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Selective effect of cell membrane on synaptic neurotransmission

Authors :
Tomasz Róg
Ilpo Vattulainen
Pekka A. Postila
Tampere University
Department of Physics
Research area: Computational Physics
Research group: Biological Physics and Soft Matter
Source :
Scientific Reports, Postila, P A, Vattulainen, I & Róg, T 2016, ' Selective effect of cell membrane on synaptic neurotransmission ', Scientific Reports, vol. 6, 19345 . https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19345
Publication Year :
2016
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2016.

Abstract

Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations were performed with 13 non-peptidic neurotransmitters (NTs) in three different membrane environments. The results provide compelling evidence that NTs are divided into membrane-binding and membrane-nonbinding molecules. NTs adhere to the postsynaptic membrane surface whenever the ligand-binding sites of their synaptic receptors are buried in the lipid bilayer. In contrast, NTs that have extracellular ligand-binding sites do not have a similar tendency to adhere to the membrane surface. This finding is a seemingly simple yet important addition to the paradigm of neurotransmission, essentially dividing it into membrane-independent and membrane-dependent mechanisms. Moreover, the simulations also indicate that the lipid composition especially in terms of charged lipids can affect the membrane partitioning of NTs. The revised paradigm, highlighting the importance of cell membrane and specific lipids for neurotransmission, should to be of interest to neuroscientists, drug industry and the general public alike.

Details

ISSN :
20452322
Volume :
6
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Scientific Reports
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....916dead52ed98478514f4908d5389a28