title: Crystal structure of the frizzled-like cysteine-rich domain of the receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK.
abstract: Muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) is an essential receptor tyrosine kinase for the establishment and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Activation of MuSK by agrin, a neuronally derived heparan-sulfate proteoglycan, and LRP4 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-4), the agrin receptor, leads to clustering of acetylcholine receptors on the postsynaptic side of the NMJ. The ectodomain of MuSK comprises three immunoglobulin-like domains and a cysteine-rich domain (Fz-CRD) related to those in Frizzled proteins, the receptors for Wnts. Here, we report the crystal structure of the MuSK Fz-CRD at 2.1 A resolution. The structure reveals a five-disulfide-bridged domain similar to CRDs of Frizzled proteins but with a divergent C-terminal region. An asymmetric dimer present in the crystal structure implicates surface hydrophobic residues that may function in homotypic or heterotypic interactions to mediate co-clustering of MuSK, rapsyn, and acetylcholine receptors at the NMJ.
authors: Structural Biology Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors: Amy L
authors: AL
authors: Stiegler
authors: Steven J
authors: SJ
authors: Burden
authors: Stevan R
authors: SR
authors: Hubbard
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019281:Dimerization; D004220:Disulfides; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020836:Protein Structure, Quaternary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D051381:Rats; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000737:chemistry*; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D004220:Disulfides; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C475048:MuSK protein, rat; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases