Collège de France, 75005 Paris, France.
J Biol Chem. 2012 Nov 23;287(48):40207-15. doi: 10.1074/jbc.R112.407668. Epub 2012 Oct 4.
A critical event in the history of biological chemistry was the chemical identification of the first neurotransmitter receptor, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Disciplines as diverse as electrophysiology, pharmacology, and biochemistry joined together in a unified and rational manner with the common goal of successfully identifying the molecular device that converts a chemical signal into an electrical one in the nervous system. The nicotinic receptor has become the founding father of a broad family of pentameric membrane receptors, paving the way for their identification, including that of the GABA(A) receptors.
生物化学史上的一个重大事件是第一个神经递质受体——烟碱型乙酰胆碱受体的化学鉴定。电生理学、药理学和生物化学等不同学科以一种统一而合理的方式联合起来,共同的目标是成功鉴定出将化学信号转化为神经系统中电信号的分子装置。烟碱受体已成为一个广泛的五聚体膜受体家族的鼻祖,为它们的鉴定铺平了道路,包括 GABA(A)受体的鉴定。