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BioEssays 7/2012
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201290030
Subject(s) - postsynaptic potential , postsynaptic density , substructure , excitatory postsynaptic potential , blueprint , computer science , citation , neuroscience , cognitive science , biology , psychology , world wide web , engineering , genetics , mechanical engineering , receptor , structural engineering , inhibitory postsynaptic potential
Blueprint for a postsynaptic density substructure . The postsynaptic density is a massive protein assembly that is attached to the postsynaptic membrane of excitatory synapses. One of its key roles is coordinating different synaptic activation patterns with changes in synaptic strength, a process that is thought to underlie memory formation. Determining its three‐dimensional structure is essential to understand how it performs this role at the molecular level as discussed by Matthew Gold on pages 599–608 of this issue. The image shows the architecture of a complex nucleated within the postsynaptic density by the anchoring protein AKAP79. This model was developed by integration of data from multiple structural biology techniques and exemplifi es on a small scale how the complete structural model of the PSD can be assembled.Backcover by M. Gold