Receptors And Acetylcholine Flashcards
What are metabotropic receptors?
These a integral membrane proteins which have a 7 transmembrane domain and are linked to a G protein
Cause a slow response
Binds a neurotransmitter on its extracellular part
Activates signal cascades
What are ionotropic receptors ?
Ligand gated ion channels
They have a binding site on the extracellular aspect for neurotransmitter to bind
Have a pore to allow the passage of ions- either depolarisation or hyperpolarisation
Involved in fast transmission
If the membrane potential is at -90mV and you get an inward current of sodium ions what are deflection of the epsc and epsp ?
The epsc will have a downward deflection whilst the epsp will have an upward deflection
If the membrane potential is at 0mV and sodium channels open what happens to the epsc and epsp?
Both the epsc and epsp remain flat because there is no net movement of ions
If the membrane potential is at +70mV and the potassium channels are opened, what happens to the epsc and epsp ?
The epsc will have an upward deflection because potassium ions will be flowing out of the cell to cause an outward current to return membrane potential closer to its equilibrium potential
The epsp will be a downward deflection as the outward flow of current will cause the membrane potential to become more negative
If the membrane potential was at - 70mV and chloride channels were opened, what would happen to the epsc and epsp ?
The epsc would be an upward deflection because chloride ions would be entering the cell
The epsp would be a downward deflection because chloride ions would be making the membrane potential ,ore negative
What is temporal summation ?
It is combining of action potentials at the same synapse causing them to join together to elicit a larger post synaptic potential
What is spatial summation ?
This is the combination of the different synapses on one post synaptic neurone and the effects caused on the psp
What subunits are present in muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors ?
Alpha, beta, gamma, delta or epsilon
It is either delta or epsilon dependent upon the stage of development
What subunits are present in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain ?
Alpha and beta
How many alpha subunits have to be present in a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and why ?
2
Because this is the subunit which binds acetylcholine and it binds 2 acetylcholine molecules
How many transmembrane domains are present in a nicotinic acetylcholine subunit ?
4 and 1 always faces into the pore- (domain 2) this ones negatively charged amino acid helix is the filter which defines which ions are able to pass through the channel
What are the 3 receptors for glutamate ?
NMDA
AMPA
Kainate
What are NMDA receptors important for ?
Important in memory and learning
Which glutamate receptors are the most important for excitation ?
AMPA
What are kainate receptors thought to be involved in ?
Epilepsy
Explain AMPA receptors ?
There are 2 types of AMPA receptors- one is made up of a GluR1 subunit and a GluR2 subunit while the other is made up of 2 GluR1 subunits
The r1 and r2 receptor is the most common and allows only the passage of sodium and potassium
The r1 recptir is produced as a consequence of activity or insult as it also allows the passage of calcium ions
When are more GluR1 only glutamate receptors put into the membrane ?
When lots of synaptic activity is occurring
Because they allow the passage of calcium ions which cause a larger depolarisation and also can act as second messengers
Explain the structure of NMDA receptors ?
They are tetramers made up of 2 NR1 subunits and 2 NR2 subunits
The nr1 is for binding glycine and the nr2 is for binding glutamate
Allow passage of sodium potassium and calcium
At rest they are blocked by magnesium
When NMDA receptors become unblocked and allow flow of ions ?
If the AMPA receptors are open and cause depolarisation of the post synaptic neurone then there will no longer be a driving force for magnesium into the cell so it leaves the NMDA receptors
If another action potential occurs at the pre synaptic terminal then the NMDA receptors will still be unblocked so they will be able to allow the passage of ions and cause a larger excitation in the post synaptic neuron