title: A peptide derived from a trans-homophilic binding site in neural cell adhesion molecule induces neurite outgrowth and neuronal survival.
abstract: The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) plays a key role in neural development, regeneration, and synaptic plasticity. The crystal structure of a fragment of NCAM comprising the three N-terminal immunoglobulin (Ig)-like modules indicates that the first and second Ig modules bind to each other, thereby presumably mediating dimerization of NCAM molecules expressed on the same cell surface (cis-interactions), whereas the third Ig module, through interactions with the first or second Ig module, mediates interactions between NCAM molecules expressed on the surface of opposing cells (trans-interactions). We have designed a new potent peptide ligand of NCAM, termed plannexin, based on a discontinuous sequence in the second NCAM Ig module that represents a homophilic binding site for an opposing third Ig module. The peptide was found by surface plasmon resonance analysis to bind the third NCAM Ig module. It promoted survival of cultured cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs) and also induced neurite extension in cultures of dopaminergic neurons and CGNs; the latter effect was shown to be dependent on NCAM expression, indicating that plannexin mimics the neuritogenic effect of homophilic NCAM binding.
authors.affiliation: ENKAM Pharmaceuticals A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lene B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Køhler
authors.forename: Vladislav
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Soroka
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Korshunova
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Berezin
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bock
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049108:Cell Enlargement; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D008024:Ligands; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D016501:Neurites / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D019006:Neural Cell Adhesion Molecules; D009842:Oligopeptides; D010455:Peptides; C553047:plannexin peptide; D004298:Dopamine