Channel-opening kinetic mechanism of wild-type GluK1 kainate receptors and a C-terminal mutant.

ABSTRACT: GluK1 is a kainate receptor subunit in the ionotropic glutamate receptor family and can form functional channels when expressed, for instance, in HEK-293 cells. However, the channel-opening mechanism of GluK1 is poorly understood. One major challenge to studying the GluK1 channel is its apparent low level of surface expression, which results in a low whole-cell current response even to a saturating concentration of agonist. A low level of surface expression is thought to be contributed by an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention signal sequence. When this sequence motif is present as in the C-terminus of wild-type GluK1-2b, the receptor is significantly retained in the ER. Conversely, when this sequence is either lacking, as in wild-type GluK1-2a (i.e., a different alternatively spliced iso

SUBMITTER: Han Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3272274 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature