Loading…
Maintenance of neuronal positions in organized ganglia by SAX-7, a Caenorhabditis elegans homologue of L1
The L1 family of cell adhesion molecules is predominantly expressed in the nervous system. Mutations in human L1 cause neuronal diseases such as HSAS, MASA, and SPG1. Here we show that sax‐7 gene encodes an L1 homologue in Caenorhabditis elegans . In sax‐7 mutants, the organization of ganglia and po...
Saved in:
Published in: | The EMBO journal 2005-04, Vol.24 (7), p.1477-1488 |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Summary: | The L1 family of cell adhesion molecules is predominantly expressed in the nervous system. Mutations in human L1 cause neuronal diseases such as HSAS, MASA, and SPG1. Here we show that
sax‐7
gene encodes an L1 homologue in
Caenorhabditis elegans
. In
sax‐7
mutants, the organization of ganglia and positioning of neurons are abnormal in the adult stage, but these abnormalities are not observed in early larval stage. Misplacement of neurons in
sax‐7
mutants is triggered by mechanical force linked to body movement. Short and long forms of SAX‐7 exhibited strong and weak homophilic adhesion activities in
in vitro
aggregation assay, respectively, which correlated with their different activities
in vivo
. SAX‐7 was localized on plasma membranes of neurons
in vivo
. Expression of SAX‐7 only in a single neuron in
sax‐7
mutants cell‐autonomously restored its normal neuronal position. Expression of SAX‐7 in two different head neurons in
sax‐7
mutants led to the forced attachment of these neurons. We propose that both homophilic and heterophilic interactions of SAX‐7 are essential for maintenance of neuronal positions in organized ganglia. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0261-4189 1460-2075 |
DOI: | 10.1038/sj.emboj.7600621 |