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Sci. STKE, 24 June 2003 REVIEWSLife at the Top: The Transition State of AChR GatingCenter for Single Molecule Biophysics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. Gloss: This STKE review describes the mechanisms by which receptors for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine change conformation to allow information from the presynaptic neuron to be conveyed to the postsynaptic cell. Cells in the nervous system communicate by means of chemical messengers, called neurotransmitters, at the synapse. Neurotransmitter binding to a ligand-gated channel on the postsynaptic cell triggers a conformational change, called gating, that allows ions to flow through the channel. In the neuromuscular acetylcholine receptor channel, gating involves a wave of small conformational changes that propagates from the neurotransmitter binding site throughout the channel during the transition from the closed to the open state, rather than an all-or-nothing switch in which all parts of the protein move synchronously from "closed" to "open." This review contains seven figures, 37 references, and one animation. *Contact information. E-Mail, auerbach{at}buffalo.edu
Citation: A. Auerbach, Life at the Top: The Transition State of AChR Gating. Sci. STKE 2003, re11 (2003). The editors suggest the following Related Resources on Science sites:In Science Signaling
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Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882)
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