AUTHOR=Li Shupeng , Wong Albert H. C. , Liu Fang TITLE=Ligand-gated ion channel interacting proteins and their role in neuroprotection JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience VOLUME=8 YEAR=2014 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fncel.2014.00125 DOI=10.3389/fncel.2014.00125 ISSN=1662-5102 ABSTRACT=

Ion channel receptors are a vital component of nervous system signaling, allowing rapid and direct conversion of a chemical neurotransmitter message to an electrical current. In recent decades, it has become apparent that ionotropic receptors are regulated by protein-protein interactions with other ion channels, G-protein coupled receptors and intracellular proteins. These other proteins can also be modulated by these interactions with ion channel receptors. This bidirectional functional cross-talk is important for critical cellular functions such as excitotoxicity in pathological and disease states like stroke, and for the basic dynamics of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Protein interactions with ion channel receptors can therefore increase the computational capacity of neuronal signaling cascades and also represent a novel target for therapeutic intervention in neuropsychiatric disease. This review will highlight some examples of ion channel receptor interactions and their potential clinical utility for neuroprotection.