Inhibitory Glycine Receptors: An Update

Sébastien Dutertre (1) , Cord-Michael Becker (2) , Heinrich Betz (3)

1 IBMM - Institut des Biomolécules Max Mousseron [Pôle Chimie Balard]
2 FAU - Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg = University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
3 Max Planck Institute for Brain Research

Strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors (GlyRs) mediate synaptic inhibition in the spinal cord, brainstem, and other regions of the mammalian central nervous system. In this minireview, we summarize our current view of the structure, ligand-binding sites, and chloride channel of these receptors and discuss recently emerging functions of distinct GlyR isoforms. GlyRs not only regulate the excitability of motor and afferent sensory neurons, including pain fibers, but also are involved in the processing of visual and auditory signals. Hence, GlyRs constitute promising targets for the development of therapeutically useful compounds.

Mots clés: Chloride Channels; Glycine Receptors; Homology Modeling; Neurotransmitter Receptors; Synapses; GluCl; Glycine Neurotransmission; Hyperekplexia; Inhibitory Synapse; Ligand-gated Ion Channel

Domaines: Neurobiologie

Sébastien Dutertre, Cord-Michael Becker, Heinrich Betz. Inhibitory Glycine Receptors: An Update. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2012, 287 (48), pp.40216-40223. ⟨10.1074/jbc.R112.408229⟩. ⟨hal-02306933⟩