Structural Basis of Highly Specific Interaction between Nephrin and MAGI1 in Slit Diaphragm Assembly and Signaling.
Weng, Z., Shang, Y., Ji, Z., Ye, F., Lin, L., Zhang, R., Zhu, J.(2018) J Am Soc Nephrol 29: 2362-2371
- PubMed: 30006415 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1681/ASN.2017121275
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
5ZYS - PubMed Abstract: 
The slit diaphragm is a specialized adhesion junction between opposing podocytes, establishing the final filtration barrier that prevents passage of proteins from the capillary lumen into the urinary space. Nephrin, the key structural and signaling adhesion molecule expressed in the slit diaphragm, contains an evolutionally conserved, atypical PDZ-binding motif (PBM) reported to bind to a variety of proteins in the slit diaphragm. Several mutations in NPHS1 (the gene encoding nephrin) that result in nephrin lacking an intact PBM are associated with glomerular diseases. However, the molecular basis of nephrin-PBM-mediated protein complexes is still unclear.
Organizational Affiliation: 
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Shanghai Science Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.