Protein Crowding within the Postsynaptic Density Can Impede the Escape of Membrane Proteins.

ABSTRACT: Mechanisms regulating lateral diffusion and positioning of glutamate receptors within the postsynaptic density (PSD) determine excitatory synaptic strength. Scaffold proteins in the PSD are abundant receptor binding partners, yet electron microscopy suggests that the PSD is highly crowded, potentially restricting the diffusion of receptors regardless of binding. However, the contribution of macromolecular crowding to receptor retention remains poorly understood. We combined experimental and computational approaches to test the effect of synaptic crowding on receptor movement and positioning in Sprague Dawley rat hippocampal neurons. We modeled AMPA receptor diffusion in synapses where the distribution of scaffold proteins was determined from photoactivated localization microscopy experimen

SUBMITTER: Li TP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4829651 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature