Agrin: toward a molecular understanding of synapse regeneration

One of the foremost challenges to repairing damage after stroke, trauma, or disease is the regeneration of synaptic connections between neurons. Here, we consider recent strides in our understanding of the molecular basis of synapse formation and regeneration. We will focus on the protein agrin, a key player in synaptogenesis at neuromuscular junctions and perhaps at central nervous system synapses as well. Insights into agrin and its receptor could guide the development of rational therapies to combat neuronal degeneration. We will also consider recent surprising and provocative data linking the mechanisms of synapse formation and the cellular pathology in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.