Functional organization of postsynaptic glutamate receptors

Nicky Scheefhals, Harold D. MacGillavry

Research output: Contribution to JournalReview articleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Glutamate receptors are the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the brain, responsible for mediating the vast majority of excitatory transmission in neuronal networks. The AMPA- and NMDA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that mediate the fast synaptic responses, while metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are coupled to downstream signaling cascades that act on much slower timescales. These functionally distinct receptor sub-types are co-expressed at individual synapses, allowing for the precise temporal modulation of postsynaptic excitability and plasticity. Intriguingly, these receptors are differentially distributed with respect to the presynaptic release site. While iGluRs are enriched in the core of the synapse directly opposing the release site, mGluRs reside preferentially at the border of the synapse. As such, to understand the differential contribution of these receptors to synaptic transmission, it is important to not only consider their signaling properties, but also the mechanisms that control the spatial segregation of these receptor types within synapses. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms that control the organization of glutamate receptors at the postsynaptic membrane with respect to the release site, and discuss how this organization could regulate synapse physiology.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)82-94
JournalMolecular and Cellular Neuroscience
Volume91
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2018
Externally publishedYes

Funding

We would like to thank Dr. Thomas Blanpied, Sai Sachin Divakaruni, Dr. Helmut Kessels, Feline Lindhout, Dieudonn?e van de Willige, and all members of the MacGillavry lab for discussions and critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by NWO (ALW-VENI 863.13.020, ALW-VIDI 171.029 and the Graduate Program of Quantitative Biology and Computational Life Sciences), the European Research Council (ERC-StG 716011), and a NARSAD Young Investigator Award (24995). We would like to thank Dr. Thomas Blanpied, Sai Sachin Divakaruni, Dr. Helmut Kessels, Feline Lindhout, Dieudonn\u00E9e van de Willige, and all members of the MacGillavry lab for discussions and critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by NWO (ALW-VENI 863.13.020, ALW-VIDI 171.029 and the Graduate Program of Quantitative Biology and Computational Life Sciences), the European Research Council (ERC-StG 716011), and a NARSAD Young Investigator Award (24995).

FundersFunder number
Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
Young Investigator Award
European Research Council
National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression24995
Not added716011
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk OnderzoekALW-VENI 863.13.020, ALW-VIDI 171.029

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