Aromatic L-amino acids activate the calcium-sensing receptor.

The calcium-sensing receptor (CaR) is recognized as a member of class 3 of the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily. Members of this subgroup, which have large N-terminal extracellular domains, include receptors that respond specifically to the amino acid glutamate; receptors that respond to the glutamate analogue, gamma-amino butyric acid; and several receptors that act as broad-spectrum amino acid sensors. The CaR is one of these broad-spectrum amino acid sensors that, along with several other members of the subgroup, also responds to extracellular Ca2+. In this mini-review, we consider evidence that the CaR is a sensor of aromatic amino acids, that it has broad-spectrum amino acid sensing properties, that it provides an amino acid binding site in its extracellular N-terminal Venus Fly Trap domain, and that amino acids have a physiological impact on systems in which the CaR is expressed.