Conformational mechanisms of mGluR gating and regulation

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SUMMARY/ABSTRACT G-protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest class of membrane signaling proteins, respond to a wide array of extracellular stimuli to initiate intracellular signaling via G proteins and arrestins. Recent studies have provided snapshots of GPCR structures in distinct conformations and revealed that they are extremely dynamic. The conformational dynamics appear to be central to ligand recognition, activation and signaling. Membrane receptors have evolved to respond to precise spatio-temporal concentration profiles of extracellular ligands. In the nervous system, neurotransmitter receptors encounter a wide range of neurotransmitter concentrations and spatio-temporal profiles. Key factors are the small extracellular volume of the synaptic cleft, pumps and/or enzymes that remove neurotransmitter, and diffusion. Additionally, neurotransmitter receptors can be localized within the synapse both pre- and postsynaptically, as well as extrasynaptically where they can encounter neurotransmitter released either locally, which briefly reaches low millimolar levels within the cleft, and spillover from nearby synapses, which reaches lower concentrations. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are found pre- and postsynaptically at excitatory glutamatergic synapses, as well as on glia and at inhibitory GABAergic presynaptic nerve terminals, meaning that they are activated by both high local concentrations near the site of release and spillover. mGluRs of various kinds can be found together in presynaptic nerve terminals, even when they are all coupled to the same G protein. And they can dimerize, generating hybrid or in some cases totally unique properties and pharmacological profiles. To understand what each mGluR subtype does and develop effective drugs to treat the neurological disorders in which they are implicated, we need to understand how they function and how they are regulated. Our goal here is to define the molecular mechanisms that set and regulate the functional properties of homo- and heteromeric mGluRs at synapses and put into place assays that can be used to screen modulation in the nervous system.