Journal
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS
Volume 1834, Issue 10, Pages 2166-2169Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2013.02.034
Keywords
Neuromuscular junction; MuSK; Agrin; LRP4; Acetylcholine receptor
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01 NS053414]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
MuSK (muscle-specific kinase) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a central signaling role in the formation of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). MuSK is activated in a complex spatio-temporal manner to cluster acetylcholine receptors on the postsynaptic (muscle) side of the synapse and to induce differentiation of the nerve terminal on the presynaptic side. The ligand for MuSK is LRP4 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-4), a transmembrane protein in muscle, whose binding affinity for MuSK is potentiated by agrin, a neuronally derived heparan-sulfate proteoglycan. In addition, Dok7, a cytoplasmic adaptor protein, is also required for MUSK activation in vivo. This review focuses on the physical interplay between these proteins and MuSK for activation and downstream signaling, which culminates in NMJ formation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Emerging recognition and activation mechanisms of receptor tyrosine kinases. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available