Ionotropic glutamate receptor, metazoa
IPR001508
Definition
Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are a highly conserved family of ligand-gated ion channels present in animals, plants, and bacteria, which are best characterised for their roles in synaptic communication in vertebrate nervous systems PMID:14977400. A variant subfamily of iGluRs, the Ionotropic Receptors (IRs), consist of non-glutamate-binding chemosensory receptors first identified in Drosophila melanogaster. They function in detecting odors and tastants PMID:20808886. There are three classes of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs): kainate receptors, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors and N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. The NMDA receptor is highly permeable to calcium ions and plays a key role in the plasticity of synapses, which is believed to underlie memory and learning, as well as the development of the nervous system. Abnormal activation has been suggested to lead to neuronal cell death observed in many acute and chronic disorders such as ischemia, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's disease PMID:1532151. NMDA receptors possess 4 transmembrane (TM) helical domains in the C-terminal half of the sequence and require both glycine and glutamate for activation, resulting in influx of calcium ions into the cell PMID:1532151. The receptors can also be activated by polyamine, they can be blocked by magnesium ions, inhibited by zinc ions, and modulated by arachidonic acid. Other non-NMDA glutamate receptors (e.g., kainate) are structurally similar to NMDA receptors, but are functionally distinct, possibly as a result of amino acid substitutions at important positions in the sequence.
18 human proteins with this domain
Each is a reviewed human protein in the Seroatlas serome and a potential autoantibody target; this domain groups them into one antibody-relevant category. Every entry links to its own record.
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