Publication of the Year 2008
D. Tapken and M. Hollmann (2008).
Arabidopsis thaliana glutamate receptor ion channel function demonstrated by ion pore transplantation.
Journal of Molecular Biology 383(1): 36-48.
doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.06.076
Abstract
Glutamate receptors are glutamate-activated ion channels that play a decisive role in signal transduction in the vertebrate central nervous system. Although lacking a nervous system, plants surprisingly have a number of proteins that resemble glutamate receptors. These proteins have been implicated in the regulation of root development, ion transport, and various metabolic and signalling pathways. However, molecular characterisation of plant glutamate receptors has not been successful so far. Therefore, it has only been speculated but not yet proven that they are ion channels as well. The structural similarity with animal glutamate receptors allowed the identification of the domain that may conduct ions. We transplanted this ion pore domain from plant glutamate receptors to rat glutamate receptors. Analysis of the resulting chimaeric proteins revealed that some plant glutamate receptors indeed have functional ion pores that can conduct cations. This is the first direct indication that plant glutamate receptors are meant to serve as ion channels.
