Structural insights into the complex interplay between latrotoxin and the cell adhesion receptors neurexin and latrophilin (A15)

• Subject Area: Structural Biology
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 386797833

α-Latrotoxin (α-LTX ) binds to the adhesion receptors Neurexin1α and latrophilin1 at the synaptic interface and triggers neurotransmitter release via Ca2+-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Both adhesion receptors were reported to arrange into dynamic nanoclusters and form a trans-synaptic complex. Here, we aim to gain mechanistic insights into toxin-receptor interactions, receptor activation and α-LTX-associated functional effects through structural analyses using cryo-electron microscopy of reconstituted complexes and by visualizing complexes in their native environment at the synapse.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1348: Dynamic cellular interfaces: formation and function
• Applicant Institution: Universität Münster
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Christos Gatsogiannis