ACETYLCHOLINE TRANSITIONS OF THE ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTOR

Stuart J. Edelstein and Jean-Pierre Changeux

Advances in Protein Chemistry 51: 121-184

CONTENTS:

I. Introduction

A. The acetylcholine receptor: similarities and differences with respect to other allosteric proteins

B. Consequences of pseudo-symmetric oligomeric structure

C. Role of mutational studies

II. Mechanistic models

A. The allosteric-type model

B. Linear free energy relations

C. Alternative models

III. Recovery from desensitization

IV. Kinetic basis of dose-response curves

A. Dependence on desensitization rate

B. Desensitization by low-concentration pre-pulses

V. Multiple phenotypes

A. Generalized allosteric network

B. The K phenotype

C. The L phenotype

D. The g phenotype

E. Limiting properties at extremes of L

VI. Deductions from single channel measurements

A. Kinetic consequences of mutant phenotypes

B. Single ionic events versus single ligand-binding events in relation to binding-site nonequivalence

VII. Allosteric effectors and coincidence detection

VIII. General Considerations

A. Evaluation of mechanistic models

B. Implications for synaptic plasticity

C. Diseases and nicotine dependency

References