s-Afadin binds to MAGUIN/Cnksr2 and regulates the localization of the AMPA receptor and glutamatergic synaptic response in hippocampal neurons.

A hippocampal mossy fiber synapse implicated in learning and memory is a complex structure in which a presynaptic bouton attaches to the dendritic trunk by puncta adherentia junctions (PAJs) and wraps multiply branched spines. The postsynaptic densities (PSDs) are localized at the heads of each of these spines and faces to the presynaptic active zones. We previously showed that the scaffolding protein afadin regulates the formation of the PAJs, PSDs, and active zones in the mossy fiber synapse. Afadin has two splice variants: l-afadin and s-afadin. l-Afadin, but not s-afadin, regulates the formation of the PAJs but the roles of s-afadin in synaptogenesis remain unknown. We found here that s-afadin more preferentially bound to MAGUIN (a product of the Cnksr2 gene) than l-afadin in vivo and in vitro. MAGUIN/CNKSR2 is one of the causative genes for nonsyndromic X-linked intellectual disability accompanied by epilepsy and aphasia. Genetic ablation of MAGUIN impaired PSD-95 localization and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic (AMPA) receptor surface accumulation in cultured hippocampal neurons. Our electrophysiological analysis revealed that the postsynaptic response to glutamate, but not its release from the presynapse, was impaired in the MAGUIN-deficient cultured hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, disruption of MAGUIN did not increase the seizure susceptibility to flurothyl, a GABAA receptor antagonist. These results indicate that s-afadin binds to MAGUIN and regulates the PSD-95-dependent cell surface localization of the AMPA receptor and glutamatergic synaptic responses in the hippocampal neurons and that MAGUIN is not involved in the induction of epileptic seizure by flurothyl in our mouse model.

Identification of lysophosphatidic acid in serum as a factor that promotes epithelial apical junctional complex organization.

The apical junctional complex (AJC) consists of adherens junctions (AJs) and tight junctions and regulates epithelial integrity and remodeling. However, it is unclear how AJC organization is regulated based on environmental cues. We found here using cultured EpH4 mouse mammary epithelial cells that fetal bovine serum (FBS) in a culture medium showed an activity to promote AJC organization and that FBS showed an activity to promote tight junction formation even in the absence of AJ proteins, such as E-cadherin, αE-catenin, and afadin. Furthermore, we purified the individual factor responsible for these functions from FBS and identified this molecule as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). In validation experiments, purified LPA elicited the same activity as FBS. In addition, we found that the AJC organization-promoting activity of LPA was mediated through the LPA receptor 1/5 via diacylglycerol-novel PKC and Rho-ROCK pathway activation in a mutually independent, but complementary, manner. We demonstrated that the Rho-ROCK pathway activation-mediated AJC organization was independent of myosin II-induced actomyosin contraction, although this signaling pathway was previously shown to induce myosin II activation. These findings are in contrast to the literature, as previous results suggested an AJC organization-disrupting activity of LPA. The present results indicate that LPA in serum has an AJC organization-promoting activity in a manner dependent on or independent of AJ proteins.

Afadin regulates actomyosin organization through αE-catenin at adherens junctions.

Actomyosin-undercoated adherens junctions are critical for epithelial cell integrity and remodeling. Actomyosin associates with adherens junctions through αE-catenin complexed with ß-catenin and E-cadherin in vivo; however, in vitro biochemical studies in solution showed that αE-catenin complexed with ß-catenin binds to F-actin less efficiently than αE-catenin that is not complexed with ß-catenin. Although a "catch-bond model" partly explains this inconsistency, the mechanism for this inconsistency between the in vivo and in vitro results remains elusive. We herein demonstrate that afadin binds to αE-catenin complexed with ß-catenin and enhances its F-actin-binding activity in a novel mechanism, eventually inducing the proper actomyosin organization through αE-catenin complexed with ß-catenin and E-cadherin at adherens junctions.

Involvement of l-afadin, but not s-afadin, in the formation of puncta adherentia junctions of hippocampal synapses.

A hippocampal mossy fiber synapse has a complex structure in which presynaptic boutons attach to the dendritic trunk by puncta adherentia junctions (PAJs) and wrap multiply-branched spines, forming synaptic junctions. It was previously shown that afadin regulates the formation of the PAJs cooperatively with nectin-1, nectin-3, and N-cadherin. Afadin is a nectin-binding protein with two splice variants, l-afadin and s-afadin: l-afadin has an actin filament-binding domain, whereas s-afadin lacks it. It remains unknown which variant is involved in the formation of the PAJs or how afadin regulates it. We showed here that re-expression of l-afadin, but not s-afadin, in the afadin-deficient cultured hippocampal neurons in which the PAJ-like structure was disrupted, restored this structure as estimated by the accumulation of N-cadherin and αΝ-catenin. The l-afadin mutant, in which the actin filament-binding domain was deleted, or the l-afadin mutant, in which the αΝ-catenin-binding domain was deleted, did not restore the PAJ-like structure. These results indicate that l-afadin, but not s-afadin, regulates the formation of the hippocampal synapse PAJ-like structure through the binding to actin filaments and αN-catenin. We further found here that l-afadin bound αN-catenin, but not γ-catenin, whereas s-afadin bound γ-catenin, but hardly αN-catenin. These results suggest that the inability of s-afadin to form the hippocampal synapse PAJ-like structure is due to its inability to efficiently bind αN-catenin.

Requirement of the F-actin-binding activity of l-afadin for enhancing the formation of adherens and tight junctions.

The apical junctional complex consists of adherens junctions (AJs) and tight junctions (TJs) in polarized epithelial cells, which are attached to each other to form a sheet. Actin filaments (F-actin) are associated with AJs and TJs and required for the formation and maintenance of this complex. l-Afadin is an F-actin-binding protein, which is localized at AJs through binding to the cell adhesion molecule nectin, and regulates the formation of AJs and TJs. However, the role of the F-actin-binding activity of l-afadin for the formation of the apical junctional complex remains unknown. We generated here the cultured EpH4 mouse mammary epithelial cells in which afadin was genetically ablated. In the Ca2+ switch assay, the formation of both AJs and TJs was markedly impaired in the afadin-deficient cells. Re-expression of l-afadin in the afadin-deficient cells fully restored the formation of both AJs and TJs, but the re-expression of the l-afadin mutant lacking the FAB domain did not completely restore the formation of AJs or TJs. These results indicate that the F-actin-binding activity of l-afadin is required for enhancing the formation of both AJs and TJs.

NGL-3-induced presynaptic differentiation of hippocampal neurons in an afadin-dependent, nectin-1-independent manner.

A hippocampal mossy fiber synapse, which is implicated in learning and memory, has a complex structure. We have previously shown using afadin-deficient mice that afadin plays multiple roles in the structural and functional differentiations of this synapse. We investigated here using a co-culture system with cultured hippocampal neurons and non-neuronal COS-7 cells expressing synaptogenic cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) whether afadin is involved in the presynaptic differentiation of hippocampal synapses. Postsynaptic CAMs NGL-3 (alias, a Lrrc4b gene product) and neuroligin induced presynaptic differentiation by trans-interacting with their respective presynaptic binding CAMs LAR (alias, a Ptprf gene product) and neurexin. This activity of NGL-3, but not neuroligin, was dependent on afadin, but not the afadin-binding presynaptic CAM nectin-1. The afadin-binding postsynaptic CAM nectin-3 did not induce presynaptic differentiation. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy analyses showed that afadin was localized mainly at puncta adherentia junctions, but partly at synaptic junctions, of the mossy fiber synapse. ß-Catenin and γ-catenin known to bind to LAR were co-immunoprecipitated with afadin from the lysate of mouse brain. These results suggest that afadin is involved in the NGL-3-LAR system-induced presynaptic differentiation of hippocampal neurons cooperatively with ß-catenin and γ-catenin in a nectin-1-independent manner.

Roles of afadin in functional differentiations of hippocampal mossy fiber synapse.

A hippocampal mossy fiber synapse has a complex structure and is implicated in learning and memory. In this synapse, the mossy fiber boutons attach to the dendritic shaft by puncta adherentia junctions and wrap around a multiply-branched spine, forming synaptic junctions. We have recently shown using transmission electron microscopy, immunoelectron microscopy and serial block face-scanning electron microscopy that atypical puncta adherentia junctions are formed in the afadin-deficient mossy fiber synapse and that the complexity of postsynaptic spines and mossy fiber boutons, the number of spine heads, the area of postsynaptic densities and the density of synaptic vesicles docked to active zones are decreased in the afadin-deficient synapse. We investigated here the roles of afadin in the functional differentiations of the mossy fiber synapse using the afadin-deficient mice. The electrophysiological studies showed that both the release probability of glutamate and the postsynaptic responsiveness to glutamate were markedly reduced, but not completely lost, in the afadin-deficient mossy fiber synapse, whereas neither long-term potentiation nor long-term depression was affected. These results indicate that afadin plays roles in the functional differentiations of the presynapse and the postsynapse of the hippocampal mossy fiber synapse.

Multiple roles of afadin in the ultrastructural morphogenesis of mouse hippocampal mossy fiber synapses.

A hippocampal mossy fiber synapse, which is implicated in learning and memory, has a complex structure in which mossy fiber boutons attach to the dendritic shaft by puncta adherentia junctions (PAJs) and wrap around a multiply-branched spine, forming synaptic junctions. Here, we electron microscopically analyzed the ultrastructure of this synapse in afadin-deficient mice. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that typical PAJs with prominent symmetrical plasma membrane darkening undercoated with the thick filamentous cytoskeleton were observed in the control synapse, whereas in the afadin-deficient synapse, atypical PAJs with the symmetrical plasma membrane darkening, which was much less in thickness and darkness than those of the control typical PAJs, were observed. Immunoelectron microscopy analysis revealed that nectin-1, nectin-3, and N-cadherin were localized at the control typical PAJs, whereas nectin-1 and nectin-3 were localized at the afadin-deficient atypical PAJs to extents lower than those in the control synapse and N-cadherin was localized at their nonjunctional flanking regions. These results indicate that the atypical PAJs are formed by nectin-1 and nectin-3 independently of afadin and N-cadherin and that the typical PAJs are formed by afadin and N-cadherin cooperatively with nectin-1 and nectin-3. Serial block face-scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the complexity of postsynaptic spines and mossy fiber boutons, the number of spine heads, the area of postsynaptic densities, and the density of synaptic vesicles docked to active zones were decreased in the afadin-deficient synapse. These results indicate that afadin plays multiple roles in the complex ultrastructural morphogenesis of hippocampal mossy fiber synapses.

Aging-dependent expression of synapse-related proteins in the mouse brain.

A synapse is a cell adhesion structure that permits a neuron to pass a chemical or electrical signal to another neuron. They connect neurons and form neural networks that are essential for brain functions, such as learning and memory. At a chemical synapse, the presynapse and the postsynapse are connected by cell adhesion molecules. The presynapse contains synaptic vesicles and their release machinery, whereas the postsynapse contains postsynaptic densities and receptors for the neurotransmitters. Many proteins constituting a synapse have been identified, but their life-span expression profiles remain elusive. Here, we investigated the expression levels of representative synapse-related proteins by Western blot using the extranuclear supernatant fraction of the brains of mice at various ages. These proteins were classified into seven groups depending on their expression profiles during the embryonic stage, those from postnatal day 6 (P6) to P30, and those after P90. The expression levels of the majority of the proteins were gradually increased from the embryonic stage and then decreased at P14 or P30. After P90, the expression levels were not markedly changed or, in some proteins, increased. These results indicate that the expression levels of the synapse-related proteins are regulated orderly in an aging-dependent manner.

A Novel Nectin-mediated Cell Adhesion Apparatus That Is Implicated in Prolactin Receptor Signaling for Mammary Gland Development.

Mammary gland development is induced by the actions of various hormones to form a structure consisting of collecting ducts and milk-secreting alveoli, which comprise two types of epithelial cells known as luminal and basal cells. These cells adhere to each other by cell adhesion apparatuses whose roles in hormone-dependent mammary gland development remain largely unknown. Here we identified a novel cell adhesion apparatus at the boundary between the luminal and basal cells in addition to desmosomes. This apparatus was formed by the trans-interaction between the cell adhesion molecules nectin-4 and nectin-1, which were expressed in the luminal and basal cells, respectively. Nectin-4 of this apparatus further cis-interacted with the prolactin receptor in the luminal cells to enhance the prolactin-induced prolactin receptor signaling for alveolar development with lactogenic differentiation. Thus, a novel nectin-mediated cell adhesion apparatus regulates the prolactin receptor signaling for mammary gland development.

Single-molecule imaging and kinetic analysis of cooperative cofilin-actin filament interactions.

The actin filament-severing protein actin depolymerizing factor (ADF)/cofilin is ubiquitously distributed among eukaryotes and modulates actin dynamics. The cooperative binding of cofilin to actin filaments is crucial for the concentration-dependent unconventional modulation of actin dynamics by cofilin. In this study, the kinetic parameters associated with the cooperative binding of cofilin to actin filaments were directly evaluated using a single-molecule imaging technique. The on-rate of cofilin binding to the actin filament was estimated to be 0.06 µM(-1)⋅s(-1) when the cofilin concentration was in the range of 30 nM to 1 µM. A dwell time histogram of cofilin bindings decays exponentially to give an off-rate of 0.6 s(-1). During long-term cofilin binding events (>0.4 s), additional cofilin bindings were observed in the vicinity of the initial binding site. The on-rate for these events was 2.3-fold higher than that for noncontiguous bindings. Super-high-resolution image analysis of the cofilin binding location showed that the on-rate enhancement occurred within 65 nm of the original binding event. By contrast, the cofilin off-rate was not affected by the presence of prebound cofilin. Neither decreasing the temperature nor increasing the viscosity of the test solution altered the on-rates, off-rates, or the cooperative parameter (ω) of the binding. These results indicate that cofilin binding enhances additional cofilin binding in the vicinity of the initial binding site (ca. 24 subunits), but it does not affect the off-rate, which could be the molecular mechanism of the cooperative binding of cofilin to actin filaments.