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Biochemical and functional interaction of disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 and amyloid precursor protein regulates neuronal migration during mammalian cortical development.

ABSTRACT: Although clinically distinct, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease are common and devastating disorders that profoundly impair cognitive function. For Alzheimer's disease, key mechanistic insights have emerged from genetic studies that identified causative mutations in amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin. Several genes have been associated with schizophrenia and other major psychoses, and understanding their normal functions will help elucidate the underlying causes of these disorders. One such gene is disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1). DISC1 and APP have been implicated separately in cortical development, with each having roles in both neuronal migration and neurite outgrowth. Here, we report a previously unrecognized biochemical and functional interaction between DISC1 and APP. Using in utero electroporation in the living rat brain, we show that DISC1 acts downstream of APP and Disabled-1 to regulate cortical precursor cell migration. Specifically, overexpression of DISC1 rescues the migration defect caused by a loss of APP expression. Moreover, knockdown of APP in cultured embryonic neurons results in altered subcellular localization of DISC1. Using transfected cells and normal brain tissue, we show that APP and DISC1 coimmunoprecipitate and that the intracellular domain of APP interacts with the N-terminal domain of DISC1. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the APP cytoplasmic region transiently interacts with DISC1 to help regulate the translocation of DISC1 to the centrosome, where it plays a key role in controlling neuronal migration during cortical development.

SUBMITTER: Young-Pearse TL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3018837 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Biochemical and functional interaction of disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 and amyloid precursor protein regulates neuronal migration during mammalian cortical development.

Young-Pearse Tracy L TL Suth Seiyam S Luth Eric S ES Sawa Akira A Selkoe Dennis J DJ

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 20100801 31

Although clinically distinct, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease are common and devastating disorders that profoundly impair cognitive function. For Alzheimer's disease, key mechanistic insights have emerged from genetic studies that identified causative mutations in amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin. Several genes have been associated with schizophrenia and other major psychoses, and understanding their normal functions will help elucidate the underlying causes of these disorder ...[more]

PMID: 20685985

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Project description:UnlabelledAmyloid precursor protein (APP) was originally identified as the source of β-amyloid peptides that accumulate in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it also has been implicated in the control of multiple aspects of neuronal motility. APP belongs to an evolutionarily conserved family of transmembrane proteins that can interact with a variety of adapter and signaling molecules. Recently, we showed that both APP and its insect ortholog [APPL (APP-Like)] directly bind the heterotrimeric G-protein Goα, supporting the model that APP can function as an unconventional Goα-coupled receptor. We also adapted a well characterized assay of neuronal migration in the hawkmoth, Manduca sexta, to show that APPL-Goα signaling restricts ectopic growth within the developing nervous system, analogous to the role postulated for APP family proteins in controlling migration within the mammalian cortex. Using this assay, we have now identified Manduca Contactin (MsContactin) as an endogenous ligand for APPL, consistent with previous work showing that Contactins interact with APP family proteins in other systems. Using antisense-based knockdown protocols and fusion proteins targeting both proteins, we have shown that MsContactin is selectively expressed by glial cells that ensheath the migratory neurons (expressing APPL), and that MsContactin-APPL interactions normally prevent inappropriate migration and outgrowth. These results provide new evidence that Contactins can function as authentic ligands for APP family proteins that regulate APP-dependent responses in the developing nervous system. They also support the model that misregulated Contactin-APP interactions might provoke aberrant activation of Goα and its effectors, thereby contributing to the neurodegenerative sequelae that typify AD.Significance statementMembers of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) family participate in many aspects of neuronal development, but the ligands that normally activate APP signaling have remained controversial. This research provides new evidence that members of the Contactin family function as authentic ligands for APP and its orthologs, and that this evolutionarily conserved class of membrane-attached proteins regulates key aspects of APP-dependent migration and outgrowth in the embryonic nervous system. By defining the normal role of Contactin-APP signaling during development, these studies also provide the framework for investigating how the misregulation of Contactin-APP interactions might contribute to neuronal dysfunction in the context of both normal aging and neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease.

Dataset Information

Biochemical and functional interaction of disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 and amyloid precursor protein regulates neuronal migration during mammalian cortical development.

Publications

Biochemical and functional interaction of disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 and amyloid precursor protein regulates neuronal migration during mammalian cortical development.

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