Dissecting the compositional diversity of the kainate receptor family with single molecule fluorescence imaging

Abstract

A broad array of ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) decodes the complex extracellular glutamate dynamics that underlie synaptic transmission. However, the structural and compositional complexity of iGluRs is only partially deciphered, in part because a large ensemble of homomeric and heteromeric subtypes are thought to co-exist in the brain. The neuromodulatory Kainate receptors (KARs) assemble from a pool of five subunit types (GluK1-5) with each subunit conferring distinct kinetic, pharmacological and downstream signaling properties.