A secreted complement-control-related protein ensures acetylcholine receptor clustering

For efficient neurotransmission at chemical synapses to occur, there must be spatial congruence between the presynaptic area where synaptic vesicles fuse and the postsynaptic area where neurotransmitter receptors concentrate. An extracellular scaffold is now described that is necessary for the clustering of acetylcholine receptors at neuromuscular junctions in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; it involves the protein LEV-9, the function of which relies on complement control protein domains.