The acetylcholine receptor of muscle has 5 subunits of 4 different types: 2 alpha and 1 each of beta, gamma and delta subunits. After acetylcholine binding, the receptor undergoes an extensive conformation change that affects all subunits and leads to opening of an ion-conducting channel across the plasma membrane.[1]
↑Kreienkamp HJ, Maeda RK, Sine SM, Taylor P (March 1995). "Intersubunit contacts governing assembly of the mammalian nicotinic acetylcholine receptor". Neuron. 14 (3): 635–44. doi:10.1016/0896-6273(95)90320-8. PMID7695910.
↑Wang ZZ, Hardy SF, Hall ZW (November 1996). "Assembly of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. The first transmembrane domains of truncated alpha and delta subunits are required for heterodimer formation in vivo". J. Biol. Chem. 271 (44): 27575–84. doi:10.1074/jbc.271.44.27575. PMID8910344.
Further reading
Colledge M, Froehner SC (1998). "Interaction between the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and Grb2. Implications for signaling at the neuromuscular junction". Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 841: 17–27. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb10907.x. PMID9668219.
Beeson D, Jeremiah S, West LF, Povey S, Newsom-Davis J (1990). "Assignment of the human nicotinic acetylcholine receptor genes: the alpha and delta subunit genes to chromosome 2 and the beta subunit gene to chromosome 17". Ann. Hum. Genet. 54 (Pt 3): 199–208. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1809.1990.tb00378.x. PMID2221824.
Luther MA, Schoepfer R, Whiting P, Casey B, Blatt Y, Montal MS, Montal M, Linstrom J (1989). "A muscle acetylcholine receptor is expressed in the human cerebellar medulloblastoma cell line TE671". J. Neurosci. 9 (3): 1082–96. PMID2564429.
Kreienkamp HJ, Maeda RK, Sine SM, Taylor P (1995). "Intersubunit contacts governing assembly of the mammalian nicotinic acetylcholine receptor". Neuron. 14 (3): 635–44. doi:10.1016/0896-6273(95)90320-8. PMID7695910.
Pasteris NG, Trask BJ, Sheldon S, Gorski JL (1993). "Discordant phenotype of two overlapping deletions involving the PAX3 gene in chromosome 2q35". Hum. Mol. Genet. 2 (7): 953–9. doi:10.1093/hmg/2.7.953. PMID8103404.
Engel AG, Ohno K, Milone M, Wang HL, Nakano S, Bouzat C, Pruitt JN, Hutchinson DO, Brengman JM, Bren N, Sieb JP, Sine SM (1996). "New mutations in acetylcholine receptor subunit genes reveal heterogeneity in the slow-channel congenital myasthenic syndrome". Hum. Mol. Genet. 5 (9): 1217–27. doi:10.1093/hmg/5.9.1217. PMID8872460.
Wang ZZ, Hardy SF, Hall ZW (1996). "Assembly of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. The first transmembrane domains of truncated alpha and delta subunits are required for heterodimer formation in vivo". J. Biol. Chem. 271 (44): 27575–84. doi:10.1074/jbc.271.44.27575. PMID8910344.