This issue of Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience will highlight recent developments in the area of Ca2+-permeable AMPARs in synaptic plasticity and disease. AMPARs mediate fast synaptic transmission at excitatory synapses and are critical to neuronal development, synaptic plasticity and structural remodeling. AMPARs lacking the GluR2 subunit are permeable to Ca2+. Ca2+ permeation through AMPARs is crucial to several forms of synaptic plasticity and when overactivated, can elicit neuronal death. Exciting new research shows that AMPAR subunit composition and Ca2+ permeability are not static, but are dynamically remodeled in a cell- and synapse-specific manner during development and in response to neuronal activity, sensory-dependent experience, drugs of abuse and neuronal insults. These changes arise not only due to regulated GluR2 expression, but also RNA editing, receptor trafficking and dendritic protein synthesis. Topics will include the role of Ca2+ permeable AMPA receptors in development, formation of neural circuitry, synaptic plasticity, synaptic scaling, retinal signaling and cognition, regulation of AMPA receptor properties by synaptic scaffolding proteins and TARPs, regulation of synaptic GluR2 content by alterations in gene transcription, epigenetic remodeling, RNA editing, receptor trafficking and local protein synthesis and regulation of AMPAR phenotype in response to neuronal activity, sensory experience, drugs of abuse and neuronal insults.
This issue of Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience will highlight recent developments in the area of Ca2+-permeable AMPARs in synaptic plasticity and disease. AMPARs mediate fast synaptic transmission at excitatory synapses and are critical to neuronal development, synaptic plasticity and structural remodeling. AMPARs lacking the GluR2 subunit are permeable to Ca2+. Ca2+ permeation through AMPARs is crucial to several forms of synaptic plasticity and when overactivated, can elicit neuronal death. Exciting new research shows that AMPAR subunit composition and Ca2+ permeability are not static, but are dynamically remodeled in a cell- and synapse-specific manner during development and in response to neuronal activity, sensory-dependent experience, drugs of abuse and neuronal insults. These changes arise not only due to regulated GluR2 expression, but also RNA editing, receptor trafficking and dendritic protein synthesis. Topics will include the role of Ca2+ permeable AMPA receptors in development, formation of neural circuitry, synaptic plasticity, synaptic scaling, retinal signaling and cognition, regulation of AMPA receptor properties by synaptic scaffolding proteins and TARPs, regulation of synaptic GluR2 content by alterations in gene transcription, epigenetic remodeling, RNA editing, receptor trafficking and local protein synthesis and regulation of AMPAR phenotype in response to neuronal activity, sensory experience, drugs of abuse and neuronal insults.
