Voltage-dependent gating of NR1/2B NMDA receptors

Ligand-gated ion channels are activated by agonist binding, but may also be modulated by membrane voltage. N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) exhibit especially strong voltage dependence due to channel block by external Mg2+ (Mg-o(2+)). Here we demonstrate that activity of NMDARs composed of NR1 and NR2B subunits (NR1/2B receptors) is enhanced by depolarization even in 0 Mg-o(2+), causing slow current relaxations in response to rapid voltage changes. We present a kinetic model of receptor activation that incorporates voltage-dependent gating-associated NR2B subunit conformational changes. The model accurately reproduces current relaxations during depolarizations and subsequent repolarizations in 0 Mg-o(2+). Model simulations in physiological Mg-o(2+) concentrations show that voltage-dependent receptor gating also underlies the slow component of Mg-o(2+) unblock, a phenomenon that previously was shown to influence Mg-o(2+) unblock kinetics during dendritic spikes. We propose that voltage-dependent gating of NR1/2B receptors confers enhanced voltage and time dependence on NMDAR-mediated signalling.