Several members of the Ig superfamily are expressed on neural cells where they participate in surface interactions between cell bodies and processes. Their Ig domains are more closely related to each other than to Ig variable and constant domains and have been grouped into the C2 set. Another member of this group, the mouse neuronal cell surface antigen F3, has been cloned and characterized. The F3 cDNA sequence contains an open reading frame that could encode a 1,020-amino acid protein consisting of a signal sequence, six Ig-like domains of the C2 type, a long premembrane region containing two segments that exhibit sequence similarity to fibronectin type III repeats and a moderately hydrophobic COOH-terminal sequence. The protein does not contain a typical transmembrane segment but appears to be attached to the membrane by a phosphatidylinositol anchor. Antibodies against the F3 protein recognize a prominent 135-kD protein in mouse brain. In fetal brain cultures, they stain the neuronal cell surface and, in cultures maintained in chemically defined medium, most prominently neurites and neurite bundles. The mouse f3 gene maps to band F of chromosome 15. The gene transcripts detected in the brain by F3 cDNA probes are developmentally regulated, the highest amounts being expressed between 1 and 2 wk after birth. The F3 nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence show striking similarity to the recently published sequence of the chicken neuronal cell surface protein contactin. However, there are important differences between the two molecules. In contrast to F3, contactin has a transmembrane and a cytoplasmic domain. Whereas contactin is insoluble in nonionic detergent and is tightly associated with the cytoskeleton, about equal amounts of F3 distribute between buffer-soluble, nonionic detergent-soluble, and detergent-insoluble fractions. Among other neural cell surface proteins, F3 most resembles the neuronal cell adhesion protein L1, with 25% amino acid identity between their extracellular domains. Based on its structural similarity with known cell adhesion proteins of nervous tissue and with L1 in particular, it is proposed that F3 mediates cell surface interactions during nervous system development (Gennarini, 1989).
A zebrafish homolog of the F3/F11/contactin (F3) recognition molecule has been identified. The gene shares 55% amino acid identity with F3 molecules in other vertebrates. Expression of F3 mRNA is first detectable at 16 h post-fertilization (hpf) in trigeminal and Rohon-Beard neurons. At 18-24 hpf, additional weaker expression is present in discrete cell clusters in the hindbrain, in the anterior lateral line/acoustic ganglion and in spinal motor neurons. Transcription factors of the LIM homeodomain class (LIM-HD) and their associated cofactors CLIM/NLI/Ldb (CLIM) have been implicated in the development of peripheral axons of trigeminal and Rohon-Beard neurons. Ectopic overexpression of a dominant-negative CLIM molecule early during zebrafish development strongly reduces expression of F3 mRNA in these neurons indicating regulation of F3 by the LIM-HD protein network. These results and the spatiotemporal correlation of F3 expression with axonal differentiation in a subset of primary neurons suggest an important role of F3 for axon growth (Gimnopoulos, 2003).
F3/contactin (CNTN1) and TAG-1 (CNTN2) are closely related axonal glycoproteins that are differentially regulated during development. In the cerebellar cortex TAG-1 is expressed first as granule cell progenitors differentiate in the premigratory zone of the external germinal layer. However, as these cells begin radial migration, TAG-1 is replaced by F3/contactin. To address the significance of this differential regulation, transgenic mice were generated in which F3/contactin expression is driven by TAG-1 gene regulatory sequences, which results in premature expression of F3/contactin in granule cells. These animals (TAG/F3 mice) display a developmentally regulated cerebellar phenotype in which the size of the cerebellum is markedly reduced during the first two postnatal weeks but subsequently recovers. This is due in part to a reduction in the number of granule cells, most evident in the external germinal layer at postnatal day 3 and in the inner granular layer between postnatal days 8 and 11. The reduction in granule cell number is accompanied by a decrease in precursor granule cell proliferation at postnatal day 3, followed by an increase in the number of cycling cells at postnatal day 8. In the same developmental window the size of the molecular layer is markedly reduced and Purkinje cell dendrites fail to elaborate normally. These data are consistent with a model in which deployment of F3/contactin on granule cells affects proliferation and differentiation of these neurons as well as the differentiation of their synaptic partners, the Purkinje cells. Together, these findings indicate that precise spatio-temporal regulation of TAG-1 and F3/contactin expression is critical for normal cerebellar morphogenesis (Bizzoca, 2003).
Transgenic transient axonal glycoprotein (TAG)/F3 mice, in which the mouse axonal glycoprotein F3/contactin was misexpressed from a regulatory region of the gene encoding the transient axonal glycoprotein TAG-1, exhibit a transient disruption of cerebellar granule and Purkinje cell development. The neurobehavioural consequences of this mutation have been explored. This study reports on assays of reproductive parameters (gestation length, litter size and offspring viability) and on somatic and neurobehavioural end-points (sensorimotor development, homing performance, motor activity, motor coordination and motor learning). Compared with wild-type littermates, TAG/F3 mice display delayed sensorimotor development, reduced exploratory activity and impaired motor activity, motor coordination and motor learning. The latter parameters, in particular, are affected also in adult mice, despite the apparent recovery of cerebellar morphology, suggesting that subtle changes of neuronal circuitry persist in these animals after development is complete. These behavioural deficits indicate that the finely coordinated expression of immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules such as TAG-1 and F3/contactin is of key relevance to the functional, as well as morphological maturation of the cerebellum (Coluccia, 2004).
During myelination, membrane-specialized domains are generated by complex interactions between axon and glial cells. The cell adhesion molecules caspr/paranodin and F3/contactin play a crucial role in the generation of functional septate-like junctions at paranodes. Association with the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked F3/contactin is required for the recruitment of caspr/paranodin into the lipid rafts and its targeting to the cell surface. When transfected alone in neuroblastoma N2a cells, caspr/paranodin is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Using chimerical constructs, it has been shown that the cytoplasmic region does not contain any ER retention signal, whereas the ectodomain plays a crucial role in caspr/paranodin trafficking. A series of truncations encompassing the extracellular region of caspr/paranodin was unable to abolish ER retention. N-glycosylation and quality control by the lectin-chaperone calnexin are required for the cell surface delivery of caspr/paranodin. Cell surface transport of F3/contactin and caspr/paranodin is insensitive to brefeldin A and the two glycoproteins are endoglycosidase H-sensitive when associated in complex, recruited into the lipid rafts, and expressed on the cell surface. These results indicate a Golgi-independent pathway for the paranodal cell adhesion complex that may be implicated in the segregation of axonal subdomains (Bonnon, 2003).
Rapid nerve impulse conduction depends on specialized membrane domains in myelinated nerve, the node of Ranvier, the paranode, and the myelinated internodal region. GPI-linked contactin enables the formation of the paranodal septate-like axo-glial junctions in myelinated peripheral nerve. Contactin clusters at the paranodal axolemma during Schwann cell myelination. Ablation of contactin in mutant mice disrupts junctional attachment at the paranode and reduces nerve conduction velocity 3-fold. The mutation impedes intracellular transport and surface expression of Caspr and leaves NF155 on apposing paranodal myelin disengaged. The contactin mutation does not affect sodium channel clustering at the nodes of Ranvier but alters the location of the Shaker-type Kv1.1 and Kv1.2 potassium channels. Thus, contactin is a crucial part in the machinery that controls junctional attachment at the paranode and ultimately the physiology of myelinated nerve (Boyle, 2001).
The neural recognition molecule NB-3, which belongs to the contactin subgroup of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is expressed exclusively in the nervous system and mainly upregulated at the early postnatal stage during mouse brain development. The expression of NB-3 in the cerebellum increases until adulthood. In contrast, the expression in the cerebrum declines to a low level after postnatal day 7. To characterize the functional roles of NB-3 in vivo, NB-3-deficient mice were generated by substituting a part of the NB-3 gene with the beta-galactosidase (Lac Z) gene. Complete overlap of the Lac Z expression in the heterozygous mouse brain with the NB-3 immunostaining pattern in the rat cerebellum and with the pattern of in situ hybridization of NB-3 transcripts indicates that Lac Z expression reflects the expression of NB-3 in the mouse brain. NB-3-deficient mice are viable and fertile. The formation and organization of all nuclei and layers throughout the brains of mutant mice appears normal. Behavioral tests to examine motor function show that the mice deficient for NB-3 are slow to learn to stay on the rotating rod in the rotorod test during repeated trials, and that they display dysfunction of equilibrium and vestibular senses in the wire hang and horizontal rod-walking tests. In contrast, the mutant mice showed no difference of grasp force from the wild-type mice. Thus, NB-3-deficient mice are impaired in motor coordination (Takeda, 2003).
In myelinated fibers of the vertebrate nervous system, glial-ensheathing cells interact with axons at specialized adhesive junctions, the paranodal septate-like junctions. The axonal proteins paranodin/Caspr and contactin form a cis complex in the axolemma at the axoglial adhesion zone, and both are required to stabilize the junction. There has been intense speculation that an oligodendroglial isoform of the cell adhesion molecule neurofascin, NF155, expressed at the paranodal loop might be the glial receptor for the paranodin/Caspr-contactin complex, particularly since paranodin/Caspr and NF155 colocalize to ectopic sites in the CNS of the dysmyelinated mouse Shiverer mutant. The extracellular domain of NF155 binds specifically to transfected cells expressing the paranodin/Caspr-contactin complex at the cell surface. This region of NF155 also binds the paranodin/Caspr-contactin complex from brain lysates in vitro. In support of the functional significance of this interaction, NF155 antibodies and the extracellular domain of NF155 inhibit myelination in myelinating cocultures, presumably by blocking the adhesive relationship between the axon and glial cell. These results demonstrate that the paranodin/Caspr-contactin complex interacts biochemically with NF155 and that this interaction is likely to be biologically relevant at the axoglial junction (Charles, 2002).
Three cell adhesion molecules are present at the axoglial junctions that form between the axon and myelinating glia on either side of the nodes of Ranvier. These include an axonal complex of contacin-associated protein (Caspr) and contactin, which has been proposed to bind NF155, an isoform of neurofascin located on the glial paranodal loops. NF155 is shown to bind directly to contactin and surprisingly, coexpression of Caspr inhibits this interaction. This inhibition reflects the association of Caspr with contactin during biosynthesis and the resulting expression of a low molecular weight (LMw), endoglycosidase H-sensitive isoform of contactin at the cell membrane that remains associated with Caspr but is unable to bind NF155. Accordingly, deletion of Caspr in mice by gene targeting results in a shift from the LMw- to a HMw-contactin glycoform. These results demonstrate that Caspr regulates the intracellular processing and transport of contactin to the cell surface, thereby affecting its ability to interact with other cell adhesion molecules (Gollan, 2003).
Voltage-gated sodium channels are composed of a pore-forming alpha subunit and at least one auxiliary beta subunit. Both beta1 and beta2 are cell adhesion molecules that interact homophilically, resulting in ankyrin recruitment. In contrast, beta1, but not beta2, interacts heterophilically with contactin, resulting in increased levels of cell surface sodium channels. Advantage was taken of these results to investigate the molecular basis of beta1-mediated enhancement of sodium channel cell surface density, including elucidating structure-function relationships for beta1 association with contactin, ankyrin, and Nav1.2. beta1/beta2 subunit chimeras were used to assign putative sites of contactin interaction to two regions of the beta1 Ig loop. Recent studies have shown that glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins containing portions of Nav1.2 intracellular domains interact directly with ankyrinG. Native Nav1.2 associates with ankyrinG in cells in the absence of beta subunits and this interaction is enhanced in the presence of beta1 but not beta1Y181E, a mutant that does not interact with ankyrinG. beta1Y181E does not modulate Nav1.2 channel function despite efficient association with Nav1.2 and contactin. beta1Y181E increases Nav1.2 cell surface expression, but not as efficiently as wild type beta1. beta1/beta2 chimeras exchanging various regions of the beta1 Ig loop were all ineffective in increasing Nav1.2 cell surface density. These results demonstrate that full-length beta1 is required for channel modulation and enhancement of sodium channel cell surface expression (McEwen, 2004a).
Voltage-gated sodium channels localize at high density in axon initial segments and nodes of Ranvier in myelinated axons. Sodium channels consist of a pore-forming alpha subunit and at least one beta subunit. beta1 is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion molecules, and interacts homophilically and heterophilically with contactin and Nf186. beta1 interactions with contactin and Nf186 have been characterized in greater detail and interactions of beta1 with NrCAM, Nf155, and sodium channel beta2 and beta3 subunits have been investigated. Using Fc-fusion proteins and immunocytochemical techniques, beta1 is shown to interact with the fibronectin-like domains of contactin. beta1 also interacts with NrCAM, Nf155, sodium channel beta2, and Nf186, but not with sodium channel beta3. The interaction of beta1 with beta2 requires the region T(169)EEEGKTDGEGNA(181) located in the intracellular domain of beta2. Interaction of beta1 with Nf186 results in increased Na(V)1.2 cell surface density over alpha alone, similar to that shown previously for contactin and beta2. It is proposed that beta1 is the critical communication link between sodium channels, nodal cell adhesion molecules, and ankyrin(G) (McEwen, 2004b).
The upregulation of voltage-gated sodium channel Na(v)1.3 has been linked to hyperexcitability of axotomized dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, which underlies neuropathic pain. However, factors that regulate delivery of Na(v)1.3 to the cell surface are not known. Contactin/F3, a cell adhesion molecule, has been shown to interact with and enhance surface expression of sodium channels Na(v)1.2 and Na(v)1.9. Contactin is shown to coimmunoprecipitate with Na(v)1.3 from postnatal day 0 rat brain where this channel is abundant, and from human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells stably transfected with Na(v)1.3. Purified GST fusion proteins of the N and C termini of Na(v)1.3 pull down contactin from lysates of transfected HEK 293 cells. Transfection of HEK-Na(v)1.3 cells with contactin increases the amplitude of the current threefold without changing the biophysical properties of the channel. Enzymatic removal of contactin from the cell surface of cotransfected cells does not reduce the elevated levels of the Na(v)1.3 current. Finally, similar to Na(v)1.3, contactin is shown to be upregulate in axotomized DRG neurons and accumulates within the neuroma of transected sciatic nerve. It is proposed that the upregulation of contactin and its colocalization with Na(v)1.3 in axotomized DRG neurons may contribute to the hyper-excitablity of the injured neurons (Shah, 2004).
Axon-derived molecules are temporally and spatially required as positive or negative signals to coordinate oligodendrocyte differentiation. Increasing evidence suggests that, in addition to the inhibitory Jagged1/Notch1 signaling cascade, other pathways act via Notch to mediate oligodendrocyte differentiation. The GPI-linked neural cell recognition molecule F3/contactin is clustered during development at the paranodal region, a vital site for axoglial interaction. F3/contactin acts as a functional ligand of Notch. This trans-extracellular interaction triggers gamma-secretase-dependent nuclear translocation of the Notch intracellular domain. F3/Notch signaling promotes oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation and upregulates the myelin-related protein MAG in OLN-93 cells. This can be blocked by dominant negative Notch1, Notch2, and two Deltex1 mutants lacking the RING-H2 finger motif, but not by dominant-negative RBP-J or Hes1 antisense oligonucleotides. Expression of constitutively active Notch1 or Notch2 does not upregulate MAG. Thus, F3/contactin specifically initiates a Notch/Deltex1 signaling pathway that promotes oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination (Hu 2003).
Neurons and glia in the vertebrate central nervous system arise in temporally distinct, albeit overlapping, phases. Neurons are generated first followed by astrocytes and oligodendrocytes from common progenitor cells. Increasing evidence indicates that axon-derived signals spatiotemporally modulate oligodendrocyte maturation and myelin formation. F3/contactin is a functional ligand of Notch during oligodendrocyte maturation, revealing the existence of another group of Notch ligands. NB-3, a member of the F3/contactin family, acts as a novel Notch ligand to participate in oligodendrocyte generation. NB-3 triggers nuclear translocation of the Notch intracellular domain and promotes oligodendrogliogenesis from progenitor cells and differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells via Deltex1. In primary oligodendrocytes, NB-3 increases myelin-associated glycoprotein transcripts. Thus, the NB-3/Notch signaling pathway may prove to be a molecular handle to treat demyelinating diseases (Cui, 2004).
Changes in synaptic efficacy are believed to mediate the processes of learning and memory formation. Accumulating evidence implicates cell adhesion molecules in activity-dependent synaptic modifications associated with long-term potentiation (LTP); however, there is no precedence for the selective role of this molecule class in long-term depression (LTD). The mechanisms that modulate these processes still remain unclear. A novel role is reported for glycosylphosphatidyl inositol (GPI)-anchored contactin in hippocampal CA1 synaptic plasticity. Contactin selectively supports paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor-dependent LTD but is not required for synaptic morphology, basal transmission, or LTP. Molecular analyses indicate that contactin is essential for the membrane and synaptic targeting of the contactin-associated protein (Caspr/paranodin) and for the proper distribution of a presumptive ligand, receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase beta (RPTPbeta)/phosphacan. These results indicate that contactin plays a selective role in synaptic plasticity and identify PPF and LTD, but not LTP, as contactin-dependent processes. Engagement of the contactin-Caspr complex with RPTPbeta may thus regulate cell-cell interactions contributing to specific synaptic plasticity forms (Murai, 2002).
Home page: The Interactive Fly © 1995, 1996 Thomas B. Brody, Ph.D.
The Interactive Fly resides on the
Society for Developmental Biology's Web server.