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Neurotransmitter receptors

AMPA receptors: now you see them, now you don't

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 2, page 5 (2001)Cite this article

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Michael Ehlers found that AMPA-receptor endocytosis occurs through two separate pathways in cultured neurons, depending on the nature of the stimulus that triggers internalization; NMDA application was accompanied by fast AMPA-receptor endocytosis and recycling back to the synaptic membrane, whereas AMPA application targeted receptors to lysosomal degradation. In addition, receptor trafficking induced by NMDA, but not by AMPA, was regulated by the opposing activities of protein kinase A on the one hand, and protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1) and calcineurin on the other.

Beattie and colleagues obtained similar results regarding the effect of NMDA application. Although they did not investigate the fate of the internalized receptors, they showed that AMPA-receptor endocytosis elicited by NMDA application was accompanied by a decrease in the frequency of spontaneous synaptic events. In addition, NMDA-induced AMPA-receptor endocytosis occured preferentially in dendrites, whereas the effects of AMPA application were primarily observed on somatic receptors. However, Beattie et al. found that the effect of AMPA was also affected by the application of calcineurin antagonists, an observation opposite to that found by Ehlers.

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Ehlers, M. D. Reinsertion or degradation of AMPA receptors determined by activity-dependent endocytic sorting. Neuron 28, 511–525 ( 2000)

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  2. Lin, J. W. et al. Distinct molecular mechanisms and divergent endocytic pathways of AMPA receptor internalization. Nature Neurosci. 3, 1282–1290 (2000)

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  3. Beattie, E. C. et al. Regulation of AMPA receptor endocytosis by a signaling mechanism shared with LTD. Nature Neurosci. 3, 1291 –1300 (2000)

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FURTHER READING

  1. Haucke, V. Dissecting the ins and outs of excitement: glutamate receptors on the move. Nature Neurosci. 3, 1230–1232 (2000)

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  2. Slepnev, V. I. & De Camilli, P. Accessory factors in clathrin-dependent synaptic vesicle endocytosis. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 1, 161–172 (2000)

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  3. Scannevin, R. H. & Huganir, R. L. Postsynaptic organization and regulation of excitatory synapses. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 1, 133–141 ( 2000)

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Authors
  1. Juan Carlos López
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Slepnev and De Camilli UPDATE WHENEVER THE DECEMBER ISSUE GOES LIVE

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López, J. AMPA receptors: now you see them, now you don't. Nat Rev Neurosci 2, 5 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35049021

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