It is proposed that the plasma membrane in the active zones of synaptic terminals contains self-assembling cooperative domains whose Ca2+-induced solidification may be the driving force of the fast neurotransmitter release in the central synapses. This hypothesis and a qualitative model of the phase-transition-driven exocytosis provide formulation of a unitary approach to a number of general problems in the physiology of animals. It allows answering the following questions, among others: (i) What is the physical reason for the existence of a narrow optimum range of body temperatures in warm-blooded species? (ii) What is the physical reason for the inevitable necessity of regular sleep in animals? (iii) Does there indeed exist any general mechanism of general anesthesia?
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
December 01 2001
Phase-Transition-Driven Synaptic Exocytosis: A Hypothesis and Its Physiological and Evolutionary Implications
Dmitri P. Kharakoz
Dmitri P. Kharakoz
1Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Russian Academy of Science, Pushchino, Moscow region; Russia
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Online ISSN: 1573-4935
Print ISSN: 0144-8463
© 2001 Plenum Publishing Corporation
2001
Biosci Rep (2001) 21 (6): 801–830.
Citation
Dmitri P. Kharakoz; Phase-Transition-Driven Synaptic Exocytosis: A Hypothesis and Its Physiological and Evolutionary Implications. Biosci Rep 1 December 2001; 21 (6): 801–830. doi: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015588825142
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Biochemical Society Member Sign in
Sign InSign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionGet Access To This Article
Open Access for all
We offer compliant routes for all authors from 2025. With library support, there will be no author nor reader charges in 5 journals. Check here |
![]() |