Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 3, 2026
11:19
Site Directed Spin Labeling and EPR Spectroscopic Studies of Pentameric Ligand-Gated Ion Channels
Published on: July 4, 2016
A nomenclature for ligand-gated ion channels
Graham L Collingridge1, Richard W Olsen, John Peters
1MRC Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, Department of Anatomy, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK. g.l.collingridge@bristol.ac.uk
Neuropharmacology
|July 29, 2008
Summary
The IUPHAR Nomenclature Committee is developing standardized naming conventions for ligand-gated ion channel subunits and their assemblies. This aims to clarify receptor composition and function in vivo.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Ligand-gated ion channels mediate fast synaptic transmission.
- Key families include nicotinic acetylcholine, 5-HT3, GABA(A), glycine, ionotropic glutamate, and P2X receptors.
- Current nomenclature lacks consistency for subunits and their co-assembled receptors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a systematic nomenclature for ligand-gated ion channel subunits.
- To establish criteria for identifying functional receptors in vivo.
- To summarize progress by the IUPHAR Nomenclature Committee (NC-IUPHAR).
Main Methods:
- Review of existing receptor subunit structures.
- Analysis of heteromeric combinations in heterologous expression systems.
- Development of nomenclature guidelines by NC-IUPHAR.
Main Results:
- Progress in formulating recommendations for receptor nomenclature.
- Criteria are being developed to distinguish in vitro assemblies from in vivo functional receptors.
- Standardization efforts aim to improve clarity in the field.
Conclusions:
- A systematic nomenclature for ligand-gated ion channels is crucial.
- NC-IUPHAR is actively working on guidelines for subunit naming and receptor assembly.
- These efforts will enhance understanding of synaptic transmission and receptor function.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins with a channel for ions to pass through and a binding site for a ligand. The channel opens only when a ligand attaches to the binding site.
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...
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...
01:19Ligand-gated Ion Channels
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins with a channel for ions to pass through and a binding site for a ligand. The channel opens only when a ligand attaches to the binding site.
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...
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...
01:30Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism
Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
01:19Ion Channels
The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
Ion channels are specialized integral membrane proteins on the plasma membrane that allow specific...
01:12Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...
01:12Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...