Neuroplastin: cell adhesion molecule and signaling receptor.
Neuroplastin (Np) is a glycoprotein that belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion molecules. It exists in two isoforms, Np55 and Np65, named according to their apparent molecular weights. Neuroplastins were first identified as synapse-specific proteins, but subsequent findings have shown that Np65 is indeed expressed only in the brain, whereas Np55 is found in wide range of tissues. Since their discovery, the knowledge of Nps expanded, implicating them in various processes, including neuronal differentiation and synaptic plasticity. Here, we will review the Np structure and mechanisms involved in Np signaling and discuss the functions of Nps in the nervous system.
The Protein Laboratory, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. sylwia@sund.ku.dk
Sylwia
S
Owczarek
Vladimir
V
Berezin
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009420:Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction
D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; C518360:NPTN protein, human