Pikachurin

[8] Pikachurin is an extracellular matrix-like retinal protein first discovered in 2008 in Japan by Shigeru Sato et al.[6] and named after Pikachu, a species of the Pokémon franchise.This shows that pikachurin can form oligomeric structures; and suggests the possibility of clustering effects can be important in modulating pikachurin-dystroglycan interactions.[11] 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.Precise interactions between the photoreceptor ribbon synapse and the bipolar dendrites which are realized due to Pikachurin may advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the retinal electrophysiological abnormalities observed in muscular dystrophy patients.These two genes mediated a post-translational modification on O-mannose, which is essential for pikachurin binding to dystroglycan, so people who suffer muscle-eye-disease have an hypoglycosylation of pikachurin-α-dystroglycan interactions.[12] Since pikachurin seems to provide better visual acuity, Sato et al. of the Osaka Bioscience Institute believe that the protein could be used to develop a treatment for retinitis pigmentosa and other eye disorders.
Comparison between the ribbon synapses in wild-type mice (left) and pikachurin-null mice (right)
Ribbon synapse showing the position of Pikachurin
AliasesHomoloGeneGeneCardsChromosome 5 (human)RNA expressionGene ontologyOrthologsEntrezEnsemblUniProtPubMedWikidataproteindystroglycanphotoreceptorribbon synapsedendritesglycosylationmuscular dystrophiesextracellular matrixretinalPikachuPokémonmicroarray analysisRT-PCRimmunoprecipitationlaminin-111dystrophinribbon synapseslamininperlecanneurexinelectroretinogramnestinSynapsecentral nervous systemouter plexiform layerbipolar cellCongenital muscular dystrophiesvisual acuityOsaka Bioscience Instituteretinitis pigmentosaFibronectin type III domainLaminin G-like domainSonic hedgehoga popular video game characteroncogeneAerodactyluspterosaursBinburrumbeetlesArticuno, Zapdos, and MoltresNocticola pheromosaPheromosaThe Daily YomiuriYomiuri ShimbunWayback Machine