Drosophila chaoptin, a member of the leucine-rich repeat family, is a photoreceptor cell-specific adhesion molecule.
Drosophila chaoptin, required for photoreceptor cell morphogenesis, is a member of the leucine-rich repeat family of proteins. On the basis of biochemical and genetic analyses we previously proposed that chaoptin might function as a cell adhesion molecule. To test this hypothesis, chaoptin cDNA driven by the hsp 70 promoter was transfected into non-self-adherent Drosophila Schneider line 2 (S2) cells. Following heat shock induction of chaoptin expression, the transfected S2 cells formed multicellular aggregates. Mixing experiments of chaoptin expressing and non-expressing cells suggest that chaoptin expressing cells adhere homotypically. Previously it was shown that chaoptin is exclusively localized to photoreceptor cells. Thus, chaoptin is a cell-type-specific adhesion molecule. Biochemical analyses presented in this paper demonstrate that chaoptin is linked to the extracellular surface of the plasma membrane by covalent attachment to glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol. We propose that chaoptin and several other members of the leucine-rich repeat family of proteins define a new class of cell adhesion molecules.
Department of Biological Chemistry, UCLA School of Medicine.
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Zipursky
D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000502:physiology; D007930:Leucine / Q000235:genetics; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D005810:Multigene Family; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000494:pharmacology
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006017:Glycolipids; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C055093:chp protein, Drosophila; D004247:DNA; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; D007930:Leucine