bridging the synaptic gap neuroligins and neurexin i in apis mellifera突触间隙缩小neuroligins neurexin我的蜜蜂.pdf

Bridging the Synaptic Gap: Neuroligins and Neurexin I in Apis mellifera 1,2,3 3 3 2 1 Sunita Biswas , Robyn J. Russell , Colin J. Jackson , Maria Vidovic , Olga Ganeshina , John G. Oakeshott3, Charles Claudianos1,3* 1 University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 2 Australian National University, Research School of Biological Sciences, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, 3 CSIRO Entomology, Black Mountain, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia Abstract Vertebrate studies show neuroligins and neurexins are binding partners in a trans-synaptic cell adhesion complex, implicated in human autism and mental retardation disorders. Here we report a genetic analysis of homologous proteins in the honey bee. As in humans, the honeybee has five large (31–246 kb, up to 12 exons each) neuroligin genes, three of which are tightly clustered. RNA analysis of the neuroligin-3 gene reveals five alternatively spliced transcripts, generated through alternative use of exons encoding the cholinesterase-like domain. Whereas vertebrates have three neurexins the bee has just one gene named neurexin I (400 kb, 28 exons). However alternative isoforms of bee neurexin I are generated by differential use of 12 splice sites, mostly located in regions encoding LNS subdomains. Some of the splice variants of bee neurexin I resemble the vertebrate a- and b-neurexins, albeit in vertebrates these forms are generated by alternative promoters. Novel splicing variations in the 39 region generate transcripts encoding alternative trans-membrane and PDZ domains. Another 39 splicing variation predicts soluble neurexin I isoforms. Neurexin I and neuroligin expression was found in brain t