Conformational diversity and fully opening mechanism of native NMDA receptor - PubMed
3 months ago
- #cryo-EM
- #neuroscience
- #NMDAR
- N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are glutamate-gated ion channels crucial for excitatory neurotransmission in the brain.
- NMDARs require binding of both glycine and glutamate for activation.
- Study identifies ten distinct native NMDAR assemblies from whole-brain tissue of female C57BL/6 mice using advanced techniques like cryo-electron microscopy.
- GluN2A is the most prevalent subunit across NMDAR assemblies, with its amino-terminal domain showing substantial conformational flexibility.
- Dynamic movements of S-ketamine were observed at the channel vestibule, and pore dilation was noted in GluN1 and GluN2B subunits.
- The study reveals a previously unknown fully open state of NMDAR, highlighting conformational diversity and channel dilation.