This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Kirsch, J. Articles by Kröger, S. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Kirsch, J. Articles by Kröger, S. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

REVIEW : Postsynaptic Anchoring of Receptors: A Cellular Approach to Neuronal and Muscular Sensitivity

Department of Morphology Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt, Federal Republic of Germany, Department of Neurochemistry

Stephan Kröger

Department of Neuroanatomy Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research Frankfurt, Germany

Significant progress has been made toward the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying the biogenesis and stabilization of postsynaptic membrane specializations at the neuromuscular junction of vertebrate skeletal muscle. The emerging picture reveals a continuous molecular link from the extracellular matrix within the synaptic cleft via integral and peripheral membrane proteins to the subsarcolemmal cytoskeleton. The formation and maintenance of synaptic contacts between neurons in the CNS might follow similar architectural principles but involve different molecules. The biogenesis of glycinergic postsynaptic membrane specializations depends on the widely expressed peripheral membrane protein gephyrin, which anchors the neurotransmitter receptor to underlying cytoskeletal elements in a dynamic manner. This anchoring mechanism could also contribute to the plasticity of glycinergic synapses. Other types of neurotransmitter receptors, like GABA_A- and glutamate receptors, may have evolved different molecular mechanisms to ensure their localization in postsynaptic membrane specializations. The Neuroscientist 2:100-108, 1996

Key Words: KEY WORDS Extracellular matrix • Membrane-cytoskeleton interactions • Neuromuscular junction • Synapse • Clustering

The Neuroscientist, Vol. 2, No. 2, 100-108 (1996)
DOI: 10.1177/107385849600200211


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?