Investigations of the Structural Properties of the Acetylcholine Receptor and its Polypeptide Subunits from Torpedo Californica
Year: 2025
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Microsequence analysis of the four polypeptide subunits of the acetylcholine receptor from Torpedo californica electroplax was performed and demonstrated a striking amino acid homology among these four chains. Further sequence analysis of both membrane-bound and Tritonsolubilized, chromatographically purified receptor was used to measure the stoichiometry of the subunits. The values determined for the two preparations of receptor were the same: the ratio of the four subunits (40,000: 50,000:60,000:65,000 daltons) is 2:1:1:1, indicating a value of255,000 daltons for the molecular weight of the receptor, in agreement with experimentally determined values. These results demonstrate that the acetylcholine receptor is a pentamer composed of five subunits, two being identical and the other three being structurally related to them by sequence homology. Genealogical analysis suggests that divergence from a common ancestral gene occurred early in the evolution of the receptor. This shared ancestry argues compellingly that each of the four subunits plays a functional role in the receptor's physiological action.
Source: Caltech Library
DOI: 10.7907/n480-zm70
Author: Strader, Catherine Boxley Devine
Institution: California Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7114908080
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: