Structure of the photoreceptor synaptic assembly of the extracellular matrix protein pikachurin with the orphan receptor GPR179.

ABSTRACT: Precise synapse formation is essential for normal functioning of the nervous system. Retinal photoreceptors establish selective contacts with bipolar cells, aligning the neurotransmitter release apparatus with postsynaptic signaling cascades. This involves transsynaptic assembly between the dystroglycan-dystrophin complex on the photoreceptor and the orphan receptor GPR179 on the bipolar cell, which is mediated by the extracellular matrix protein pikachurin (also known as EGFLAM). This complex plays a critical role in the synaptic organization of photoreceptors and signal transmission, and mutations affecting its components cause blinding disorders in humans. Here, we investigated the structural organization and molecular mechanisms by which pikachurin orchestrates transsynaptic assembly a

SUBMITTER: Patil DN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10561654 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature