Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
Author: Julieta Villarosa Outes | Email: jvillarosaoutes@gmail.com
Julieta Villarosa Outes1°, Antonella Soledad Ríos1°, Gustavo Paratcha2°, Fernanda Ledda1°
1° Fundación Instituto Leloir, Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires (IIBBA) – CONICET
2° Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias (IBCN) – CONICET
The function of the nervous system critically relies on the establishment of precise synaptic contacts between neurons and specific target cells. Elucidation of the mechanism by which synapses are formed is crucial for understanding the synaptic deficits that underlie cognitive disorders. Many membrane-bound synaptic adhesion molecules (SAMs) have been involved in target recognition and synapse specification by both homophilic or heterophilic trans-synaptic interactions. A third group of trans-synaptic adhesion molecules are ligand-dependent adhesion molecules (LiCAMs) which combines features of both diffusible and membrane bound synaptogenic factors to develop specific neural contacts. One of these ligands is the neurotrophic factor derived from glial cells (GDNF) which binds to the pre and postsynaptic receptor GFRα1. Here we present results related to the analysis of molecular determinants of GFRα molecules underlying the formation of GDNF/GFRa trans-synaptic complexes.