Phosphatidylserine increases the affinity of the AMPA/quisqualate receptor in rat brain membranes.

We investigated the effects of phospholipids and cholesterol on the binding of [3H]-AMPA to rat telencephalic membranes. Phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, sphingomyelin, and cholesterol were without effect at concentrations up to 1.5 mg/mg protein. Only phosphatidylserine increased [3H]-AMPA binding in a dose-dependent manner. This effect was due to an increase in the affinity of the low affinity component of [3H]-AMPA binding. These results indicate that the distribution of phosphatidylserine in membranes modulates the properties of the AMPA/quisqualate receptor.