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Published online January 14, 2008
doi:10.1083/jcb.200704178
The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol. 180, No. 1, 233-246
The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525 $30.00
© 2008 Wang et al.
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Article

 The C. elegans L1CAM homologue LAD-2 functions as a coreceptor in MAB-20/Sema2–mediated axon guidance

Xuelin Wang1, Wei Zhang1,2, Thomas Cheever1, Valentin Schwarz3, Karla Opperman1, Harald Hutter3,4, Deanna Koepp1,2, and Lihsia Chen1

1 Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, Developmental Biology Center, and 2 University of Minnesota Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455
3 Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, 69210 Heidelberg, Germany
4 Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby V5A 1S6, Canada

Correspondence to L. Chen: chenx260{at}umn.edu

The L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) participates in neuronal development. Mutations in the human L1 gene can cause the neurological disorder CRASH (corpus callosum hypoplasia, retardation, adducted thumbs, spastic paraplegia, and hydrocephalus). This study presents genetic data that shows that L1-like adhesion gene 2 (LAD-2), a Caenorhabditis elegans L1CAM, functions in axon pathfinding. In the SDQL neuron, LAD-2 mediates dorsal axon guidance via the secreted MAB-20/Sema2 and PLX-2 plexin receptor, the functions of which have largely been characterized in epidermal morphogenesis. We use targeted misexpression experiments to provide in vivo evidence that MAB-20/Sema2 acts as a repellent to SDQL. Coimmunoprecipitation assays reveal that MAB-20 weakly interacts with PLX-2; this interaction is increased in the presence of LAD-2, which can interact independently with MAB-20 and PLX-2. These results suggest that LAD-2 functions as a MAB-20 coreceptor to secure MAB-20 coupling to PLX-2. In vertebrates, L1 binds neuropilin1, the obligate receptor to the secreted Sema3A. However, invertebrates lack neuropilins. LAD-2 may thus function in the semaphorin complex by combining the roles of neuropilins and L1CAMs.

Abbreviations used in this paper: Co-IP, coimmunoprecipitation; dsRNA, double-stranded RNA; LAD, L1-like adhesion gene; LICAM, L1 cell adhesion molecule; VNC, ventral nerve cord.


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