Molecular Cloning and Functional Expression of Glutamate Receptor Subunit Genes

Three closely related genes, GluR1, GluR2, and GluR3, encode receptor subunits for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. The proteins encoded by the individual genes form homomeric ion channels in Xenopus oocytes that are sensitive to glutamatergic agonists such as kainate and quisqualate but n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 1990-08, Vol.249 (4972), p.1033-1037
Main Authors: Boulter, Jim, Hollmann, Michael, O'Shea-Greenfield, Anne, Hartley, Melissa, Deneris, Evan, Maron, Cornelia, Heinemann, Stephen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agonists
Amino Acid Sequence
Amino acids
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Cloning
Cloning, Molecular
Complementary DNA
Excitatory amino acids
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Expression
Genes
Glutamate
Glutamate receptors
Glutamates - metabolism
Hippocampus - metabolism
Kinetics
Macromolecular Substances
Membrane Potentials
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Multigene Family
Neuroscience
Oocytes
Oocytes - physiology
Pharmacology
Rats
Receptors
Receptors, Glutamate
Receptors, Neurotransmitter - genetics
Receptors, Neurotransmitter - physiology
RNA
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Transcription, Genetic
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Summary:Three closely related genes, GluR1, GluR2, and GluR3, encode receptor subunits for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. The proteins encoded by the individual genes form homomeric ion channels in Xenopus oocytes that are sensitive to glutamatergic agonists such as kainate and quisqualate but not to N-methyl-D-aspartate, indicating that binding sites for kainate and quisqualate exist on single receptor polypeptides. In addition, kainate-evoked conductances are potentiated in oocytes expressing two or more of the cloned receptor subunits. Electrophysiological responses obtained with certain subunit combinations show agonist profiles and current-voltage relations that are similar to those obtained in vivo. Finally, in situ hybridization histochemistry reveals that these genes are transcribed in shared neuroanatomical loci. Thus, as with γ-aminobutyric acid, glycine, and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, native kainate-quisqualate-sensitive glutamate receptors form a family of heteromeric proteins.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.2168579