Functional microdomains

Neurons constitute the most striking example of membrane polarization. A single neuron typically maintains thousands of discrete, functional microdomains, each with a distinctive protein complement, location and lifetime. Synaptic terminals are highly specialized for the vesicle cycling that underlies neurotransmitter release and neurotrophin uptake. The intracellular trafficking of a specialized type of transport vesicles in the presynaptic terminal, known as synaptic vesicles, underlies the ability of neurons to receive, process and transmit information. The axonal plasma membrane is specialized for transmission of the action potential, whereas the plasma... 

Ballesteros, J. A., Kitanovic, S., Guamieri, F., et al. (1998) Functional microdomains in G protein-coupled receptors The conserved arginine cage motif in the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor. J. Biol. Chem. 273,10445-10453. 

Visiers, I., Ebersole, B. J., Dracheva, S Ballesteros, J., Sealfon, S. C., and Weinstein, H. (2002) Structural motifs as functional microdomains in GPCRs energetic considerations in the mechanism of activation of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor by dismption of the ionic lock of the arginine cage. Inti. J. Quant. Chem. 88,65-75. 

Although e-beam lithography can give excellent spatial control of functional microdomains, this direct-write patterning process is not time-efficient for large-area integration of functional devices. Techniques for rapid patterning of functional nanostructures are thus needed for real-time applications. Ober et al. [106-108] have successfully developed a novel block copolymer... 

Biochemical and biophysical characterization of rhodopsin and the adrenergic receptors have identified residues near the cytoplasmic ends of TMIII and TMVI as important constraints on receptor structure and function. In the rhodopsin structure, the conserved E/DRYmotif found in TMIII is a central feature of the interface with TMVI. This structural motif in TMIII has been referred to as a functional microdomain because of its demonstrated functional significance in numerous GPCRs including the fi opiod receptor, 5-hydroxytryptamine2A receptor, ml muscarinic... 

Gege, C., Schneider, M. F., Schumacher, G., et al. (2004) Functional microdomains of glyco-lipids with partially fluorinated membrane anchors Impact on cell adhesion. ChemPhysChem, 5(2), 216-224. 

Flanagan, C.A., Zhou, W, Chi, L., Yuen, T., Rodic, V., Robertson, D., Johnson, M., Holland, P., Millar, R.P, Weinstein, H., Mitchell, R., Sealfon, S.C. The functional microdomain in transmembrane helices 2 and 7 regulates expression, activation, and coupling pathways of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor, J. Biol. Chem. 1999,274(41), 28880-6. 

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