Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026

A High-throughput Calcium-flux Assay to Study NMDA-receptors with Sensitivity to Glycine/D-serine and Glutamate
Published on: July 10, 2018
Oligomeric assembly of dopamine D1 and glutamate NMDA receptors: molecular mechanisms and functional implications
1Division of Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biotechnology and Centre of Excellence on Diagnostic and Therapeutic Innovation, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy.
Abstract:
In the striatum, dopamine D(1)R (D(1) receptor) activation potentiates NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) transmission and is required for NMDA-mediated long-term potentiation at corticostriatal synapses. By using a combination of co-immunoprecipitation, pull-out with glutathione S-transferase-fusion proteins and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer, we have reported that the D(1)R forms a heteromeric complex with the NMDAR (NMDA receptor) and that this mechanism is crucial to recruit the D(1)R to the postsynaptic density. By using confocal and radioligand-binding assay, we also demonstrated that the interaction with NMDAR abolishes agonist-mediated D(1)R sequestration, indicating that oligomerization with NMDAR could represent a novel regulatory mechanism modulating D(1)R cellular trafficking and desensitization.
Related Concept Videos
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures
Assembly of Signaling Complexes
Interaction domains in cell signaling
Interaction domains recognize exposed features of their binding partners containing post-translationally modified sequences,...
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis
Long-term Potentiation
Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Three Subfamilies of Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels fall into three subfamilies. The 'Cys-loop' includes the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glycine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors. The second one is the 'Pore-loop' channels that include the...

