Functional characterization of neurotransmitter activation and modulation in a nematode model ligand-gated ion channel.

ABSTRACT: The superfamily of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels includes neurotransmitter receptors that mediate fast synaptic transmission in vertebrates, and are targets for drugs including alcohols, anesthetics, benzodiazepines, and anticonvulsants. However, the mechanisms of ion channel opening, gating, and modulation in these receptors leave many open questions, despite their pharmacological importance. Subtle conformational changes in both the extracellular and transmembrane domains are likely to influence channel opening, but have been difficult to characterize given the limited structural data available for human membrane proteins. Recent crystal structures of a modified Caenorhabditis elegans glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluCl) in multiple states offer an appealing model system for s

SUBMITTER: Heusser SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4936957 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature