AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are multimodal transducers of glutamatergic signals throughout the brain. Their diversity is exemplified in the cerebellum; at afferent synapses, AMPARs mediate high-frequency excitation, whereas in Bergmann glia (BG) they support calcium transients that modulate synaptic transmission. This spectrum arises from different combinations of core subunits (GluA1-4), auxiliary proteins, and post-transcriptional modifications. Here, using mass-spectrometry, cryo-EM, and electrophysiology, we characterize major cerebellar AMPARs in pig: calcium-impermeable GluA2/A4 heteromers with four TARP subunits, mainly neuronal in origin, and BG-specific calcium-permeable GluA1/A4 heteromers containing two Type-2 TARPs. We also showed that GluA4 receptors consistently exhibit compact N-terminal domains that promote their synaptic delivery. Our study defines the organizational principles of mammalian cerebellar AMPAR complexes and reveals how different receptor subtypes support cell-type specific functions.
Scrutton et al. (Thu,) studied this question.