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A Developmental Change in the Immunological Properties of Acetylcholine Receptors at the Rat Neuromuscular Junction
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1983
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Acetylcholine ReceptorsNeurotransmitterMembrane ComponentsCytoskeletonCellular NeurobiologyCellular PhysiologyMembrane TransportCell SurfaceNeurochemistryBiophysicsHealth SciencesMolecular PhysiologyMembrane ComputingReceptor (Biochemistry)Membrane SystemNervous SystemSpecialized DomainsCell BiologyRat Neuromuscular JunctionDevelopmental BiologyNeuroanatomyPhysiologyNeuroscienceCentral Nervous SystemCellular StructureMedicineNeuropeptidesDevelopmental Change
The model of a fluid, mosaic membrane, originally proposed by Singer and Nicholson (1972), emphasized the mobility of membrane components and their ability to exchange with each other. More recently, there has been increasing recognition that surface membranes often contain specialized domains with distinctive properties. These domains are stable and can have lifetimes that are longer than those of their constitutents. Such domains are not limited to nerve cells (see, e.g., Fambrough, this volume), but neuronal function depends to an unusual degree on the ability of neurons to construct and maintain specialized regions on the cell surface. The axon hillock, the nodes of Ranvier, and the membrane of the presynaptic terminal are all examples of such specialized domains.