Premium
ACTIVATION AND INACTIVATION OF POSTJUNCTIONAL MEMBRANE RECEPTORS *
Author(s) -
Nastuk W. L.,
Manthey A. A.,
Gissen A. J.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1966.tb50212.x
Subject(s) - anesthesiology , columbia university , medicine , human physiology , annals , physiology , library science , history , anesthesia , media studies , classics , sociology , computer science
In skeletal muscle, it is now widely accepted that neuromuscular transmission is mediated by acetylcholine. On arrival of a nerve impulse at the motor neuron terminals, acetylcholine is released and it diffuses across the junctional cleft to reach and react with the postjunctional membrane (PJM). As a result of this interaction, the permeability of the PJM to Na and K ions is increased.' At the molecular level, it is commonly visualized that there are receptors sites on the PJM and that the permeability increase is brought about when these sites combine with acetylcholine (ACh). In our laboratory we have been interested in learning more about the nature of the receptive sites and the molecular mechanisms which control the ionic permeability of the PJM. In this paper, we wish to summarize some of our own work and that of other investigators whose publications bear on this subject.