title: Thy-1-interacting molecules and cellular signaling in cis and trans.
abstract: Thy-1, discovered almost 50 years ago, was for many years a subject of great scientific interest. The putative functions attributed to this molecule could not be confirmed due, at least in part, to a ligand that took a long time to be identified. This chapter describes the properties of Thy-1 and the regulation of its expression. Also, the interactions that have been described for Thy-1 in both cis and trans, and the signaling mechanisms reported to emanate from such interactions are discussed. The consequences of Thy-1-activated signaling pathways for different cell types and organisms are also reviewed. Since the discovery of αVβ3 integrin as a receptor for Thy-1 in astrocytes, many more functions have been attributed to Thy-1 interactions in trans toward other cell types. Recently, a ligand for neuronal Thy-1 was unveiled and shown to elicit signaling in cis. The ligand and the receptor for Thy-1 turned out to be the same molecule, αVβ3 integrin, which upon interaction with Thy-1 yields bidirectional astrocyte-to-neuron communication. Thus, Thy-1 biology is again beginning to make progress in answering main questions surrounding this enigmatic molecule. Some of these remaining questions are highlighted in this chapter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurochemistry and Molecular Biology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herrera-Molina
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valdivia
authors.forename: Milene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Areli
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cárdenas
authors.forename: Andrew F G
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Quest
authors.forename: Lisette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leyton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D018800:Thy-1 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018800:Thy-1 Antigens
keywords: Cell signaling; Cellular responses; Cis–trans interactions; Ligands; Receptors; Thy-1