AGRIN INDUCED CLUSTERING OF ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTOR DURING SYNAPTOGENESIS

化学突触的形成需要前突触和 突触后细胞在接触部位进行局部特化 在两个细胞之间。 这一过程涉及的浓度 突触蛋白在该位点和它们组装成大分子 跨越突触的复合体。 整个过程由一系列 两个细胞之间的信号交换 收益。 我们的实验室致力于了解这些 信号是什么以及它们如何作用于复合物的形成 突触结构 我们感兴趣的是定义 结构以及如何组装。 这些研究对于 了解突触的功能和形成过程 因为 精神疾病的重要方面被认为是通过改变 在突触结构和功能方面，这些研究与 了解精神疾病的生物学基础。

The formation of the chemical synapse requires that both pre-and postsynaptic cells undergo a local specialization at the site of contact between the two cells. This process involves the concentration of synaptic proteins at the site and their assembly into a macromolecular complex that spans the synapse. The process is orchestrated by a series of signals that are exchanged between the two cells as synaptogenesis proceeds. Our laboratory is engaged in trying to understand what these signals are and how they act to drive the formation of the complex synaptic structures. We are interested in defining the components of the structure and how it is assembled. These studies are important for understanding how synapses function and how they are formed. Because important aspects of mental illness are thought to be mediated by changes in synaptic structure and function, these studies are highly relevant to understanding to biological basis of mental illness.