Glutamate Receptor Assays
Overview of Glutamate Receptors
Glutamate receptors mediate excitatory neurotransmission in the brain and play an important role in neural development, neuroplasticity, and neurodegeneration. Glutamate receptors are categorized into two distinct groups of receptors termed ionotropic (iGluR)) and metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). The ionotropic receptors are subdivided into NMDA receptors and AMPA/kainate receptors. The mGluRs are coupled to intracellular signal transduction via G proteins.
Fig.1 iGluR structure and activation. (Willard, 2013)
mGluR1 Signaling in the Nervous System
Ligand binding to mGluR1 results in a wide array of downstream signaling effects. Ligands are diverse and include not only Glu but also Ca2+ and neurotransmitters. Canonical neural pathways involving mGluRs have been well-established by a large body of literature. Glutamate signaling activates a family of receptors consisting of mGluRs and iGluRs, both of which have been implicated in chronic disabling brain disorders such as Schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis. Therefore, human glutamate-initiated signaling pathways may provide novel therapeutic opportunities for a variety of non-malignant and malignant human diseases.
Assay List of Glutamate Receptors
Creative Biolabs can provide a range of assays of glutamate receptors. You can choose the assay in the list or contact us for more information:
Published Data
| Paper Title | A Cold-Sensing Receptor Encoded by a Glutamate Receptor Gene |
| Journal | Cell |
| Published | 2019 |
| Abstract | To find the molecular properties of cold receptors, scientists conducted unbiased genetic screening of cold sensing mutants in C. elegans and isolated the mutant allele of the glr-3 gene encoding the kainate type glutamate receptor. While it is well known that glutamate receptors transmit chemical synaptic signals in the central nervous system, they found that GLR-3 senses cold in the peripheral sensory neuron, the ASER, triggering cold-avoidance behavior. GLR-3 transmits the cold signal through the G protein signal, independent of its glutamate-gated channel function, suggesting that GLR-3 is a metabolic cold receptor. The vertebrate GLR-3 homolog GluK2 from zebrafish, mice, and humans can all function as cold receptors in allogenic systems. Mouse DRG sensory neurons express GluK2, and GluK2 knockdown in these neurons inhibits their sensitivity to cold but not cool temperatures. This study identifies an evolution of conserved cold receptors revealing a central chemoreceptor that unexpectedly acts as a heat receptor around it. |
| Result |
This study identified GLR-3, a homolog of the kainate-type glutamate receptor, as a cold receptor. GLR-3 sensed cold temperatures in the sensory neuron ASER, thus triggering cold avoidance behavior, suggesting that GLR-3 plays a role in regulating cold sensation in the peripheral nervous system. GluK2 is expressed in murine dorsal root ganglion (DRG) sensory neurons, and GluK2 expression in DRG neurons reduces the sensitivity of these sensory neurons to hypothermia rather than hypothermia. The results identified an evolutionarily conserved cold receptor. Glutamate receptors are the best-known receptors for transmitting chemical signals through synapses in the central nervous system, and a striking example has been proposed of a central chemical receptor acting as a peripheral heat receptor.
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Fig.2 GLR-3 acts in ASER neurons to mediate cold sensation and cold-avoidance behavior. (Gong, 2019)
References
- Willard, S.S.; Koochekpour, S. Glutamate, glutamate receptors, and downstream signaling pathways. International journal of biological sciences. 2013, 9(9): 948.
- Gong, J.; et al. A cold-sensing receptor encoded by a glutamate receptor gene. Cell. 2019, 178(6): 1375-1386. e11.
