Interactions between the Nicotinic and Endocannabinoid Receptors at the Plasma Membrane

VALLÉS, ANA SOFÍA; BARRANTES, FRANCISCO J.

Membranes

MDPI

Lugar: Basilea; Año: 2022 vol. 12 p. 1 - 19

Compartmentalization, together with transbilayer and lateral asymmetries, provide thestructural foundation for functional specializations at the cell surface, including the active role ofthe lipid microenvironment in the modulation of membrane-bound proteins. The chemical synapse,the site where neurotransmitter-coded signals are decoded by neurotransmitter receptors, addsanother layer of complexity to the plasma membrane architectural intricacy, mainly due to theneed to accommodate a sizeable number of molecules in a minute subcellular compartment withdimensions barely reaching the micrometer. In this review, we discuss how nature has developedsuitable adjustments to accommodate different types of membrane-bound receptors and scaffoldingproteins via membrane microdomains, and how this “effort-sharing” mechanism has evolved tooptimize crosstalk, separation, or coupling, where/when appropriate. We focus on a fast ligand-gatedneurotransmitter receptor, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and a second-messenger G-proteincoupled receptor, the cannabinoid receptor, as a paradigmatic example.