GluA3-containing AMPA receptors: From physiology to synaptic dysfunction in brain disorders

• Published in: Neurobiology of disease Vol. 161; p. 105539
• Main Authors: Italia, Maria, Ferrari, Elena, Di Luca, Monica, Gardoni, Fabrizio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.2021; Elsevier
• Subjects: AMPA receptors; Animals; Autoimmunity; Brain Diseases; Dendritic spines; Glutamate; Mammals - metabolism; Neurodegeneration; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Receptors, AMPA - metabolism; Synapses - metabolism; Synaptic plasticity; Synaptic transmission; Synaptic Transmission - physiology; Autoimmunity; AMPA; ALS; mEPSC; NREM; CNS; LTP; cAMP; NDD; Dendritic spines; Aβ; Synaptic transmission; Neurodegeneration; Synaptic plasticity; NMDA; ID; WT; PSD; AD; KO; PKA; NMDARs; Glutamate; AMPARs; FTD; AMPA receptors; LTD; PAM
• ISSN: 0969-9961; 1095-953X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105539

In the mammalian brain, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) play a fundamental role in the activation of excitatory synaptic transmission and the induction of different forms of synaptic plasticity. The modulation of the AMPAR tetramer subunit composition at synapses defines the functional properties of the receptor. During the last twenty years, several studies have evaluated the roles played by each subunit, from GluA1 to GluA4, in both physiological and pathological conditions. Here, we have focused our attention on GluA3-containing AMPARs, addressing their functional role in synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity and their involvement in a variety of brain disorders. Although several aspects remain to be fully understood, GluA3 is a widely expressed and functionally relevant subunit in AMPARs involved in several brain circuits, and its pharmacological modulation could represent a novel approach for the rescue of altered glutamatergic synapses associated with neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders.