Abstract
THE description of the reaction between acetylcholine (ACh) and receptors in the end-plate membrane requires determination of the dose-response curve. The most appropriate response to measure is the conductance change of the voltage clamped end-plate1,2. Recent improvements of the microiontophoretic method3,4, as well as direct visual control of the ACh-pipette in relation to the nerve terminal5, enabled us to use the focal application method in a reasonably quantitative way. Only end-plates with a sole, straight running terminal were chosen for the experiments3–5, and ACh was always applied at the end of a terminal. The known geometrical arrangement allowed us to calculate the local ACh concentration in amplitude and time course at each point of the terminal by the diffusion law, and to compare it with the measured response of the voltage clamped end-plate. Our results indicate that at least three molecules of ACh react with one receptor unit.
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DREYER, F., PEPER, K. Density and dose-response curve of acetylcholine receptors in frog neuromuscular junction. Nature 253, 641–643 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/253641a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/253641a0
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