Structural insights into the complex interplay between latrotoxin and the cell adhesion receptors neurexin and latrophilin (A15*)

细胞黏附分子LPHN1和NRXNS被发现为α-LTX受体。这两种受体都以高亲和力相互作用，并可能形成细胞间黏附复合体。毒素与这些受体的相互作用导致构象改变，并将毒素插入突触前膜，形成阳离子选择孔，从而导致突触变性。我们的目标是通过结构分析从机制上深入了解NRXN、LPHN1和LTX之间的相互作用。

The cell adhesion GPCR latrophilin 1 (LPHN1) and neurexins (NRXNs) were discovered as α-latrotoxin (α-LTX) receptors. Both receptors interact with high affinity and presumably form an intercellular adhesion complex. Interaction of the toxin with these receptors induces a conformational change and the insertion of the toxin into the presynaptic membrane, which forms a cation-selective pore that subsequently leads to the degeneration of the synapse. We aim to gain mechanistic insights into the interplay between NRXN, LPHN1 and LTX through structural analyses.