An Architectural Framework That May Lie at the Core of the Postsynaptic Density
Abstract
The postsynaptic density (PSD) is a complex assembly of proteins associated with the postsynaptic membrane that organizes neurotransmitter receptors, signaling pathways, and regulatory elements within a cytoskeletal matrix. Here we show that the sterile alpha motif domain of rat Shank3/ProSAP2, a master scaffolding protein located deep within the PSD, can form large sheets composed of helical fibers stacked side by side. Zn2+, which is found in high concentrations in the PSD, binds tightly to Shank3 and may regulate assembly. Sheets of the Shank protein could form a platform for the construction of the PSD complex.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- January 2006
- DOI:
- Bibcode:
- 2006Sci...311..531B
- Keywords:
-
- BIOCHEM