Synaptic Adhesion

Yamagata, M., Sanes, J. R. and Weiner, J. A. Synaptic adhesion molecules. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 15,621-632, 2003. 

Shapiro L, Cohnan DR (1999) The diversity of cadherins and implications for a synaptic adhesive code in the CNS. Neuron 23 427-430. 

Chen, X, Liu, H, Shim, AH, Focia, PJ and He, X (2008) Structural basis for synaptic adhesion mediated by neuroligin-neurexin interactions. Nat Struct Mol Biol 15 50-56. 

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) play critical roles in all facets of nervous system development and maintenance. Important phenomena in which CAMs are involved include initial formation of the neural tube and the neural crest, migration of all neurons and glial cells, axonal outgrowth and guidance, target selection, synaptic stabilization and plasticity, myelination and nerve regeneration after injury (see Chs 4,24,28-30 and 53). Adhesion molecules interact with each other and with nonadhesive cell-surface and/or cytoplasmic molecules, and, in the two... 

Fannon, A M. and Colman, D. R. A model for central synaptic junctional complex formation based on the differential adhesive specificities of the cadherins. Neuron 17 423 34,1996. 

Uchida, N., Honjo, Y., Johnson, K. R., Wheelock, M. J. and Takeichi, M. The catenin/cadherin adhesion system is localized in synaptic junctions bordering transmitter release zones. /. Cell Biol. 135 767-779,1996. 

The cytoskeleton is found near the axonal membrane and consists of microfilaments linked internally to microtubules and the plasma membrane by a network of filamentous protein that includes the brain-specific protein fodrin. This protein forms attachment sites for integral membrane proteins either by means of the neuronal cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) or indirectly by means of a specific protein called ankyrin in the case of the sodium channels. This may provide a means whereby the sodium channels are concentrated in the region of the nodes of Ranvier. Thus the cortical cytoskeleton plays a vital role in neuronal function by acting as an attachment site for various receptors and ion channels, but also for synaptic vesicles at nerve terminals, thereby providing a mechanism for concentrating the vesicles prior to the release of the neurotransmitter. 

Butz S, Okamoto M, Sudhof TC. A tripartite protein complex with the potential to couple synaptic vesicle exocytosis to cell adhesion in brain. Cell 1998 94 773-782. 

Honer WG, Falkai P, Young C, Wang T, Xie J, et al. 1997. Cingulate cortex synaptic terminal proteins and neural cell adhesion molecule in schizophrenia. Neuroscience 78 99-110. 

BIRT-377 (1), a small molecule inhibitor of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1), was first discovered by Kelly and coworkers in 1999. It was shown to have potential therapeutic utility in the treatment of a variety of inflammatory and immune disorders. In binding to intercellular adhesion molecules, the cell-surface receptor LFA-1 allows many cell-cell adhesion events that control immunological functions. A lack of these synaptic functions leads to potentially life-threatening immunodeficiency diseases. In case of overactive immune responses, an LFA-1 inhibitor can be used to attenuate the inflammatory responses. These immunosuppressive activities have been tested in vitro, and early clinical trials on transplantation have already been undertaken. ... 

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