No abstract

The insulin receptor substrate of 53 kDa (IRSp53) is a target of the small GTPase cdc42 which is strongly enriched in the postsynaptic density of excitatory synapses. IRSp53 interacts with the postsynaptic shank1 scaffolding molecule in a cdc42 regulated manner. The functional significance of the cdc42/ IRSp53 pathway in postsynaptic sites is however, unclear. The generation of excitatory synapses in the central nervous system requires a complex assembly process in which elements of the postsynaptic receptor apparatus are assembled at postsynaptic sites on dendrites. In many cases, glutamatergic synapses are localized on the heads of dendritic spines (Harris and Kater 1994; see review by Hering and Sheng 2001). During maturation postsynaptic proteins accumulate at the synapse, as exemplified in several studies by the appearance of clusters of the postsynaptic marker PSD-95 (Friedman et al. 2000;Okabe et al. 2001). Via its PDZ domains, PSD-95 is one of the major anchoring proteins for postsynaptic transmitter receptors and ion channels (Kim et al. 1995;Kornau et al. 1995). Through an intricate network of protein interactions, a large protein complex of up to 100 proteins is assembled at the spine heads around the PSD-95/transmitter receptor complex (Husi et al. 2000;Walikonis et al. 2000;Li et al. 2004) which has been termed the postsynaptic density (PSD). The function of the PSD appears to be to physically link postsynaptic receptors to signalling molecules, and to provide stable attachment of the receptors to the actin-based cytoskeleton of the dendritic spine. Shank proteins (shank1-3, also known as SSTRIP, ProSAP, synamon or CortBP) constitute another group of postsynaptic scaffolding molecules which link transmitter receptors (Kreienkamp et al. 2000;Naisbitt et al. 1999;Yao et al. 1999;Zitzer et al. 1999) to actin binding proteins (Du et al. 1998;Boeckers et al. 2001;Okamoto et al. 2001). Overexpression of shank1 in neurones leads to enhanced maturation of dendritic spines . We and others have recently identified IRSp53 as an interaction partner for shank1 (Bockman et al. 2002;Soltau et al. 2002). A proline-rich region of shank1 binds to the SH3 domain of IRSp53 in a cdc42-regulated manner (Soltau et al. 2002). These data suggested that shank1 might be an effector molecule of cdc42 in an undefined regulatory pathway. Here, we show that IRSp53, via binding to a PDZ domain of the PSD-95 molecule, mediates the formation of a triple complex consisting of shank1 and PSD-95. Our data suggest that one result of cdc42/IRSp53 signalling is the regulated assembly of a macromolecular complex between shank and PSD-95 proteins.Received January 14, 2004; revised manuscript received March 19, 2004; accepted March 23, 2004. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Hans-Jürgen Kreienkamp, Institut für Zellbiochemie und klinische Neurobiologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. E-mail: kreienkamp@uke.uni-hamburg.deAbbreviations used: IRSp53, insulin receptor su...

The calcium-independent receptors for latrotoxin (CIRL1-CIRL3) constitute a family of seven-transmembrane receptors with an unsually large N-terminal extracellular domain which comprises several motifs usually found in cell adhesion molecules. By yeast two-hybrid screening, we have identified the intracellular C-termini of CIRL1 and CIRL2 as interaction partners of the PDZ domain of the proline-rich synapse-associated protein (ProSAP)/somatostatin receptor-interacting protein (SSTRIP) family of postsynaptic proteins (SSTRIP, ProSAP1 and ProSAP2, also known as shank1-shank3 respectively). Overlay assays indicate that the ProSAP1/shank2 PDZ domain in particular interacts strongly with the C-terminus of CIRL1 and CIRL2. Co-immunoprecipitation of ProSAP1 and CIRL1 (but not CIRL2) from rat brain extracts indicates that this interaction also occurs in vivo in rat brain. The known postsynaptic localization of ProSAP1, as well as our observation that CIRL1 (but not CIRL2) is enriched in postsynaptic density preparations from the rat brain, suggests that CIRL1 is localized pre- as well as post-synaptically in the central nervous system.

No abstract

No abstract