title: Identification of a novel neuroligin in humans which binds to PSD-95 and has a widespread expression.
abstract: Neuroligins, first discovered in rat brain, form a family of three synaptically enriched membrane proteins. Using reverse transcription-PCR of human brain polyadenylated RNA and extensive database searches, we identified the human homologues of the three rat neuroligins and a cDNA encoding a fourth member, which we named neuroligin 4. Neuroligin 4 has 63-73% amino acid identity with the other members of the human neuroligin family, and the same predicted domain structure. DNA database analyses, furthermore, indicated that a possible fifth neuroligin gene may be present in the human genome. Northern-blot analysis revealed expression of neuroligin 4 in heart, liver, skeletal muscle and pancreas, but barely at all in brain. Overexpression of neuroligin 4 cDNA in COS-7 cells led to the production of a 110 kDa protein. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that the protein was integrated into the plasma membrane. Overexpression of cDNAs encoding neuroligin 4 and the PDZ-domain protein, PSD-95, in COS-7 cells resulted in the formation of detergent-resistant complexes. Neuroligin 4 did not bind to ZO-1, another PDZ-domain protein. Together, our data show that the human neuroligin family is composed of at least one additional member, and suggest that neuroligin 4 may also be produced outside the central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bolliger
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Frei
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Winterhalter
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gloor
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D019556:COS Cells; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D017931:DNA Primers; D000076122:Disks Large Homolog 4 Protein; C501449:Dlg4 protein, rat; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C430845:NLGN4X protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C033652:postsynaptic density proteins