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Drug mechanism

Structural insights into SV2A and the mechanism of racetam anticonvulsants

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 31, pages 1818–1820 (2024)Cite this article

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Racetam anticonvulsants, such as levetiracetam, are widely prescribed to treat and prevent seizures. Despite decades of clinical use, their mechanism of action remains unclear. Two studies now reveal the structure of the racetam-binding protein SV2A in complex with anticonvulsant drugs, providing insights into their mechanism of action and the physiology of neurotransmission.

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Fig. 1: Structure of the synaptic vesicle glycoprotein SV2A bound to racetam anticonvulsants.

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Acknowledgements

M.M.B. is supported by a fellowship award from the Leon Levy Foundation and by the National Institutes of Health (T32GM140935). E.R.C. is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and is supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01MH061876 and R35NS097362).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York State Psychiatric Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Mazdak M. Bradberry

  2. Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA

    Edwin R. Chapman

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  1. Mazdak M. Bradberry
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  2. Edwin R. Chapman
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Correspondence to Mazdak M. Bradberry or Edwin R. Chapman.

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Bradberry, M.M., Chapman, E.R. Structural insights into SV2A and the mechanism of racetam anticonvulsants. Nat Struct Mol Biol 31, 1818–1820 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-024-01430-3

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