A single immunoglobulin-domain protein required for clustering acetylcholine receptors in C. elegans

EMBO J. 2011 Feb 16;30(4):706-18. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2010.355. Epub 2011 Jan 21.

Abstract

At Caenorhabditis elegans neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), synaptic clustering of the levamisole-sensitive acetylcholine receptors (L-AChRs) relies on an extracellular scaffold assembled in the synaptic cleft. It involves the secreted protein LEV-9 and the ectodomain of the transmembrane protein LEV-10, which are both expressed by muscle cells. L-AChRs, LEV-9 and LEV-10 are part of a physical complex, which localizes at NMJs, yet none of its components localizes independently at synapses. In a screen for mutants partially resistant to the cholinergic agonist levamisole, we identified oig-4, which encodes a small protein containing a single immunoglobulin domain. The OIG-4 protein is secreted by muscle cells and physically interacts with the L-AChR/LEV-9/LEV-10 complex. Removal of OIG-4 destabilizes the complex and causes a loss of L-AChR clusters at the synapse. Interestingly, OIG-4 partially localizes at NMJs independently of LEV-9 and LEV-10, thus providing a potential link between the L-AChR-associated scaffold and local synaptic cues. These results add a novel paradigm for the immunoglobulin super-family as OIG-4 is a secreted protein required for clustering ionotropic receptors independently of synapse formation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Anthelmintics / pharmacology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / chemistry
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / physiology*
  • Cholinergic Agonists / pharmacology
  • Drug Resistance / genetics
  • Immunoglobulins / chemistry
  • Levamisole / pharmacology
  • Models, Biological
  • Neuromuscular Junction / genetics
  • Neuromuscular Junction / metabolism
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary / physiology
  • Protein Transport
  • Receptors, Cholinergic / genetics
  • Receptors, Cholinergic / metabolism*
  • Tissue Distribution

Substances

  • Anthelmintics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Cholinergic Agonists
  • Immunoglobulins
  • Receptors, Cholinergic
  • Levamisole