期刊
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
卷 47, 期 1, 页码 209-219出版社
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s12035-012-8347-9
关键词
Active zones; Neuromuscular junction; Calyx of held; Synapse maturation; Readily releasable pool of synaptic vesicles
资金
- Spanish Ministry of Education and Science Grant [BFU2010-21648]
- Muscular Dystrophy Association Grant [MDA155642]
- Spanish Ministry of Education and Science Research Training Grant [BES2008-005122]
Virtually all functions of the nervous system rely upon synapses, the sites of communication between neurons and between neurons and other cells. Synapses are complex structures, each one comprising hundreds of different types of molecules working in concert. They are organized by adhesive and scaffolding molecules that align presynaptic vesicular release sites, namely, active zones, with postsynaptic neurotransmitter receptors, thereby allowing rapid and reliable intercellular communication. Most synapses are relatively small, and acting alone exerts little effect on their postsynaptic partners. Some, however, are much larger and stronger, reliably driving the postsynaptic cell to its action potential threshold, acting essentially as electrical relays of excitation. These large synapses are among the best understood, and two of these are the subject of this review, namely, the vertebrate neuromuscular junction and the calyx of Held synapse in the mammalian auditory pathway of the brain stem. Both synapses undergo through a complex and well-coordinated maturation process, during which time the molecular elements and the biophysical properties of the secretory machinery are continuously adjusted to the synapse size and to the functional requirements. We here review the morphological and functional changes occurring during postnatal maturation, noting particular similarities and differences between these two large synapses.
作者
我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。
推荐
暂无数据