Author Type

Undergraduate Student

Date of Award

Spring 5-2-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

June 2026

College Granting Degree

Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

William Ludlam

Thesis/Dissertation Co-Chair

Monica Maldonado

Abstract

Interactions involving Extracellular Leucine-Rich Repeat And Fibronectin Type III Domain Containing 1 (ELFN1) and Extracellular Leucine-Rich Repeat And Fibronectin Type III Domain Containing 2 (ELFN2) proteins are important for establishing synaptic properties. Specifically, metabotropic glutamate receptor 6 (mGluR6) is a G Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPCR) that trans-synaptically binds to presynaptic leucine-rich repeat (LRR) ELFN1. ELFN1 has also been reported to anchor mGluR6 across retinal synapses thus highlighting the need to explore the effects of ELFN1 on mGluR signaling and pharmacology, as the interactions on these properties are largely unknown. Another important aspect of research involves establishing the necessity for both ELFN1 and ELFN2 via the determination of primary distinguishing factors. The significance of this lies in defining the overall structure and functional organization of ELFN1 in this trans-synaptic complex, which is important for understanding the causes and development of associated disorders, such as ADHD and PTSD.

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