In:
Science Signaling, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Vol. 15, No. 734 ( 2022-05-17)
Abstract:
The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a tricellular synapse among motor neurons, glial Schwann cells, and skeletal muscle fibers that controls movement. Using tissue-specific knockout mice, Boex et al. found that the cell polarity protein Vangl2 in the muscle—not in motor neurons—was critical for the functional formation of NMJs in development and for their maintenance in adulthood. Vangl2 bound to the muscle-specific kinase MuSK to mediate Wnt signaling that promoted synaptic clustering of acetylcholine receptors in the muscle and cultured myotubes. Loss of muscle Vangl2 impaired neuromuscular transmission and led to progressive deficits in the motor function of the hindlimbs and diaphragm in mice. The findings reveal a role for muscle-specific cell polarity signaling in the molecular organization of the NMJ.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1945-0877
,
1937-9145
DOI:
10.1126/scisignal.abg4982
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Publication Date:
2022
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