AMPA Receptors

Katherine W Roche, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
John TR Isaac, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Published online: December 2007

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000231.pub2

AMPA (-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid) receptors are the major excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the central nervous system (CNS). They mediate excitatory synaptic transmission between neurons and play a critical role in the synaptic plasticity underlying learning and memory and neuronal development.

Keywords: glutamate; excitatory synapse; receptor phosphorylation; synaptic plasticity; receptor trafficking; stargazin

Figure 1. Topology of the AMPA receptor. (a) Schematic of an AMPA receptor subunit in the plasma membrane in association with a transmembrane AMPA receptor protein (TARP). Glycosylation and palmitoylation sites are indicated. N-terminal domain (NTD), extracellular ligand binding domains (S1 and S2), transmembrane domains (M1-4), the flip/flop alternative splicing site and the RNA editing sites (Q/R and R/G) are also shown. (b) Three-dimensional representation of the AMPA receptor complex depicting the arrangement of one subunit within the complex and showing that the M2 region lines the channel. Figure adapted from Ashby MA, Daw MI and Isaac JTR (2007) AMPA receptors. In: Gereau RW IV and Swanson GT (eds), The Glutamate Receptors, Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.
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Related Sub-Topics:

Receptors for Neurotransmitters | Membrane Proteins
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Article Title: AMPA Receptors
 
How to Cite close
Roche, Katherine W, and Isaac, John TR(Dec 2007) AMPA Receptors. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000231.pub2]