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Glutamate receptor ion channels: where do all the calories go?

Glutamate receptor ion channels use the free energy of ligand binding to trigger ion channel activation and desensitization. In this issue, an analysis of all-atom molecular dynamics simulations dissects the binding process, reveals a substantial gain in free energy produced by domain closure for agonists and reports unique energy landscapes for individual ligands.

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Figure 1: Free-energy changes revealed by molecular dynamics simulations for the GluA2 LBD.

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Correspondence to Mark L Mayer.

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Mayer, M. Glutamate receptor ion channels: where do all the calories go?. Nat Struct Mol Biol 18, 253–254 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb0311-253

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