High impact information on Liprin-alpha

• Drosophila liprin-alpha and the receptor phosphatase Dlar control synapse morphogenesis [1].
• Here, we examine the synaptic function of the receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (RPTP), Dlar, and an associated intracellular protein, Dliprin-alpha, at the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction [1].
• Because Liprin-alpha, the receptor tyrosine phosphatase LAR, and N-cadherin share qualitatively similar mutant phenotypes in R1-R6 cells and are coexpressed in R cells and their synaptic targets, we infer that these three genes act at the same step in the targeting process [2].
• Liprin-alpha is required for photoreceptor target selection in Drosophila [2].
• Direct observation demonstrates that Liprin-alpha is required for trafficking of synaptic vesicles [3].

Biological context of Liprin-alpha

• A reported interaction with Kinesin-3 (Kif1a) suggested Liprin-alpha may also be involved in axonal transport [3].

Other interactions of Liprin-alpha

• However, unlike N-cadherin, neither Liprin-alpha nor LAR is required postsynaptically for R cells to project to their correct targets [2].
• Here, at the light and ultrastructural levels, we discover aberrant accumulations of synaptic vesicle markers (Synaptotagmin and Synaptobrevin-GFP) and clear-core vesicles along Drosophila Liprin-alpha mutant axons [3].

References