SRGAP2C
Description
The SRGAP2C (SLIT-ROBO Rho GTPase activating protein 2C) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 1.
SRGAP2C is a protein in humans encoded by the SRGAP2C gene. It is a human-specific gene resulting from gene duplication events in the human lineage. SRGAP2C is the most likely duplicate to encode a functional protein and is among the most fixed human-specific duplicate genes. SRGAP2C antagonizes the function of its ancestral counterpart, SRGAP2, by dimerizing with it. SRGAP2C is expressed in the human brain and its antagonistic function corresponds to the transition from Australopithecus to Homo and the beginning of neocortex expansion. SRGAP2 promotes spine maturation and limits spine density in the mouse neocortex.
SRGAP2C is a human-specific protein that plays a crucial role in shaping the connectivity of the brain's cortex. It acts by inhibiting the function of its ancestral counterpart, SRGAP2/SRGAP2A, a protein that regulates the maturation and density of synapses in cortical pyramidal neurons. SRGAP2C's unstable nature allows it to bind to SRGAP2/SRGAP2A, leading to the degradation of the latter through the proteasome. This inhibition by SRGAP2C results in an increased density of synapses and a prolonged maturation process for both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. Furthermore, SRGAP2C modifies the cortical circuitry by increasing the number of local and long-range inputs received by layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. This leads to a higher probability of sensory-evoked responses in these neurons.
SRGAP2C is also known as SRGAP2P1.
