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Science 13 March 1998:
Vol. 279. no. 5357, pp. 1722 - 1725
DOI: 10.1126/science.279.5357.1722
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Reports

Structural Basis for a Ca2+-Sensing Function of the Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors

Yoshihiro Kubo, * Tomoyuki Miyashita, Yoshimichi Murata

The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are widely distributed in the brain and play important roles in synaptic plasticity. Here it is shown that some types of mGluRs are activated not only by glutamate but also by extracellular Ca2+ (Ca2+o). A single amino acid residue was found to determine the sensitivity of mGluRs to Ca2+o. One of the receptors, mGluR1alpha , but not its point mutant with reduced sensitivity to Ca2+o, caused morphological changes when transfected into mammalian cells. Thus, the sensing of Ca2+o by mGluRs may be important in cells under physiological condition.

Y. Kubo and T. Miyashita, Department of Neurophysiology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, Musashidai 2-6, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8526, Japan.
Y. Murata, Department of Neurophysiology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, Musashidai 2-6, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8526, Japan, and Department of Medical Physiology, Meiji College of Pharmacy, Nozawa 1-35-23, Setagaya, Tokyo 154-003, Japan.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ykubo{at}tmin.ac.jp

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)