page_title: Pikachurin
section_title: Ribbon synapse relation
hierarchical_section_title: Pikachurin / Function / Ribbon synapse relation
caption_attribution_description: English: Ribbon synapse showing the position of Pikachurin
context_page_description: Pikachurin, also known as AGRINL and EGF-like, fibronectin type-III and laminin G-like domain-containing protein, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the EGFLAM gene.
  Pikachurin is a dystroglycan-interacting protein which has an essential role in the precise interactions between the photoreceptor ribbon synapse and the bipolar dendrites. The binding with dystroglycan depends on several factors.
  A non-correct binding between pikachurin and DG is associated with muscular dystrophies that often involve eye abnormalities.
context_section_description: Synapse formation is crucial for the mammalian CNS (central nervous system) to function correctly. Retinal photoreceptors finish at the axon terminal which forms a specialized structure, the ribbon synapse, which specifically connects photoreceptor synaptic terminals with bipolar and horizontal cell terminals in the outer plexiform layer (OPL) of the retina.
  It is clear that Pikachurin, an extracellular matrix–like retinal protein, is localized to the synaptic cleft in the photoreceptor ribbon synapse. It is demonstrated that with a lack of Pikachurin, there is an improper apposition of the bipolar cell dendritic tips to the photoreceptor ribbon synapses, resulting in alterations in synaptic signal transmission and visual function. The function of Pikachurin remains unknown, but it is a fact that pikachurin is critically involved in the normal photoreceptor ribbon synapse formation and also in physiological functions of visual perception.
caption: Ribbon synapse showing the position of Pikachurin
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