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Attractin Site - The Study of the Attractin Protein

The Attractin Site

Function

At the phenomenological level, loss of transmembrane attractin impacts:​
  • maintenance of myelination - juvenile-onset neuropathology develops
  • ​melanocyte pigmentation - mediates presentation of agouti to Mc1R modifying αMSH signaling to ​induce pheomelanin production rather than eumelanin
  • maintenance of extracellular matrix
  • presentation of positively-charged signaling peptides and maintenance of chemokine gradients

Increase in representation of the secreted form is associated with:
  • immune cell activation
  • inhibition of proper neuronal dendrite development
  • developmental progression of gliomas​​​
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Expression of surface transmembrane attractin profoundly impacts agouti regulation of pigmentation through Mc1R signaling. As outlined in the panel at left (see credit below), a single amino acid alteration in agouti may affect the presentation mode of agouti to the Mc1R, leading to a reduction in pheomelanin production without a balancing increase in eumelanin production. Conversely, loss of membrane attractin (as observed in the Atrn mutants - see Technical>Research Links tab) leads to a complete block of agouti signaling permitting alpha-MSH-induced eumelanin production.

Graphic by Kellie Holoski/SCIENCE. From F. Pelletier SCIENCE 363:452 (2019) Reprinted with permission from AAAS.

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