| First Author | Okada K | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Science | Volume | 312 |
| Issue | 5781 | Pages | 1802-5 |
| PubMed ID | 16794080 | Mgi Jnum | J:110011 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3630229 | Doi | 10.1126/science.1127142 |
| Citation | Okada K, et al. (2006) The muscle protein Dok-7 is essential for neuromuscular synaptogenesis. Science 312(5781):1802-5 |
| abstractText | The formation of the neuromuscular synapse requires muscle-specific receptor kinase (MuSK) to orchestrate postsynaptic differentiation, including the clustering of receptors for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Upon innervation, neural agrin activates MuSK to establish the postsynaptic apparatus, although agrin-independent formation of neuromuscular synapses can also occur experimentally in the absence of neurotransmission. Dok-7, a MuSK-interacting cytoplasmic protein, is essential for MuSK activation in cultured myotubes; in particular, the Dok-7 phosphotyrosine-binding domain and its target in MuSK are indispensable. Mice lacking Dok-7 formed neither acetylcholine receptor clusters nor neuromuscular synapses. Thus, Dok-7 is essential for neuromuscular synaptogenesis through its interaction with MuSK. |
