title: Structural mechanisms of the agrin-LRP4-MuSK signaling pathway in neuromuscular junction differentiation.
abstract: The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the most extensively studied model of neuronal synaptogenesis. Acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering on the postsynaptic membrane is a cardinal event in the differentiation of NMJs. AChR clustering and postsynaptic differentiation is orchestrated by sophisticated interactions among three proteins: the neuron-secreted proteoglycan agrin, the co-receptor LRP4, and the muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK. LRP4 and MuSK act as scaffolds for multiple binding partners, resulting in a complex and dynamic network of interacting proteins that is required for AChR clustering. In this review, we discuss the structural basis for NMJ postsynaptic differentiation mediated by the agrin-LRP4-MuSK signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neuroscience, Aging, and Stem Cell Research, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, 10901 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Yinong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zong
authors.forename: Rongsheng
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D018171:Agrin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D026502:LDL-Receptor Related Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D018171:Agrin; D026502:LDL-Receptor Related Proteins; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic