title: Identification of CRAM, a novel unc-33 gene family protein that associates with CRMP3 and protein-tyrosine kinase(s) in the developing rat brain.
abstract: Four members of collapsin response mediator proteins (CRMPs) are thought to be involved in the semaphorin-induced growth cone collapse during neural development. Here we report the identification of a novel CRMP3-associated protein, designated CRAM for CRMP3-associated molecule, that belongs to the unc-33 gene family. The deduced amino acid sequence reveals that the CRAM gene encodes a protein of 563 amino acids, shows 57% identity with dihydropyrimidinase, and shows 50-51% identity with CRMPs. CRAM appears to form a large complex composed of CRMP3 and other unidentified proteins in vivo. Indeed, CRAM physically associates with CRMP3 when co-expressed in COS-7 cells. The expression of CRAM is brain-specific, is high in fetal and neonatal rat brain, and decreases to very low levels in adult brain. Moreover, CRAM expression is up-regulated during neuronal differentiation of embryonal carcinoma P19 and PC12 cells. Finally, immunoprecipitation analysis of rat brain extracts shows that CRAM is co-immunoprecipitated with proteins that contain protein-tyrosine kinase activity. Taken together, our results suggest that CRAM, which interacts with CRMP3 and protein-tyrosine kinase(s), is a new member of an emerging family of molecules that potentially mediate signals involved in the guidance and outgrowth of axons.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Biochemistry, Kobe University School of Medicine, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0017, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Inatome
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsujimura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hitomi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mitsui
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamura
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yanagi
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003429:Cross Reactions; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051746:ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; C485779:Dpysl4 protein, rat; C413755:Dpysl5 protein, rat; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051746:ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase