001; Figure 7E). Similarly, an analysis of the vesicle density across bins Selleck Dasatinib of increasing distance from the active zone confirms a selective reduction in vesicle density within the first 80 nm of the active zone but no significant change in the more distant populations of vesicles ( Figure 7F). Therefore, mSYD1A is essential for maintaining morphologically docked vesicles at the active zone in vivo. In this study, we report a regulator of

synaptic differentiation that is essential for synaptic vesicle docking at central synapses. We initially identified mSYD1A based on sequence similarity with the invertebrate SYD-1 proteins. However, mSYD1A should be considered a distant ortholog for several reasons. First, mammalian and invertebrate SYD1s share significant sequence homology only in their C2 and GAP domains. Second, the PDZ domain, a key element of invertebrate SYD-1 (Owald et al., 2012), is absent from the vertebrate

counterparts. Third, the invertebrate Rho-GAP domains are catalytically inactive whereas mSYD1A does exhibit GAP activity, which contributes to trans-synaptic signaling (at least in overexpression experiments; Figure 4). Fourth, a unique intrinsically disordered (ID) domain in mSYD1A is a key element for mSYD1A function. Liprin-α2 binding to the ID-domain requires a specific insertion in liprin-α2 (PQ-loop) that is lacking in liprin-α1. Given that liprin-α1 and α2 isoforms are differentially expressed throughout the brain ( Spangler et al., 2011 and Zürner et al., 2011), this might result in synapse-specific liprin-mSYD1A coupling. Notably, DNA Damage inhibitor this insertion is not present in the invertebrate SYD-2 proteins, highlighting the possibility that this direct biochemical interaction is unique for vertebrates. Thus, in mammalian SYD1 proteins certain divergent

mechanisms of function have evolved. Multiple Rho-GTPase regulators (GAPs and GEFs) have been previously recognized as regulators of synapse size and tethering of synaptic vesicles at presynaptic release sites (Frank et al., 2009, Ball et al., 2010, Sun and Bamji, 2011 and Cheadle and Biederer, 2012). Surprisingly, the ability of mSYD1A to stimulate presynaptic differentiation in cultured neurons Astemizole does not require its GAP activity but relies on its ID domain. Intrinsically disordered proteins are starting to be recognized as critical mediators of multiple biological processes, including assembly of protein-RNA granules, transcriptional activation, and nonsense-mediated decay (Tompa, 2012). ID domains have the ability to undergo transitions from disordered to ordered conformations upon contact with specific binding partners or in response to posttranslational modification. These properties enable ID domains to engage with multiple, structurally diverse effectors.