1. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110 and Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
2. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA

Correspondence to: Joshua R. Sanes¹ Email: sanesj@mcb.harvard.edu

Abstract

Synapse formation requires the differentiation of a functional nerve terminal opposite a specialized postsynaptic membrane. Here, we show that laminin 2, a component of the synaptic cleft at the neuromuscular junction, binds directly to calcium channels that are required for neurotransmitter release from motor nerve terminals. This interaction leads to clustering of channels, which in turn recruit other presynaptic components. Perturbation of this interaction in vivo results in disassembly of neurotransmitter release sites, resembling defects previously observed in an autoimmune neuromuscular disorder, Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome. These results identify an extracellular ligand of the voltage-gated calcium channel as well as a new laminin receptor. They also suggest a model for the development of nerve terminals, and provide clues to the pathogenesis of a synaptic disease.

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