title: Phase-transition-driven synaptic exocytosis: a hypothesis and its physiological and evolutionary implications.
abstract: It is proposed that the plasma membrane in the active zones of synaptic terminals contains self-assembling cooperative domains whose Ca2+-induced solidification may be the driving force of the fast neurotransmitter release in the central synapses. This hypothesis and a qualitative model of the phase-transition-driven exocytosis provide formulation of a unitary approach to a number of general problems in the physiology of animals. It allows answering the following questions, among others: (i) What is the physical reason for the existence of a narrow optimum range of body temperatures in warm-blooded species? (ii) What is the physical reason for the inevitable necessity of regular sleep in animals? (iii) Does there indeed exist any general mechanism of general anesthesia?
authors.affiliation: Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Science, Pushchino, Moscow region. kharakoz@pbc.iteb.serpukhov.su
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Kharakoz
mesh_terms: D018681:Anesthetics, General / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D005089:Exocytosis / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D013696:Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018681:Anesthetics, General; D008055:Lipids; D002118:Calcium