The aggregation, arrangement and bonding together of a set of components to form a presynaptic membrane, including any proteins associated with the membrane, but excluding other cellular components. A presynaptic membrane is a specialized area of membrane of the axon terminal that faces the plasma membrane of the neuron or muscle fiber with which the axon terminal establishes a synaptic junction. [ GOC:sjp http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15797875 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18550748 GOC:pr GOC:BHF ]
Synonyms: pre-synaptic membrane assembly
Term information
goslim_synapse
Note that 'presynaptic membrane' in this term should not be mistaken with 'presynaptic active zone'. The latter encompasses more than the former, as it also includes the specialized cortical cytoskeletal matrix in the cell cortex of a presynaptic neuron.