title: Isolation of rat brain subcellular fraction enriched in putative neurotransmitter receptors and synaptic junctions.
abstract: A simple reliable method was developed for the rapid isolation of a synaptic plasma membrane-enriched fraction from rat brain. The procedure involves the direct lysis of a crude mitochondrial fraction followed by a combined flotation-sedimentation density gradient centrifugation in a fixed-angle centrifuge rotor. All fractions have been characterized with respect to relative enrichment of (Na+-K+)ATPase activity as well as putative cholinergic neurotransmitter receptors determined by [125I]alpha-bungarotoxin and [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate binding. The 2- to 4-fold relative enrichment of putative receptor binding sites correlated well with the 4-fold enrichment of morphologically identifiable synaptic junctions in the synaptic plasma membrane enriched fraction.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002499:Centrifugation, Density Gradient; D051381:Rats; D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D013347:Subcellular Fractions; D013570:Synaptic Membranes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D017981:Receptors, Neurotransmitter; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase