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The role of receptor subtype diversity in the CNS
P R Schofield1, B D Shivers, P H Seeburg
1Center for Molecular Biology, University of Heidelberg, FRG.
Trends in Neurosciences
|January 1, 1990
Abstract:
The molecular characterization of neuroreceptors and voltage-gated ion channels has revealed that receptor subtype heterogeneity is a common feature of chemical and electrical signal reception. The use of distinct genes encoding receptor subtypes is a favoured mechanism for generation of this diversity. We propose that the significance of the multiplicity and diversity of signal reception proteins is to increase the information-handling capacity of neurons. This may contribute to neural plasticity.