title: The putative agrin receptor binds ligand in a calcium-dependent manner and aggregates during agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor clustering.
abstract: Agrin derived from Torpedo electric organ induces the clustering of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) on cultured myotubes. As a first step toward characterizing the plasma membrane receptor for agrin, we have examined agrin binding to cultured myotubes. Agrin binding is saturable as measured by radioimmunoassay and, like agrin-induced AChR clustering, requires extracellular calcium. Immunofluorescence shows that on myotubes incubated with agrin at 4 degrees C, agrin binds in a uniform, finely punctate pattern that correlates poorly with the distribution of AChRs. Myotubes stimulated with agrin at 37 degrees C for greater than or equal to 2 hr show a coclustering of agrin binding sites and AChRs. By contrast, if anti-AChR antibodies are used either to cluster or to internalize AChRs, the distribution and number of agrin binding sites remain unchanged. The aggregation and calcium dependence of the putative agrin receptor may represent important control points in postsynaptic differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology Group, Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts 01545.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nastuk
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lieth
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Cardasis
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Moynihan
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: McKechnie
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Fallon
mesh_terms: D018171:Agrin; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002642:Chick Embryo; D008024:Ligands; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011940:Receptor Aggregation / Q000502:physiology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000378:metabolism; D012146:Rest; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D018171:Agrin; D008024:Ligands; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D002118:Calcium