CRELD1 is an evolutionarily-conserved maturational enhancer of ionotropic acetylcholine receptors.

Abstract

The assembly of neurotransmitter receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum limits the number of receptors delivered to the plasma membrane, ultimately controlling neurotransmitter sensitivity and synaptic transfer function. In a forward genetic screen conducted in the nematode <i>C. elegans</i>, we identified <i>crld-1</i> as a gene required for the synaptic expression of ionotropic acetylcholine receptors (AChR). We demonstrated that the CRLD-1A isoform is a membrane-associated ER-resident protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). It physically interacts with AChRs and promotes the assembly of AChR subunits in the ER. Mutations of <i>Creld1,</i> the human ortholog of <i>crld-1a,</i> are responsible for developmental cardiac defects. We showed that <i>Creld1</i> knockdown in mouse muscle cells decreased surface expression of AChRs and that expression of mouse <i>Creld1</i> in <i>C. elegans</i> rescued <i>crld-1a</i> mutant phenotypes. Altogether these results identify a novel and evolutionarily-conserved maturational enhancer of AChR biogenesis, which controls the abundance of functional receptors at the cell surface.