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agrin-responsive first immunoglobulin-like domains (Ig1) of the MuSK ectodomain; a member of the I-set of IgSF domains The members here are composed of the first immunoglobulin-like domains (Ig1) of the Muscle-specific kinase (MuSK). MuSK is a receptor tyrosine kinase specifically expressed in skeletal muscle, where it plays a central role in the formation and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). MuSK is activated by agrin, a neuron-derived heparan sulfate proteoglycan. The activation of MUSK in myotubes regulates the formation of NMJs through the regulation of different processes including the specific expression of genes in subsynaptic nuclei, the reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton and the clustering of the acetylcholine receptors (AChR) in the postsynaptic membrane. The Ig superfamily (IgSF) is a heterogenous group of proteins, built on a common fold comprised of a sandwich of two beta sheets. IgSF domains can be divided into 4 main classes based on their structures and sequences: the Variable (V), Constant 1 (C1), Constant 2 (C2), and Intermediate (I) sets. Unlike the V-set, one of the distinctive features of I-set domains is the lack of a C" strand. The structure of the MuSK lacks this strand and thus it belongs to the I-set of the IgSF. I-set domains are found in several cell adhesion molecules (such as VCAM, ICAM, and MADCAM), and are also present in numerous other diverse protein families, including several tyrosine-protein kinase receptors, the hemolymph protein hemolin, the muscle proteins titin, telokin, and twitchin, the neuronal adhesion molecule axonin-1, and the signaling molecule semaphorin 4D that is involved in axonal guidance, immune function and angiogenesis. |
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