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Signaling pathways are focused at specialized regions of the plasma membrane by scaffolding proteins of the MAGUK family
Author(s) -
Dimitratos Spiros D.,
Woods Daniel F.,
Stathakis Dean G.,
Bryant Peter J.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-1878(199911)21:11<912::aid-bies3>3.0.co;2-z
Subject(s) - microbiology and biotechnology , guanylate kinase , scaffold protein , signal transduction , transmembrane protein , septate junctions , biology , membrane protein , cell membrane , cell signaling , cell , cytoplasm , membrane , chemistry , receptor , biochemistry , intracellular , gap junction
The MAGUKs (membrane‐associated guanylate kinase homologs) are a family of proteins that act as molecular scaffolds for signaling pathway components at the plasma membrane of animal cells. They are localized in and required for the formation of several types of cell junctions, including epithelial tight and septate junctions as well as synaptic and neuromuscular junctions. They are also localized at the plasma membrane of other cell types, including erythrocytes, where they contribute to cell shape maintenance. MAGUKs function mainly by binding directly to the cytoplasmic termini of transmembrane proteins as well as to other signal transduction proteins. They appear to hold together elements of individual signaling pathways, thereby contributing to the efficiency and specificity of signaling interactions while simultaneously maintaining the structural specializations of the plasma membrane. BioEssays 1999;21:912–921. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.