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G PROTEIN–COUPLED RECEPTORS

Asymmetry is central to excitatory glutamate receptor activation

Dimeric multidomain metabotropic glutamate receptors modulate excitatory neurotransmission in the brain. Three articles in Nature provide unparalleled insights into how glutamate and drug-like molecules induce asymmetric shape changes in these multidomain receptors to promote coupling to an intracellular protein partner.

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Fig. 1: Full-length structures of dimeric mGlu receptors in different states: inactive, transitional and active–heterotrimeric Gi complexes.
Fig. 2: Intracellular views of homodimeric mGlu2 7TM domains reveal different dimerization interfaces.

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Acknowledgements

K.J.G. is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT170100392).

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Correspondence to Karen J. Gregory.

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Gregory, K.J. Asymmetry is central to excitatory glutamate receptor activation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 28, 633–635 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-021-00639-w

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