What is the structure of pikachurin?
Pikachurin is a dystroglycan-interacting protein which has an essential role in the precise interactions between the photoreceptor ribbon synapse and the bipolar dendrites. The binding with dystroglycan (DG) depends on several factors (glycosylation of DG, presence of divalent cations, presence of other proteins).
How many amino acids does pikachurin have?
Murine pikachurin has 1,017 amino acids (∼110 kDa), can bind to α-dystroglycan, and has been found to localize mainly in the synaptic cleft of photoreceptor ribbon synapses. Its knockout selectively disrupts synaptogenesis between photoreceptor and bipolar cells.
How do I get pikachurin?
Retinal photoreceptors transfer information to bipolar and horizontal cells at a specialized synapse, the ribbon synapse. We identified pikachurin, an extracellular matrix-like retinal protein, and observed that it localized to the synaptic cleft in the photoreceptor ribbon synapse.
Why is pikachurin important?
Pikachurin is important for the transmission of visual information from the retina to the brain through the central nervous system. Pikachurin is able to increase the speed of the transmission signals because it is able form connections between the photoreceptors and the bipolar interneurons.
Is Pikachu named after the Pika?
According to Nishida, Pikachu’s name originated from the Japanese words, “pika,” which is onomatopoeia for the sound of an electric spark, and “chu,” the sound that a mouse makes. Meanwhile, the name of the animal came from the Tunguse word “piika.”
What is ribbon synapse?
Ribbon synapses are sites of contact between neurons specialized for the rapid transmission of signals by the calcium-triggered secretion of neurotransmitter.
What is the longest protein?
titin
With its length of ~27,000 to ~35,000 amino acids (depending on the splice isoform), titin is the largest known protein. Furthermore, the gene for titin contains the largest number of exons (363) discovered in any single gene, as well as the longest single exon (17,106 bp).
Why is Pikachu in Osmosis Jones?
In Osmosis Jones (2001) a germ can be see holding a Pikachu because the body produces the retinal protein Pikachurin named after the Pokemon. In Osmosis Jones (2001) a germ can be see holding a Pikachu because the body produces the retinal protein Pikachurin named after the Pokemon.
Did Pika inspire Pikachu?
Like many of the characters in the game, Pikachu is loosely inspired by real-life animals — in this case, the pika (genus Ochotona).
How did Tim not recognize his dad’s voice?
The reason he doesn’t recognize the voice, it’s not the literal voice. It’s that Tim is estranged from his dad and through this experience, he’s getting closer and closer. That’s why this voice in his head is purely an emotional connection to Pikachu. That’s sort of my take on it.
What is conventional synapse?
Conventional synapses convey information arriving as a ‘pulse code’; action potentials lasting a few milliseconds trigger a transient burst of vesicle fusion and the amplitude of the action potential is fixed.