The postsynaptic MAGUK scaffold protein MPP2 organises a distinct interactome that incorporates GABAA receptors at the periphery of excitatory synapses

Abstract

Recent advances in imaging technology have highlighted that scaffold proteins and receptors are arranged in sub-synaptic nanodomains. The synaptic MAGUK scaffold protein MPP2 is a component of AMPA receptor-associated protein complexes and also binds to the synaptic cell adhesion molecule SynCAM1. Using super-resolution imaging, we now show that MPP2 and SynCAM1 are situated at the periphery of the postsynaptic density. In order to explore MPP2-associated protein complexes, we used a quantitative comparative mass spectrometry approach and identified multiple GABAA receptor subunits among the novel synaptic MPP2 interactors. We further show that GABAA receptors are found together with MPP2 in a subset of dendritic spines and thus highlight MPP2 as a scaffold molecule capable of acting as an adaptor molecule that links peripheral synaptic elements critical for inhibitory regulation to central structures at the PSD of glutamatergic synapses.