NEUR30002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Postsynaptic Density, Neuroligin, Ampa Receptor

• School: University of Melbourne
• Department: Neuroscience
• Course: NEUR30002
• Professor: Andrew

Document Summary

Postsynaptic density: a cluster of molecules including ligand gated ion channels, regulatory proteins or cytoskeletal molecules, which are held together by anchoring proteins to reduce the distance nts have to travel to be effective. Symmetry of presynaptic and postsynaptic densities: asymmetrical density = presynaptic and postsynaptic densities have different thickness, symmetrical density = presynaptic and postsynaptic densities have similar thickness. At the level of synapse, excitatory ones usually have about 1000 different proteins, while inhibitory ones have at least 250 different kinds. And most of them are cell adhesion molecules, which means that mutation of these proteins leads to synaptic dysfunction (e. g. schizophrenia or autism). For examples, the connection between neuroligin (at postsynaptic) and neurexin (at presynaptic) is very important in maintaining synapse function. It requires ca2+ to be activated to synthesise no, and. Shank protein: has both structural and functional roles, functional role: shank protein binds to homer, which is a dimer.