The calcium-independent receptor of latrotoxin (CIRL/latrophilin) is an adhesion class G protein-coupled receptor (aGPCR), which belongs to the second largest class of the seven-transmembrane-spanning (7TM) receptor superfamily. The aGPCR group was assigned with functions in participation of synaptic exocytosis (Sudhof, 2001) and in the maintenance of planar cell and tissue polarity (Langenhan, 2009). Nevertheless, to date the precise subcellular localisation and physiological properties of any latrophilin homolog in vivo have remained undetermined. Low redundancy of dCirl and the genetic amenability render Drosophila melanogaster a perfect model system.

To gain insight into the function of dCirl we engineered a genomic null mutant as well as labelled rescue alleles. Furthermore, we use electrophysiology in combination with tissue-specific dCirl knockdown to study the effects of dCIRL depletion at a defined synapse, the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ).

References:

Langenhan T, Promel S, Mestek L, Esmaeili B, Waller-Evans H, Hennig C, Kohara Y, Avery L, Vakonakis I, Schnabel R, Russ AP (2009) Latrophilin signaling links anterior-posterior tissue polarity and oriented celldivisions in the C. elegans embryo. Dev Cell 17:494- 504.

Sudhof TC (2001) alpha-Latrotoxin and its receptors: neurexins and CIRL/latrophilins. Annu Rev Neurosci 24:933-962.