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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Sep 1.
Published in final edited form as: Mol Cell Neurosci. 2018 May 3;91:131–139. doi: 10.1016/j.mcn.2018.04.010

Figure 2. Ankyrin functions at synapses.

Figure 2

A. Ankyrins at axo-axonic synapses at the axon initial segment (AIS). Larger isoforms of ankyrin-G and ankyrin-B are found in myelinated and unmyelinated axons respectively. Ankyrin-G scaffolds ion channels and cell adhesion molecules, the latter of which recruit presynaptic terminals of interneurons to the AIS.

B. Ankyrins at somato-dendritic inhibitory synapses. The giant 480 kDa isoform of ankyrin-G is localized to the extrasynaptic regions of somato-dendritic inhibitory synapses. Here it also functions to stabilize the synapse through an interaction with the GABAAR associated protein (GABARAP), whereby it opposes the endocytosis of extrasynaptic GABAARs. Ankyrin-B is also thought to contribute to stability of perisomatic and proximal dendritic inhibitory synapses through L1-CAM.

C. Ankyrins at the dendritic spine. Ankyrin-G forms nanodomains at perisynaptic regions and in the spine neck, where it interacts with spectrin/actin cytoskeleton to modulate spine head and neck dimensions. Ankyrin-G interacts with AMPA receptors (AMPARs) and promotes receptor stability at the synaptic site. Ankyrin-G is also localized at the presynaptic terminals of glutamatergic synapses of CNS neurons, and of the neuromuscular junction.