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Related Concept Videos

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane01:24

Protein Diffusion in the Membrane

Proteins show rotational as well as lateral diffusion across the membrane. The lateral diffusion of proteins was confirmed through the cell fusion experiment where mouse and human cells were fused, resulting in hybrid cells. When the human and mouse cells fused, the specific membrane proteins on human and mouse cells were marked with the red and green-fluorescent markers, respectively. Initially, the red and green fluorescence was located on the respective hemisphere of the cell. As time...
Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)01:32

Postsynaptic Potential (PSP)

Postsynaptic potential (PSP) refers to a change in the electrical potential of a neuron when neurotransmitters released by presynaptic neurons bind to postsynaptic receptors. This potential can either be excitatory, leading to depolarization and ultimately action potential generation, or inhibitory, leading to hyperpolarization and suppression of the postsynaptic neuron.
There are two types of receptors: ionotropic and metabotropic.
The ionotropic receptor is the membrane protein that has an...
Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism01:30

Ligand-Gated Ion Channel Receptor: Gating Mechanism

Ligand-gated ion channels are transmembrane proteins that play a vital role in intercellular communication and functions of the nervous system. They allow the influx of ions across the membrane once the neurotransmitter binds, allowing the subsequent transmission of electrical excitation across the neurons. Other ligand-gated ion channels, like the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor, permit anions like chloride into the cells on the binding of the GABA molecule. Their entry into the cell...
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
Chemical Synapses01:26

Chemical Synapses

Chemical synapses are specialized sites between two neurons or between a neuron and a non-neuronal cell like a muscle, glandular or sensory cell.
Because chemical synapses depend on the release of neurotransmitter molecules from synaptic vesicles to pass on their signal, there is an approximately one millisecond delay between when the axon potential reaches the presynaptic terminal and when the neurotransmitter leads to opening of postsynaptic ion channels. Additionally, this signaling is...
The Synapse02:47

The Synapse

Neurons communicate with one another by passing on their electrical signals to other neurons. A synapse is the location where two neurons meet to exchange signals. At the synapse, the neuron that sends the signal is called the presynaptic cell, while the neuron that receives the message is called the postsynaptic cell. Note that most neurons can be both presynaptic and postsynaptic, as they both transmit and receive information.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient
08:06

Preparation of Synaptic Plasma Membrane and Postsynaptic Density Proteins Using a Discontinuous Sucrose Gradient

Published on: September 3, 2014

The excitatory postsynaptic density is a size exclusion diffusion environment.

Marianne L Renner1, Laurent Cognet, Brahim Lounis

  • 1Physiologie Cellulaire de la Synapse, CNRS (UMR 5091), Université Bordeaux, Institut François Magendie, 146 rue Leo Saignat, 33077 Bordeaux Cedex, France.

Neuropharmacology
|August 13, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Synaptic plasticity involves the movement of receptors. This study shows that synaptic membranes act as a size-exclusion matrix, controlling receptor and lipid exchange between synaptic and extrasynaptic areas.

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Last Updated: Jul 2, 2026

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08:06

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Published on: September 3, 2014

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Receptors are crucial for synaptic function and are found in the postsynaptic membrane.
  • Receptor movement between synaptic and extrasynaptic zones is vital for synaptic plasticity but poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the structural properties of the postsynaptic membrane regulating receptor and lipid diffusion.
  • To understand the molecular mechanisms governing the exchange of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) and lipids at synapses.

Main Methods:

  • Employed single-molecule tracking to observe the diffusion dynamics of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) and various lipids.
  • Analyzed diffusion behaviors within synaptic and extrasynaptic regions of the postsynaptic membrane.

Main Results:

  • Both AMPARs and non-enriched lipids exhibit confined diffusion within synapses.
  • Different molecules showed distinct average confinement areas, correlating with molecular size.
  • Glutamate application significantly enhanced the mobility of all tracked molecules.

Conclusions:

  • The postsynaptic membrane likely functions as a size-exclusion matrix, regulating molecular exchange.
  • This matrix structure controls the rate of receptor and lipid trafficking between synaptic and extrasynaptic compartments.