Partial agonists go molecular

Abstract

Single-channel analysis previously revealed a key role for a short-lived 'flipped' state during glycine receptor activation by partial agonists. Structures solved by Yu and colleagues now reveal a surprising mechanism involving a partially activated agonist-bound closed state that is too long-lived to be considered the flipped state.

Keywords: cryo-electron microscopy; glycine receptors; ligand-gated ion channels; single-channel recording.