The stargazin C terminus encodes an intrinsic and transferable membrane sorting signal

Abstract

Activity-dependent plasticity of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole- 4-propionic acid receptors is regulated by their auxiliary subunit, stargazin. Association with stargazin enhances α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4- propionic acid receptor surface expression and modifies the receptor's biophysical properties. Fusing the cytoplasmic C terminus of stargazin to the C-terminal domains of either GluR1 or the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor permits efficient trafficking from the endoplasmic reticulum and sorting to the basolateral membrane without altering other properties of either receptor. © 2008 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.