The 180-kD component of the neural cell adhesion molecule N-CAM is involved in cell-cell contacts and cytoskeleton-membrane interactions.
N-CAM180, the molecular form of the three neural cell adhesion molecules (N-CAM) with the largest cytoplasmic domain, is accumulated at sites of cell-cell contact (cell bodies, neurites, growth cones) in cultures of neuroblastoma and cerebellum. At these sites the cytoskeleton-membrane linker protein brain spectrin and actin are also accumulated. Brain spectrin copurifies with N-CAM180 by immunoaffinity chromatography and binds specifically to N-CAM180 but not to N-CAM140 or N-CAM120 in a solid-phase binding test. These observations indicate an association of N-CAM180 with the cytoskeleton in vivo. This association may underlie the reduced lateral mobility of N-CAM180 in the surface membrane compared to N-CAM140 (Pollerberg et al. 1986). Together with the fact that N-CAM180 is only expressed after termination of neuron migration in vivo (Persohn and Schachner, unpublished) these results suggest a role for N-CAM180 in stabilization of cell contacts.
Pollerberg
G E
GE
Department of Neurobiology, University of Heidelberg, Federal Republic of Germany.
Burridge
K
K
Krebs
K E
KE
Goodman
S R
SR
Schachner
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000032:analysis*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D002450:Cell Communication; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009447:Neuroblastoma
D000954:Antigens, Surface; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules