AMN082 (''N'',''N′''-dibenzhydrylethane-1,2-diamine) is a selective

metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 Metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''GRM7'' gene. Function L-glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and activates both ionotropic and metabotropic glutamat ...

(mGluR7)

allosteric In biochemistry, allosteric regulation (or allosteric control) is the regulation of an enzyme by binding an effector molecule at a site other than the enzyme's active site. The site to which the effector binds is termed the ''allosteric site ...

agonist An agonist is a chemical that activates a receptor to produce a biological response. Receptors are cellular proteins whose activation causes the cell to modify what it is currently doing. In contrast, an antagonist blocks the action of the ago ...

. It mimics the effect of

glutamate Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can syn ...

. AMN082 is the first selective mGluR7

and has expanded the potential array of research opportunities on the effects of mGluR7 in the central nervous system.

Significance

The two main types of

glutamate receptors Glutamate receptors are synaptic and non synaptic receptors located primarily on the membranes of neuronal and glial cells. Glutamate (the conjugate base of glutamic acid) is abundant in the human body, but particularly in the nervous system an ...

are

ionotropic Ligand-gated ion channels (LICs, LGIC), also commonly referred to as ionotropic receptors, are a group of transmembrane ion-channel proteins which open to allow ions such as Na+, K+, Ca2+, and/or Cl− to pass through the membrane in res ...

receptors and

metabotropic A metabotropic receptor, also referred to by the broader term G-protein-coupled receptor, is a type of membrane receptor that initiates a number of metabolic steps to modulate cell activity. The nervous system utilizes two types of receptors: met ...

receptors. Ionotropic receptors (iGluRs) are fast-acting

ligand-gated ion channel Ligand-gated ion channels (LICs, LGIC), also commonly referred to as ionotropic receptors, are a group of transmembrane ion-channel proteins which open to allow ions such as Na+, K+, Ca2+, and/or Cl− to pass through the membrane in res ...

s and include

AMPA receptor The α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (also known as AMPA receptor, AMPAR, or quisqualate receptor) is an ionotropic receptor, ionotropic transmembrane receptor for glutamate (iGluR) that mediates fast synapse, synap ...

kainate receptor Kainate receptors, or kainic acid receptors (KARs), are ionotropic receptors that respond to the neurotransmitter glutamate. They were first identified as a distinct receptor type through their selective activation by the agonist kainate, a drug ...

s, and

NMDA receptor The ''N''-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (also known as the NMDA receptor or NMDAR), is a glutamate receptor and ion channel found in neurons. The NMDA receptor is one of three types of ionotropic glutamate receptors, the other two being AMPA rece ...

s. Metabotropic receptors are

G-protein coupled receptor G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), also known as seven-(pass)-transmembrane domain receptors, 7TM receptors, heptahelical receptors, serpentine receptors, and G protein-linked receptors (GPLR), form a large group of protein family, evolution ...

s that mediate slower, longer-lasting effects through second messenger systems and are responsible for other neuronal functions that are not typically controlled by iGluRs. mGluRs are split into 3 separate groups (Group I, Group II, Group III) based on pharmacological profile, sequence homology, and preferred signal transduction pathway. mGlur7 is a member of Group III, the least studied of the groups. AMN082 is pharmacological tool used to expand research on Group III mGluRs.

References

{{Metabotropic glutamate receptor modulators MGlu7 receptor agonists Diamines