Description
The rat glycine receptor (GlyR) chloride channel is a member of the nicotinic acetylcho-line receptor family of ligand-gated ion channels. Its glycine-mediated activation results in an influx of chlorine ions that hyperpolarize and desensitize neuronal postsynaptic membranes. The receptor’s multimeric makeup is unclear. It may be either a three or five subunit homo- or heteromultimer. To date, there are five rat GlyR subunit types. Four are 48-53 kDa alpha -type subunits, and one is a 58 kDa beta -type subunit. Alternate splicing exists for alpha 1 and alpha 2 subunit types. Alpha-type subunits may form homotrimers; however, their function may not be neurotransmission but rather non-synaptic cell-cell communication. Alpha1-beta multimers may be the principal synaptic GlyR in adults.
Bioinformatics
