Modulation of information processing by AMPA receptor auxiliary subunits

TARP auxiliary subunits switch AMPA receptor antagonists into partial agonists.

Quinoxalinedione compounds such as 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) are the most commonly used alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonists. However, we find that in the presence of transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins (TARPs), which are AMPA receptor auxiliary subunits, CNQX acts as a partial agonist. CNQX induced small depolarizing...

Auxiliary Subunits: Shepherding AMPA Receptors to the Plasma Membrane

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are tetrameric ligand-gated cation channels that mediate excitatory signal transmission in the central nervous system (CNS) of vertebrates. The members of the iGluR subfamily of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors (AMPARs) mediate most of the fast excitatory signal transmission, and their abundance in the postsynaptic me...

Figures and figure supplements Auxiliary subunits of the CKAMP family differentially modulate AMPA receptor properties

Auxiliary subunits of the CKAMP family differentially modulate AMPA receptor properties

AMPA receptor (AMPAR) function is modulated by auxiliary subunits. Here, we report on three AMPAR interacting proteins-namely CKAMP39, CKAMP52 and CKAMP59-that, together with the previously characterized CKAMP44, constitute a novel family of auxiliary subunits distinct from other families of AMPAR interacting proteins. The new members of the CKAMP family display distinct regional and developmen...

Coexpressed Auxiliary Subunits Exhibit Distinct Modulatory Profiles on AMPA Receptor Function

Gating properties and surface trafficking of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are modulated by auxiliary subunits. Here we studied the function of coexpressed auxiliary subunits belonging to two different classes. We focused on TARP γ-8 and CKAMP44 in dentate gyrus (DG) granule cells, since both subunits are highly expressed in this cell type. TARP γ-8 and CKAMP44 decrease the rate of deactivation but h...