Composition and regulation of connexin 36-containing gap junctions
Cell Biology
Final Report Abstract
Electrical synapses are specialized cell junctions that allow neurons to communicate via electrical impulses. Unlike chemical synapses, they do not rely on the secretion of neurotransmitters, but instead they convey electrical signals via intercellular channels that allow the diffusion of ions and larger molecules up to 1kDa. A main constituents of these channels, is the membrane protein Cx36. In the course of this research project we have investigated two important aspects that are critical for the function of Cx36: The intercellular transport of Cx36 and the electrical synapse proteome. As part of the first project, we showed that the C-terminus of Cx36 interacts with the COPII complex and the ER export machinery to escort of Cx36 out of the ER. We further identified the golgi-specific PDZ protein Grasp55 as a novel interactor of Cx36. In the second project we have identified Cx36 associated proteins in vivo using BioID and developed a strategy to screen the Cx36 interactome in a specific cell type.
