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Updated: May 29, 2026

Brain Slice Biotinylation: An Ex Vivo Approach to Measure Region-specific Plasma Membrane Protein Trafficking in Adult Neurons
Published on: April 3, 2014
Ubiquitin-dependent endocytosis, trafficking and turnover of neuronal membrane proteins
Lindsay A Schwarz1, Gentry N Patrick
1Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Abstract:
Extracellular signaling between cells is often transduced via receptors that reside at the cell membrane. In neurons this receptor-mediated signaling can promote a variety of cellular events such as differentiation, axon outgrowth and guidance, and synaptic development and function. Endocytic membrane trafficking of receptors ensures that the strength and duration of an extracellular signal is properly regulated. The covalent modification of membrane proteins by ubiquitin is a key biological mechanism controlling receptor internalization and endocytic sorting to recycling and degradative pathways in many cell types. In this review we highlight recent findings regarding the ubiquitin-dependent trafficking and turnover of receptors in neurons and the implications for neuronal development and function.
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