Nature Neuroscience
3, 22 - 29 (2000)
doi:10.1038/71096
Collybistin, a newly identified brain-specific GEF, induces submembrane
clustering of gephyrinStefan Kins1, 2, Heinrich Betz1
& Joachim Kirsch1, 31
Department of Neurochemistry, Max-Planck-Institute
for Brain Research, Deutschordenstr. 46, D-60528
Frankfurt, Germany
2
Present address: Department of Psychiatric Research,
University of Zürich, August-Forel-Str. 7,
CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland
3
Department of Anatomy and Cellular Neurobiology, University
of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89069
Ulm, Germany
Correspondence should be addressed to Heinrich Betz neurochemie@mpih-frankfurt.mpg.deThe formation of postsynaptic GABAA and glycine receptor clusters
requires the receptor-associated peripheral membrane protein gephyrin. Here
we describe two splice variants of a novel gephyrin-binding protein, termed
collybistin I and II, which belong to the family of dbl-like GDP/GTP exchange
factors (GEFs). Co-expression of collybistin II with gephyrin induced the
formation of submembrane gephyrin aggregates that accumulate hetero-oligomeric
glycine receptors. Our data suggest that collybistin II regulates the membrane
deposition of gephyrin by activating a GTPase of the Rho/Rac family. Therefore,
this protein may be an important determinant of inhibitory postsynaptic membrane
formation and plasticity.
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