| Modification Notes |
Glutamate receptors mediate most excitatory neurotransmission in the brain and play an important role in neural plasticity, neural development and neurodegeneration. Ionotropic glutamate receptors are categorized into NMDA receptors and kainate/ AMPA receptors, both contain glutamate-gated ion channels. The NMDA receptors consist of five subunits: epsilon 1, 2, 3, 4 and one zeta subunit. The zeta subunit is expressed throughout the brainstem whereas the four epsilon subunits display limited distribution. Phosphorylation is an important mechanism for the regulation of ligand-gated ion channels, including NMDA receptors. NMDA receptor phosphorylation by PKA and PKC can be induced via the activation of beta-adrenergic receptors, and metabotropic glutamate or opioid receptors, respectively. |