| First Author | Mizoguchi A | Year | 2002 |
| Journal | J Cell Biol | Volume | 156 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 555-65 |
| PubMed ID | 11827984 | Mgi Jnum | J:263403 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6189327 | Doi | 10.1083/jcb.200103113 |
| Citation | Mizoguchi A, et al. (2002) Nectin: an adhesion molecule involved in formation of synapses. J Cell Biol 156(3):555-65 |
| abstractText | The nectin-afadin system is a novel cell-cell adhesion system that organizes adherens junctions cooperatively with the cadherin-catenin system in epithelial cells. Nectin is an immunoglobulin-like adhesion molecule, and afadin is an actin filament-binding protein that connects nectin to the actin cytoskeleton. Nectin has four isoforms (-1, -2, -3, and -4). Each nectin forms a homo-cis-dimer followed by formation of a homo-trans-dimer, but nectin-3 furthermore forms a hetero-trans-dimer with nectin-1 or -2, and the formation of each hetero-trans-dimer is stronger than that of each homo-trans-dimer. We show here that at the synapses between the mossy fiber terminals and dendrites of pyramidal cells in the CA3 area of adult mouse hippocampus, the nectin-afadin system colocalizes with the cadherin-catenin system, and nectin-1 and -3 asymmetrically localize at the pre- and postsynaptic sides of puncta adherentia junctions, respectively. During development, nectin-1 and -3 asymmetrically localize not only at puncta adherentia junctions but also at synaptic junctions. Inhibition of the nectin-based adhesion by an inhibitor of nectin-1 in cultured rat hippocampal neurons results in a decrease in synapse size and a concomitant increase in synapse number. These results indicate an important role of the nectin-afadin system in the formation of synapses. |
