[Essential role of pikachurin, a novel dystroglycan-binding protein, in bipolar dendrite connection to photoreceptor ribbon synapse in the retina].

Photoreceptor cells with bipolar cells and horizontal cells form a specialized synapse, the ribbon synapse. We identified the novel retinal extracellular matrix protein pikachurin, and observed that it is localized in the synaptic cleft of the photoreceptor ribbon synapse. In order to investigate the biological functions of pikachurin, we generated a pikachurin knock-out mouse.