An extracellular biochemical screen reveals that FLRTs and Unc5s mediate neuronal subtype recognition in the retina.

ABSTRACT: In the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of the mouse retina, ~70 neuronal subtypes organize their neurites into an intricate laminar structure that underlies visual processing. To find recognition proteins involved in lamination, we utilized microarray data from 13 subtypes to identify differentially-expressed extracellular proteins and performed a high-throughput biochemical screen. We identified ~50 previously-unknown receptor-ligand pairs, including new interactions among members of the FLRT and Unc5 families. These proteins show laminar-restricted IPL localization and induce attraction and/or repulsion of retinal neurites in culture, placing them in an ideal position to mediate laminar targeting. Consistent with a repulsive role in arbor lamination, we observed complementary expression patt

SUBMITTER: Visser JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4737655 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature