Mutation of Elfn1 in mice causes seizures and hyperactivity.

ABSTRACT: A growing number of proteins with extracellular leucine-rich repeats (eLRRs) have been implicated in directing neuronal connectivity. We previously identified a novel family of eLRR proteins in mammals: the Elfns are transmembrane proteins with 6 LRRs, a fibronectin type-3 domain and a long cytoplasmic tail. The recent discovery that Elfn1 protein, expressed postsynaptically, can direct the elaboration of specific electrochemical properties of synapses between particular cell types in the hippocampus strongly reinforces this hypothesis. Here, we present analyses of an Elfn1 mutant mouse line and demonstrate a functional requirement for this gene in vivo. We first carried out detailed expression analysis of Elfn1 using a β-galactosidase reporter gene in the knockout line. Elfn1 is expressed

SUBMITTER: Dolan J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3842350 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature