title: The postsynaptic organization of synapses.
abstract: The postsynaptic side of the synapse is specialized to receive the neurotransmitter signal released from the presynaptic terminal and transduce it into electrical and biochemical changes in the postsynaptic cell. The cardinal functional components of the postsynaptic specialization of excitatory and inhibitory synapses are the ionotropic receptors (ligand-gated channels) for glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), respectively. These receptor channels are concentrated at the postsynaptic membrane and embedded in a dense and rich protein network comprised of anchoring and scaffolding molecules, signaling enzymes, cytoskeletal components, as well as other membrane proteins. Excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic specializations are quite different in molecular organization. The postsynaptic density of excitatory synapses is especially complex and dynamic in composition and regulation; it contains hundreds of different proteins, many of which are required for cognitive function and implicated in psychiatric illness.
authors: The Department of Neuroscience, Genentech Incorporated, San Francisco, California 94080, USA.
authors: Morgan
authors: M
authors: Sheng
authors: Eunjoon
authors: E
authors: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; D051528:Guanylate Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D057907:Post-Synaptic Density / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013569:Synapses / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; C501447:Dlg4 protein, mouse; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051528:Guanylate Kinases