Liprin-α-Mediated Assemblies and Their Roles in Synapse Formation

Xingqiao Xie; Mingfu Liang; Cong Yu; Zhiyi Wei

doi:10.3389/fcell.2021.653381

Liprin-α-Mediated Assemblies and Their Roles in Synapse Formation

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Mar 19:9:653381. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.653381. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xingqiao Xie^{1

2}, Mingfu Liang¹, Cong Yu^{1

3}, Zhiyi Wei^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
² Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
³ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment and Disease Research, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Cell Microenvironment, Shenzhen, China.
⁴ Brain Research Center, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.

Abstract

Brain's functions, such as memory and learning, rely on synapses that are highly specialized cellular junctions connecting neurons. Functional synapses orchestrate the assembly of ion channels, receptors, enzymes, and scaffold proteins in both pre- and post-synapse. Liprin-α proteins are master scaffolds in synapses and coordinate various synaptic proteins to assemble large protein complexes. The functions of liprin-αs in synapse formation have been largely uncovered by genetic studies in diverse model systems. Recently, emerging structural and biochemical studies on liprin-α proteins and their binding partners begin to unveil the molecular basis of the synaptic assembly. This review summarizes the recent structural findings on liprin-αs, proposes the assembly mechanism of liprin-α-mediated complexes, and discusses the liprin-α-organized assemblies in the regulation of synapse formation and function.

Keywords: LLPS; SYD2; coiled coil; presynaptic active zone; protein structure; protein–protein interaction; scaffold protein.

Publication types

Review