title: MuSK signaling at the neuromuscular junction.
abstract: The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a peripheral cholinergic synapse that conveys signals from motor neurons to muscle cells (Sanes and Lichtman, 1999; Sanes and Lichtman, 2001). The formation of the NMJ requires communication between motoneurons and muscle fibers. Three molecules are essential for NMJ formation: agrin, MuSK, and rapsyn. MuSK appears to be involved in every aspect of NMJ development and maintenance. The paper reviews agrin-MuSK cascades and its potential cross talk with Wnt signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Program of Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wen-Cheng
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mei
mesh_terms: D018171:Agrin / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D047108:Embryonic Development; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000502:physiology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018171:Agrin; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases