Regional diversity and developmental dynamics of the AMPA-receptor proteome in the mammalian brain

Native AMPA receptors (AMPARs) in the mammalian brain are macromolecular complexes whose functional characteristics vary across the different brain regions and change during postnatal development or in response to neuronal activity. The structural and functional properties of the AMPARs are determined by their proteome, the ensemble of their protein building blocks. Here we use high-resolution quantitative mass spectrometry to analyze the entire pool of AMPARs affinity-isolated from distinct brain regions, selected sets of neurons, and whole brains at distinct stages of postnatal development. These analyses show that the AMPAR proteome is dynamic in both space and time: AMPARs exhibit profound region specificity in their architecture and the constituents building their core and periphery. Likewise, AMPARs exchange many of their building blocks during postnatal development. These results provide a unique resource and detailed contextual data sets for the analysis of native AMPAR complexes and their role in excitatory neurotransmission.