| First Author | Ruggiu M | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 106 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 3513-8 |
| PubMed ID | 19221030 | Mgi Jnum | J:146801 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3838459 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.0813112106 |
| Citation | Ruggiu M, et al. (2009) Rescuing Z+ agrin splicing in Nova null mice restores synapse formation and unmasks a physiologic defect in motor neuron firing. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106(9):3513-8 |
| abstractText | Synapse formation at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) requires an alternatively spliced variant of agrin (Z(+) agrin) that is produced only by neurons. Here, we show that Nova1 and Nova2, neuron-specific splicing factors identified as targets in autoimmune motor disease, are essential regulators of Z(+) agrin. Nova1/Nova2 double knockout mice are paralyzed and fail to cluster AChRs at the NMJ, and breeding them with transgenic mice constitutively expressing Z(+) agrin in motor neurons rescued AChR clustering. Surprisingly, however, these rescued mice remained paralyzed, while electrophysiologic studies demonstrated that the motor axon and synapse were functional-spontaneous and evoked recordings revealed synaptic transmission and muscle contraction. These results point to a proximal defect in motor neuron firing in the absence of Nova and reveal a previously unsuspected role for RNA regulation in the physiologic activation of motor neurons. |
