PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Pallavi Sharma AU - Lei Li AU - Haowen Liu AU - Vina Tikiyani AU - Zhitao Hu AU - Kavita Babu TI - The Claudin-like Protein HPO-30 Is Required to Maintain LAChRs at the <em>C. elegans</em> Neuromuscular Junction AID - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3487-17.2018 DP - 2018 Aug 08 TA - The Journal of Neuroscience PG - 7072--7087 VI - 38 IP - 32 4099 - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/38/32/7072.short 4100 - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/38/32/7072.full SO - J. Neurosci.2018 Aug 08; 38 AB - Communications across chemical synapses are primarily mediated by neurotransmitters and their postsynaptic receptors. There are diverse molecular systems to localize and regulate the receptors at the synapse. Here, we identify HPO-30, a member of the claudin superfamily of membrane proteins, as a positive regulator for synaptic localization of levamisole-dependent AChRs (LAChRs) at the Caenorhabditis elegans neuromuscular junction (NMJ). The HPO-30 protein localizes at the NMJ and shows genetic and physical association with the LAChR subunits LEV-8, UNC-29, and UNC-38. Using genetic and electrophysiological assays in the hermaphrodite C. elegans, we demonstrate that HPO-30 functions through Neuroligin at the NMJ to maintain postsynaptic LAChR levels at the synapse. Together, this work suggests a novel function for a tight junction protein in maintaining normal receptor levels at the NMJ.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Claudins are a large superfamily of membrane proteins. Their role in maintaining the functional integrity of tight junctions has been widely explored. Our experiments suggest a critical role for the claudin-like protein, HPO-30, in maintaining synaptic levamisole-dependent AChR (LAChR) levels. LAChRs contribute to &lt;20% of the acetylcholine-mediated conductance in adult Caenorhabditis elegans; however, they play a significant functional role in worm locomotion. This study provides a new perspective in the study of LAChR physiology.