| Structural highlights
Function
[PLXA4_MOUSE] Coreceptor for SEMA3A. Necessary for signaling by class 3 semaphorins and subsequent remodeling of the cytoskeleton. Plays a role in axon guidance in the developing nervous system. Class 3 semaphorins bind to a complex composed of a neuropilin and a plexin. The plexin modulates the affinity of the complex for specific semaphorins, and its cytoplasmic domain is required for the activation of down-stream signaling events in the cytoplasm.[1] [2]
Publication Abstract from PubMed
Class A plexins (PlxnAs) act as semaphorin receptors and control diverse aspects of nervous system development and plasticity, ranging from axon guidance and neuron migration to synaptic organization. PlxnA signaling requires cytoplasmic domain dimerization, but extracellular regulation and activation mechanisms remain unclear. Here we present crystal structures of PlxnA (PlxnA1, PlxnA2, and PlxnA4) full ectodomains. Domains 1-9 form a ring-like conformation from which the C-terminal domain 10 points away. All our PlxnA ectodomain structures show autoinhibitory, intermolecular "head-to-stalk" (domain 1 to domain 4-5) interactions, which are confirmed by biophysical assays, live cell fluorescence microscopy, and cell-based and neuronal growth cone collapse assays. This work reveals a 2-fold role of the PlxnA ectodomains: imposing a pre-signaling autoinhibitory separation for the cytoplasmic domains via intermolecular head-to-stalk interactions and supporting dimerization-based PlxnA activation upon ligand binding. More generally, our data identify a novel molecular mechanism for preventing premature activation of axon guidance receptors.
Structural Basis for Plexin Activation and Regulation.,Kong Y, Janssen BJ, Malinauskas T, Vangoor VR, Coles CH, Kaufmann R, Ni T, Gilbert RJ, Padilla-Parra S, Pasterkamp RJ, Jones EY Neuron. 2016 Jul 5. pii: S0896-6273(16)30295-1. doi:, 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.06.018. PMID:27397516[3]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Suto F, Murakami Y, Nakamura F, Goshima Y, Fujisawa H. Identification and characterization of a novel mouse plexin, plexin-A4. Mech Dev. 2003 Mar;120(3):385-96. PMID:12591607
- ↑ Waimey KE, Huang PH, Chen M, Cheng HJ. Plexin-A3 and plexin-A4 restrict the migration of sympathetic neurons but not their neural crest precursors. Dev Biol. 2008 Mar 15;315(2):448-58. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2008.01.002. Epub 2008 , Jan 16. PMID:18262512 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2008.01.002
- ↑ Kong Y, Janssen BJ, Malinauskas T, Vangoor VR, Coles CH, Kaufmann R, Ni T, Gilbert RJ, Padilla-Parra S, Pasterkamp RJ, Jones EY. Structural Basis for Plexin Activation and Regulation. Neuron. 2016 Jul 5. pii: S0896-6273(16)30295-1. doi:, 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.06.018. PMID:27397516 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2016.06.018
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