Synaptic transmission metabotropic glutamate receptors

METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE RECEPTORS MODULATE SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION... 

Nakanishi, S. (1994) Metabotropic glutamate receptors synaptic transmission, modulation, and plasticity. Neuron 13,1031-1037. 

Gereau, R. W. IV, and Conn, P. J. (1995). Multiple presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors modulate excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmission in hippocampal area CA1. J. Neurosci. 15, 6879-6889. 

Taste bud cells in the mouth are believed to respond to the taste of glutamate through the metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR4 (Chaudhari and Roper, 1998). However, there is evidence for ionotropic glutamate receptors, probably NMDA receptors, in taste bud cells (Chaudhari and Roper, 1998). It is not clear whether the latter receptors participate in taste transduction at the apical (tasting) end of the cell or are involved in synaptic transmission at the basolateral (neural) end of the cell. 

Zhong J, Gerber G, Kojic L et al (2000) Dual modulation of excitatory synaptic transmission by agonists at group I metabotropic glutamate receptors in the rat spinal dorsal horn. Brain Res 887 359-377... 

Chen CY, Ling Eh EH, Horowitz JM, Bonham AC (2002) Synaptic transmission in nucleus tractus solitarius is depressed by group II and III but not group I presynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors in rats. J Physiol 538 773-786... 

Four main types of glutamate receptor have been identified and cloned. These are the ionotropic receptors (NMDA and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole, AMP A, and kainate types) and a group of metabotropic receptors of which eight types have been discovered. The AMP A and kainate receptors are involved in fast excitatory transmission whereas the NMDA receptors mediate slower excitatory responses and play a more complex role in mediating synaptic plasticity. 

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