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    J Mol Biol. 2009 Oct 16;393(1):1-9. Epub 2009 Aug 4.

    Crystal structure of the frizzled-like cysteine-rich domain of the receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK.

    Stiegler AL, Burden SJ, Hubbard SR.

    Structural Biology Program, Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.

    Muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) is an essential receptor tyrosine kinase for the establishment and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Activation of MuSK by agrin, a neuronally derived heparan-sulfate proteoglycan, and LRP4 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-4), the agrin receptor, leads to clustering of acetylcholine receptors on the postsynaptic side of the NMJ. The ectodomain of MuSK comprises three immunoglobulin-like domains and a cysteine-rich domain (Fz-CRD) related to those in Frizzled proteins, the receptors for Wnts. Here, we report the crystal structure of the MuSK Fz-CRD at 2.1 A resolution. The structure reveals a five-disulfide-bridged domain similar to CRDs of Frizzled proteins but with a divergent C-terminal region. An asymmetric dimer present in the crystal structure implicates surface hydrophobic residues that may function in homotypic or heterotypic interactions to mediate co-clustering of MuSK, rapsyn, and acetylcholine receptors at the NMJ.

    PMID: 19664639 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

    PMCID: 2754272

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