Synaptic AMPA receptor subunit trafficking is independent of the C terminus in the GluR2-lacking mouse

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Abstract
Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) type glutamate receptors mediate most fast synaptic transmission. AMPA receptors are tetrameric assemblies composed from four possible subunits (GluR1–4). In hippocampal pyramidal cells, AMPA receptors are heteromeric receptors containing the GluR2 subunit and either GluR1 or GluR3. It is generally accepted that the trafficking of GluR1/GluR2 receptors to synapses requires activity, whereas GluR2/GluR3 receptors traffic constitutively. It has been suggested that the trafficking is governed by the cytoplasmic C termini of the subunits. Because the basis for this theory relied on the introduction of unnatural, homomeric, calcium-permeable AMPA receptors, we have used the GluR2−/−knock out mouse to determine whether the expression of mutated forms of GluR2 can rescue WT synaptic responses. We find that GluR2, lacking its entire C terminus, or a GluR2 chimera containing the C terminus of GluR1, is capable of trafficking to the synapse in the absence of activity. These findings suggest that the GluR2 C terminus is not required for GluR2 synaptic insertion.

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