Dataset Information

The adhesion molecule Necl-3/SynCAM-2 localizes to myelinated axons, binds to oligodendrocytes and promotes cell adhesion.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Cell adhesion molecules are plasma membrane proteins specialized in cell-cell recognition and adhesion. Two related adhesion molecules, Necl-1 and Necl-2/SynCAM, were recently described and shown to fulfill important functions in the central nervous system. The purpose of the work was to investigate the distribution, and the properties of Necl-3/SynCAM-2, a previously uncharacterized member of the Necl family with which it shares a conserved modular organization and extensive sequence homology. RESULTS:We show that Necl-3/SynCAM-2 is a plasma membrane protein that accumulates in several tissues, including those of the central and peripheral nervous system. There, Necl-3/SynCAM-2 is expressed in ependymal cells and in myelinated axons, and sits at the interface between the axon shaft and the myelin sheath. Several independent assays demonstrate that Necl-3/SynCAM-2 functionally and selectively interacts with oligodendrocytes. We finally prove that Necl-3/SynCAM-2 is a bona fide adhesion molecule that engages in homo- and heterophilic interactions with the other Necl family members, leading to cell aggregation. CONCLUSION:Collectively, our manuscripts and the works on Necl-1 and SynCAM/Necl-2 reveal a complex set of interactions engaged in by the Necl proteins in the nervous system. Our work also support the notion that the family of Necl proteins fulfils key adhesion and recognition functions in the nervous system, in particular between different cell types.

SUBMITTER: Pellissier F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2176061 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The adhesion molecule Necl-3/SynCAM-2 localizes to myelinated axons, binds to oligodendrocytes and promotes cell adhesion.

Pellissier François F Gerber Alan A Bauer Christoph C Ballivet Marc M Ossipow Vincent V

BMC neuroscience 20071029

<h4>Background</h4>Cell adhesion molecules are plasma membrane proteins specialized in cell-cell recognition and adhesion. Two related adhesion molecules, Necl-1 and Necl-2/SynCAM, were recently described and shown to fulfill important functions in the central nervous system. The purpose of the work was to investigate the distribution, and the properties of Necl-3/SynCAM-2, a previously uncharacterized member of the Necl family with which it shares a conserved modular organization and extensive ...[more]

PMID: 17967169

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Project description:Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neuroinflammatory disorder characterized by demyelination, oligodendrocyte damage/loss and neuroaxonal injury in the context of immune cell infiltration in the central nervous system. No neuroprotective therapy is available to promote the survival of oligodendrocytes and protect their myelin processes in immune-mediated demyelinating diseases. Pro-inflammatory CD4 T helper (Th)17 cells can directly interact with oligodendrocytes in multiple sclerosis and its animal model, causing injury to myelinating processes and cell death through direct contact. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the close contact and subsequent detrimental interaction of Th17 cells with oligodendrocytes remain unclear. In this study we conducted single cell RNA sequencing of human primary oligodendrocytes cultured alone, in contact or separated by an insert with primary Th17 polarized T cells and identified several cell adhesion molecules that may modulate T cell contact mediated damage of oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, we used flow cytometry and immunofluorescence studies on central nervous system tissue from multiple sclerosis subjects, its animal model and controls to characterize the expression of cell adhesion molecules by mature oligodendrocytes. We found that a significant proportion of human and murine mature oligodendrocytes express melanoma cell adhesion molecule and activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule in multiple sclerosis, EAE and controls although their regulation differ between human and mouse. We observed that exposure to pro-inflammatory cytokines or to human activated T cells are associated with a marked downregulation of the expression of melanoma cell adhesion molecule but not activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule at the surface of human primary oligodendrocytes. Furthermore, we used in vitro live-imaging, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry to determine the contribution of these molecules to Th17-polarized cell adhesion and cytotoxicity towards human oligodendrocytes. Silencing and blocking activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule but not melanoma cell adhesion molecule limited prolonged interactions between oligodendrocytes and Th17-polarized cells, resulting in decreased adhesion of Th17-polarized cells to oligodendrocytes and conferred significant protection of oligodendrocytic processes.

Project description:BackgroundLong-distance axonal growth relies on the precise interplay of guidance cues and cell adhesion molecules. While guidance cues provide positional and directional information for the advancing growth cone, cell adhesion molecules are essential in enabling axonal advancement. Such a dependence on adhesion as well as guidance molecules can be well observed in dorsal commissural interneurons, which follow a highly stereotypical growth and guidance pattern. The mechanisms and molecules involved in the attraction and outgrowth towards the ventral midline, the axon crossing towards the contralateral side, the rostral turning after midline crossing as well as the guidance along the longitudinal axis have been intensely studied. However, little is known about molecules that provide the basis for commissural axon growth along the anterior-posterior axis.ResultsMDGA2, a recently discovered cell adhesion molecule of the IgCAM superfamily, is highly expressed in dorsolaterally located (dI1) spinal interneurons. Functional studies inactivating MDGA2 by RNA interference (RNAi) or function-blocking antibodies demonstrate that either treatment results in a lack of commissural axon growth along the longitudinal axis. Moreover, results from RNAi experiments targeting the contralateral side together with binding studies suggest that homophilic MDGA2 interactions between ipsilaterally projecting axons and post-crossing commissural axons may be the basis of axonal growth along the longitudinal axis.ConclusionsDirected axonal growth of dorsal commissural interneurons requires an elaborate mixture of instructive (guidance) and permissive (outgrowth supporting) molecules. While Wnt and Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signalling pathways have been shown to specify the growth direction of post-crossing commissural axons, our study now provides evidence that homophilic MDGA2 interactions are essential for axonal extension along the longitudinal axis. Interestingly, so far each part of the complex axonal trajectory of commissural axons uses its own set of guidance and growth-promoting molecules, possibly explaining why such a high number of molecules influencing the growth pattern of commissural interneurons has been identified.

Dataset Information

The adhesion molecule Necl-3/SynCAM-2 localizes to myelinated axons, binds to oligodendrocytes and promotes cell adhesion.

Publications

The adhesion molecule Necl-3/SynCAM-2 localizes to myelinated axons, binds to oligodendrocytes and promotes cell adhesion.

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