title: Nectin-3, a new member of immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules that shows homophilic and heterophilic cell-cell adhesion activities.
abstract: We have isolated a novel cell-cell adhesion system localized at cadherin-based adherens junctions (AJs). This system consists of at least nectin, a Ca(2+)-independent immunoglobulin-like adhesion molecule, and afadin, an actin filament-binding protein, that connects nectin to the actin cytoskeleton. Nectin constitutes a family consisting of two members, nectin-1 and -2. We have isolated here a third member of the nectin family and named it nectin-3. Nectin-3 has three splicing variants, nectin-3alpha (biggest), -3beta (middle), and -3gamma (smallest). Like nectin-1 and -2, nectin-3alpha consists of three extracellular immunoglobulin-like domains, a transmembrane segment, and a cytoplasmic region with the C-terminal consensus motif for binding to the PDZ domain. Nectin-3alpha formed a cis-homo-dimer and showed Ca(2+)-independent trans-homo-interaction to cause homophilic cell-cell adhesion. Nectin-3alpha furthermore showed trans-hetero-interaction with nectin-1 or -2 but did not form a cis-hetero-dimer with nectin-1 or -2. Nectin-1 did not show trans-hetero-interaction with nectin-2. The affinity of trans-hetero-interaction of nectin-3alpha with nectin-1 or -2 was higher than that of trans-homo-interaction of nectin-1, -2, or -3alpha. Nectin-2 and -3 were ubiquitously expressed, whereas nectin-1 was abundantly expressed in brain. Nectin-3alpha was colocalized with nectin-2 at cadherin-based AJs and interacted with afadin. These results indicate that the nectin family consists of at least three members, nectin-1, -2, and -3, all of which show homophilic and heterophilic cell-cell adhesion activities and are localized at cadherin-based AJs.
authors.affiliation: Takai Biotimer Project, ERATO, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, c/o JCR Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., 2-2-10 Murotani, Nishi-ku, Kobe 651-2241, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Satoh-Horikawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyahara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizoguchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takai
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D019556:COS Cells; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000502:physiology*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D007739:L Cells; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D000075983:Nectins; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; C000619015:Nectin1 protein, mouse; C000619017:Nectin3 protein, mouse; D000075983:Nectins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011994:Recombinant Proteins