Neuronal synapse interaction reconstituted between live cells and supported lipid bilayers.

ABSTRACT: In the nervous system, homophilic and heterophilic adhesion molecules participate in the induction and differentiation of presynaptic transmitter release sites. We focus on the heterophilic interaction between postsynaptic neuroligin-1 (Nlg) and presynaptic beta-neurexin (Nrx). Nlg has previously been shown to trigger presynaptic differentiation in a Nrx-expressing axon even when presented on a non-neuronal cell or on beads coated with lipid bilayers. We have now developed a new method to measure single molecule and ensemble distribution of Nrx and Nlg at the contact site between a non-neuronal Nrx-expressing cell and a flat supported glycosylphosphoinositol-neuroligin-1 (GPI-Nlg) lipid bilayer and relate them to adhesion as measured by cell migration and gravity dissociation. We find that

SUBMITTER: Pautot S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1448216 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature