Agrin and acetylcholine act in parallel to shape the postsynaptic apparatus, and skeletal neuromuscular junction development depends critically on the interactions between these factors. In addition to its role in clustering acetylcholine, which has been demonstrated in vitro, agrin also acts to antagonize the effect of acetylcholine receptors. The antideclustering effects of agrin are physiologically crucial, agrin's antideclustering effects in vitro require its z-exon which has been shown to be required for postsynaptic differentiation in vivo.

Agrin in Postsynaptic Differentiation References