Determination of the chemical mechanism of neurotransmitter receptor-mediated reactions by rapid chemical kinetic methods.
AuthorsHess GP, Niu L, Wieboldt R
JournalAnn N Y Acad Sci
PubMed ID7611678
Channel-opening kinetics of GluR6 kainate receptor.
AuthorsLi G, Oswald RE, Niu L
JournalBiochemistry
PubMed ID14567698
'GluR6 is an ionotropic glutamate receptor subunit of the kainate subtype. It plays an essential role in synaptic plasticity and epilepsy. We expressed this recombinant receptor in HEK-293 cells and characterized the glutamate-induced channel-opening reaction, using a laser-pulse photolysis technique with the caged glutamate (gamma-O-(alpha-carboxy-2-nitrobenzyl)glutamate). This technique permits glutamate to ... More
Regulation of neurotransmitter release kinetics by NSF.
NSF (N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor) is an adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) that contributes to a protein complex essential for membrane fusion. The synaptic function of this protein was investigated by injecting, into the giant presynaptic terminal of squid, peptides that inhibit the ATPase activity of NSF stimulated by the soluble NSF attachment protein ... More
Regulation of AMPA receptor lateral movements.
AuthorsBorgdorff AJ, Choquet D
JournalNature
PubMed ID12050666
An essential feature in the modulation of the efficacy of synaptic transmission is rapid changes in the number of AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid) receptors at post-synaptic sites on neurons. Regulation of receptor endo- and exocytosis has been shown to be involved in this process. Whether regulated lateral diffusion of receptors ... More
Channel-opening kinetics of GluR2Q(flip) AMPA receptor: a laser-pulse photolysis study.
AuthorsLi G, Pei W, Niu L
JournalBiochemistry
PubMed ID14567697
AMPA receptors mediate fast excitatory neurotransmission in the central nervous system. GluR2 is an AMPA receptor subunit that controls some key heteromeric AMPA receptor properties, such as calcium permeability. The kinetic properties of GluR2, relevant to the time scale of its channel opening, however, are poorly understood. Here, to measure ... More
Photolabile precursors of glutamate: synthesis, photochemical properties, and activation of glutamate receptors on a microsecond time scale.
Newly synthesized photolabile derivatives of glutamate, caged glutamate, that release free glutamate on a microsecond time scale after a pulse of UV laser light are described. 2-Nitrobenzyl derivatives were attached to the amino or carboxyl groups of glutamate. Substitution with a -CO2- group at the benzylic carbon accelerates the photolysis ... More