The Biochemistry, Ultrastructure, and Subunit Assembly Mechanism of AMPA Receptors

The AMPA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (AMPA-Rs) are tetrameric ligand-gated ion channels that play crucial roles in synaptic transmission and plasticity. Our knowledge about the ultrastructure and subunit assembly mechanisms of intact AMPA-Rs was very limited. However, the new studies using single particle EM and X-ray crystallography are revealing important insights. For example, the tetrameric crystal structure of the GluA2cryst construct provided the atomic view of the intact receptor. In addition, the single particle EM structures of the subunit assembly intermediates revealed the conformational requirement for the dimer-to-tetramer transition during the maturation of AMPA-Rs. These new data in the field provide new models and interpretations. In the brain, the native AMPA-R complexes contain auxiliary subunits that influence subunit assembly, gating, and trafficking of the AMPA-Rs. Understanding the mechanisms of the auxiliary subunits will become increasingly important to precisely describe the function of AMPA-Rs in the brain. The AMPA-R proteomics studies continuously reveal a previously unexpected degree of molecular heterogeneity of the complex. Because the AMPA-Rs are important drug targets for treating various neurological and psychiatric diseases, it is likely that these new native complexes will require detailed mechanistic analysis in the future. The current ultrastructural data on the receptors and the receptor-expressing stable cell lines that were developed during the course of these studies are useful resources for high throughput drug screening and further drug designing. Moreover, we are getting closer to understanding the precise mechanisms of AMPA-R-mediated synaptic plasticity

Effects of cyclothiazide on GluR1/AMPA receptors

Cyclothiazide (CTZ), a positive allosteric modulator of ionotropic α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors, is used frequently to block the desensitization of both native and heterologously expressed AMPA receptors. Specifically, CTZ is known to produce a fast inhibition of AMPA receptor desensitization and a much slower potentiation of the AMPA current. By using patch-clamp techniques, the effects of CTZ were studied in HEK 293 cells stably transfected with the rat flip GluR1 subunit. Upon CTZ treatment, we found an increased apparent affinity for the agonist, a slow whole-cell current potentiation, a fast inhibition of desensitization, and a lengthening of single-channel openings. Furthermore, we show that CTZ alters the channel gating events modifying the relative contribution of different single-channel classes of conductance (γ), increasing and decreasing, respectively, the contributions of γ(M) (medium) and γ(L) (low) without altering that of the γ(H) (high) conductance channels. We also present a kinetic model that predicts well all of the experimental findings of CTZ action. Finally, we suggest a protocol for standard cell treatment with CTZ to attain maximal efficacy of CTZ on GluR1 receptors