Stochastic model of protein receptor trafficking prior to synaptogenesis.

We present a stochastic model of NMDA ( N-methyl d-aspartate) receptor transport along a dendrite prior to synapse formation. Receptors undergo periods of intracellular kinesin motor-driven transport along microtubules interspersed with periods of cycling to the cell surface through exocytosis or endocytsosis. The stochastic dynamics is reduced to a spatially discrete hopping model that determines the time-dependent distribution of receptors along the dendrite. We also investigate how possible defects in motor-assisted transport can affect this distribution.