title: Involvement of nectins in the formation of puncta adherentia junctions and the mossy fiber trajectory in the mouse hippocampus.
abstract: Synapses are specialized intercellular junctions whose specificity and plasticity are mediated by synaptic cell adhesion molecules. In hippocampus, the mossy fibers form synapses on the apical dendrites of the CA3 pyramidal cells where synaptic and puncta adherentia junctions (PAJs) are highly developed. Synaptic junctions are the sites of neurotransmission, while PAJs are regarded as mechanical adhesion sites. Cell-cell adhesion molecules nectin-1 and nectin-3 asymmetrically localize at the pre- and post-synaptic sides of PAJs, respectively. To reveal the definitive role of nectins, we analyzed nectin-1-/- and nectin-3(-/-) mice. In both the mutant mice, the number of PAJs at the synapses between the mossy fiber terminals and the dendrites of the CA3 pyramidal cells was reduced. In addition, the abnormal mossy fiber trajectory was observed. These results indicate that nectins are involved in the formation of PAJs, which maintain the proper mossy fiber trajectory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine/Faculty of Medicine, Suita 565-0871, Japan
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakisaka
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumazawa
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoshino
authors.forename: Mihoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kajita
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kayahara
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanaka-Okamoto
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mizoguchi
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Manabe
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Yoshimi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D015820:Cadherins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019599:Mossy Fibers, Hippocampal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000075983:Nectins; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; C489083:Cdh2 protein, mouse; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C000619015:Nectin1 protein, mouse; C000619017:Nectin3 protein, mouse; D000075983:Nectins; C108835:afadin