility.
bioRxiv
December 2024
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California at Irvine, CA, 92617, USA.
Activity-dependent synaptic accumulation of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) and subsequent long-term synaptic strengthening underlie different forms of learning and memory. The AMPAR subunit GluA1 amino-terminal domain is essential for synaptic docking of AMPAR during LTP, but the precise mechanisms involved are not fully understood. Using unbiased proteomics, we identified the epilepsy and intellectual disability-associated VGCC auxiliary subunit α2δ1 as a candidate extracellular AMPAR slot.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!