Glutamate receptors are the predominant excitatory
neurotransmitter receptors in the mammalian brain and are activated in a variety of normal neurophysiologic processes. These receptors are heteromeric protein complexes with multiple subunits, each possessing
transmembrane regions, and all arranged to form a
ligand-gated ion channel. The classification of glutamate receptors is based on their activation by different pharmacologic agonists. The GRIA1 belongs to a family of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (
AMPA) receptors. Each of the members (GRIA1–4) include flip and flop isoforms generated by
alternative RNA splicing. The receptor subunits encoded by each isoform vary in their signal transduction properties. The isoform presented here is the flop isoform. In situ hybridization experiments showed that human GRIA1 mRNA is present in
granule and
pyramidal cells in the
hippocampal formation. GRIA1 (GluR1) is centrally involved in
synaptic plasticity. Expression of the
GluR1 gene is significantly reduced in the human
frontal cortex with increasing age. ==Interactions==