Description
Product Characteristics:
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 of which contain glutamate-gated, cation-specific ion channels. Kainate/AMPA receptors are co-localized with NMDA receptors in many synapses and consist of seven structurally related subunits designated GluR-1 to -7. The kainate/AMPA receptors are primarily responsible for the fast excitatory neuro-transmission by glutamate, whereas the NMDA receptors are functionally characterized by a slow kinetic and a high permeability for Ca2+ ions. The NMDA receptors consist of five subunits: epsilion 1, 2, 3, 4 and one zeta subunit. The zeta subunit is expressed throughout the brainstem, whereas the four epsilon subunits display limited distribution.
Subcellular location: Cell membrane
Synonyms: EAA5, Excitatory amino acid receptor 5, GLR 7, GLR7, GLU R7, GLUR 7, GluR 7a, GluR-7, GLUR7, GluR7a, Glutamate receptor 7, Glutamate receptor, Glutamate receptor ionotropic kainate 3, GRIK 3, GRIK3, GRIK3_HUMAN, ionotropic kainate 3.
Target Information: Glutamate receptors are the predominant excitatory neurotransmitter receptors in the mammalian brain and are activated in a variety of normal neurophysiologic processes. This gene product belongs to the kainate family of glutamate receptors, which are composed of four subunits and function as ligand-activated ion channels. It is not certain if the subunit encoded by this gene is subject to RNA editing as the other 2 family members (GRIK1 and GRIK2). A Ser310Ala polymorphism has been associated with schizophrenia, and there are conflicting reports of its association with the pathogenesis of delirium tremens in alcoholics. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]