N-terminal leucine-isoleucine-valine binding protein (LIVBP)-like domain of the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA receptor
N-terminal leucine-isoleucine-valine binding protein (LIVBP)-like domain of the GluR1 subunit of the AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) receptor. The AMPA receptor is a member of the glutamate-receptor ion channels (iGluRs) which are the major mediators of excitatory synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. AMPA receptors are composed of four types of subunits (GluR1, GluR2, GluR3, and GluR4) which combine to form a tetramer and play an important role in mediating the rapid excitatory synaptic current. Furthermore, this N-terminal domain of the iGluRs has homology with LIVBP, a bacterial periplasmic binding protein, as well as with the structurally related glutamate-binding domain of the G-protein-coupled metabotropic receptors (mGluRs).