Institute of Life Sciences, the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.
Elife. 2018 Mar 14;7:e30457. doi: 10.7554/eLife.30457.
Neuroligins are postsynaptic adhesion molecules that are essential for postsynaptic specialization and synaptic function. But the underlying molecular mechanisms of neuroligin functions remain unclear. We found that Neuroligin 1 (DNlg1) regulates synaptic structure and function through WAVE regulatory complex (WRC)-mediated postsynaptic actin reorganization. The disruption of DNlg1, DNlg2, or their presynaptic partner neurexin (DNrx) led to a dramatic decrease in the amount of F-actin. Further study showed that DNlg1, but not DNlg2 or DNlg3, directly interacts with the WRC via its C-terminal interacting receptor sequence. That interaction is required to recruit WRC to the postsynaptic membrane to promote F-actin assembly. Furthermore, the interaction between DNlg1 and the WRC is essential for DNlg1 to rescue the morphological and electrophysiological defects in mutants. Our results reveal a novel mechanism by which the DNrx-DNlg1 trans-synaptic interaction coordinates structural and functional properties at the neuromuscular junction.
神经黏连蛋白是突触后黏附分子,对突触后特化和突触功能至关重要。但是,神经黏连蛋白功能的潜在分子机制仍不清楚。我们发现神经黏连蛋白 1(DNlg1)通过 WAVE 调节复合物(WRC)介导的突触后肌动蛋白重组来调节突触结构和功能。DNlg1、DNlg2 或其突触前伴侣神经连接蛋白(DNrx)的破坏导致 F-肌动蛋白的含量显著减少。进一步的研究表明,DNlg1 而不是 DNlg2 或 DNlg3 通过其 C 末端相互作用受体序列直接与 WRC 相互作用。这种相互作用需要将 WRC 募集到突触后膜以促进 F-肌动蛋白组装。此外,DNlg1 与 WRC 之间的相互作用对于 DNlg1 挽救形态和电生理学缺陷突变体是必需的。我们的结果揭示了一种新的机制,即 DNrx-DNlg1 跨突触相互作用协调神经肌肉接头的结构和功能特性。