PMID- 11731005
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20020214
LR  - 20190826
IS  - 0169-328X (Print)
IS  - 0169-328X (Linking)
VI  - 96
IP  - 1-2
DP  - 2001 Nov 30
TI  - Overexpression of muscle specific kinase increases the transcription and 
      aggregation of acetylcholine receptors in Xenopus embryos.
PG  - 21-9
AB  - Muscle specific kinase (MuSK) mediates agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor 
      (AChR) aggregation on muscle membrane at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). To 
      examine whether MuSK enhances NMJ formation during embryonic development in vivo, 
      the level of expression of MuSK was manipulated in Xenopus embryos and the 
      functional consequence at the NMJ was assessed. We found that overexpression of 
      MuSK enhanced the formation of NMJ by increasing the aggregation of AChRs at 
      innervated regions in developing embryos. The area of AChR aggregation increased 
      by approximately 2-fold in MuSK injected embryos during the critical stages of 
      NMJ formation. Interestingly, overexpression of MuSK in Xenopus embryos was found 
      to induce the level of AChR transcript. Deletion of the Kringle domain in the 
      MuSK construct did not attenuate the observed induction of AChR transcription and 
      aggregation. Taken together, our findings provide the first demonstration that 
      increased level of MuSK expression in vivo significantly elevate the aggregation 
      and transcription of AChR at the NMJ in developing Xenopus embryos.
FAU - Fu, A K
AU  - Fu AK
AD  - Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Neuroscience Center and Biotechnology 
      Research Institute, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, 
      Clear Water Bay, China.
FAU - Cheung, J
AU  - Cheung J
FAU - Smith, F D
AU  - Smith FD
FAU - Ip, F C
AU  - Ip FC
FAU - Ip, N Y
AU  - Ip NY
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - Netherlands
TA  - Brain Res Mol Brain Res
JT  - Brain research. Molecular brain research
JID - 8908640
RN  - 0 (Indicators and Reagents)
RN  - 0 (Luminescent Proteins)
RN  - 0 (Receptors, Cholinergic)
RN  - 147336-22-9 (Green Fluorescent Proteins)
RN  - 42HK56048U (Tyrosine)
RN  - EC 2.7.10.1 (MUSK protein, human)
RN  - EC 2.7.10.1 (Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases)
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism
MH  - Female
MH  - Gene Deletion
MH  - Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
MH  - Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
MH  - Green Fluorescent Proteins
MH  - Indicators and Reagents/metabolism
MH  - Luminescent Proteins/genetics
MH  - Male
MH  - Mutagenesis/physiology
MH  - Neuromuscular Junction/enzymology
MH  - Phosphorylation
MH  - Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/*genetics
MH  - Receptors, Cholinergic/*genetics/*metabolism
MH  - Synapses/enzymology
MH  - Transcriptional Activation/*physiology
MH  - Transfection
MH  - Tyrosine/metabolism
MH  - Xenopus laevis
EDAT- 2001/12/04 10:00
MHDA- 2002/02/15 10:01
CRDT- 2001/12/04 10:00
PHST- 2001/12/04 10:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2002/02/15 10:01 [medline]
PHST- 2001/12/04 10:00 [entrez]
AID - S0169328X01002534 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/s0169-328x(01)00253-4 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Brain Res Mol Brain Res. 2001 Nov 30;96(1-2):21-9. doi: 
      10.1016/s0169-328x(01)00253-4.