A model for a glutamate receptor agonist antibody-binding site
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Updated: Oct 19, 2026

Modeling Ligands into Maps Derived from Electron Cryomicroscopy
Published on: July 19, 2024
S McDonald1, N G Carlson, L C Gahring
1The Burnham Institute, La Jolla CA 92037, USA.
Abstract:
A combination of mutagenesis, computer modeling and immunoreactivity has been used to develop a structural model of a segment of the glutamate receptor (GluR), termed GluR3B, which is bound by receptor-activating autoantibodies. In this model, the GluR3B epitope is located in a reverse hairpin loop that places key residues important for antibody recognition and receptor activation in a linear arrangement on the solvent-exposed surface. The conformation of the loop is stabilized by a hydrophobic core which is critical for functional integrity of the epitope. The proximity of the amino- and carboxy-terminal residues suggested that the GluR3B peptide could be cyclized without diminishing immunoreactivity through replacement of these residues with cysteines and formation of a disulfide bond. This prediction was confirmed experimentally since the cyclized peptide retained full immunoreactivity. The model provides insight into GluR subunit-specific functional diversity and the role of autoantibodies to this region in neurological disease.
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