Distinct roles of metabotropic glutamate receptor dimerization in agonist activation and G-protein coupling.

ABSTRACT: The eight metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are key modulators of synaptic transmission and are considered promising targets for the treatment of various brain disorders. Whereas glutamate acts at a large extracellular domain, allosteric modulators have been identified that bind to the seven transmembrane domain (7TM) of these dimeric G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). We show here that the dimeric organization of mGluRs is required for the modulation of active and inactive states of the 7TM by agonists, but is not necessary for G-protein activation. Monomeric mGlu2, either as an isolated 7TM or in full-length, purified and reconstituted into nanodiscs, couples to G proteins upon direct activation by a positive allosteric modulator. However, only a reconstituted full-length dimer

SUBMITTER: El Moustaine D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3479612 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature