Neuregulin-heparan-sulfate proteoglycan interactions produce sustained erbB receptor activation required for the induction of acetylcholine receptors in muscle.

Neuregulins bind to and activate members of the EGF receptor family of tyrosine kinases that initiate a signaling cascade that induces acetylcholine receptor synthesis in the postsynaptic membrane of neuromuscular synapses. In addition to an EGF-like domain, sufficient for receptor binding and tyrosine auto-phosphorylation, many spliced forms also have an IG-like domain that binds HSPGs and maintains a high concentration of neuregulin at synapses. Here, we show that the IG-like domain functions to keep the EGF-like domain at sufficiently high concentrations for a sufficiently long period of time necessary to induce acetylcholine receptor gene expression in primary chick myotubes. Using recombinant neuregulins with and without the IG-like domain, we found that IG-like domain binding to endogenous HSPGs produces a 4-fold increase in receptor phosphorylation. This enhancement of activity was blocked by soluble heparin or by pretreatment of muscle cells with heparitinase. We show that at least 12-24 h of neuregulin exposure was required to turn on substantial acetylcholine receptor gene expression and that the erbB receptors need to be kept phosphorylated during this time. The need for sustained erbB receptor activation may be the reason why neuregulins are so highly concentrated in the extracellular matrix of synapses.