Glutamate (ionotropic) receptors

Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) are ligand-gated ion channels that are activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate.  They mediate the majority of excitatory synaptic transmission throughout the central nervous system and are key players in synaptic plasticity.  iGluRs have been divided into four subtypes on the basis of their pharmacology and sequence similarity: AMPA receptors, kainate receptors, NMDA receptors and delta receptors.  iGluRs are are essential for normal CNS function and also implicated in numerous pathologies including Alzheimer's disease, stroke, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, motor neuron disease and depression.

Further reading

Traynelis et al (2010) Glutamate receptor ion channels: structure, regulation, and function. Pharmacol. Rev. 62(3) 405 PMID: 20716669

Karakas et al (2015) Emerging structural insights into the function of ionotropic glutamate receptors. 40(6) 328 PMID: 25941168

Twomey et al (2018) Structural Mechanisms of Gating in Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors. Biochemistry 57(3) 267  PMID: 29037031

Chettiar and Dravid (2025)  GluD1 at the synaptic crossroads: from domain structure to circuit dysfunction. Acta Pharmacol Sin https://doi.org/10.1038/s41401-025-01696-3

Xu et al (2026) Conformational diversity and fully opening mechanism of native NMDA receptor. Nature  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10139-w