Beyond the cell surface: new mechanisms of receptor function.

The text book view of cell surface receptors depicts them at the top of a vertical chain of command that starts with ligand binding and proceeds in a lineal fashion towards the cell nucleus. Although pedagogically useful, this view is incomplete and recent findings suggest that the extracellular domain of cell surface receptors can be a transmitter as much as a receiver in intercellular communication. GFRalpha1 is a GPI-anchored receptor for GDNF (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor), a neuronal growth factor with widespread functions in the developing and adult nervous system. GFRalpha1 partners with transmembrane proteins, such as the receptor tyrosine kinase RET or the cell adhesion molecule NCAM, for intracellular transmission of the GDNF signal. In addition to this canonical role, GFRalpha1 can also engage in horizontal interactions and thereby modify the function of other cell surface components. GFRalpha1 can also function as a ligand-induced adhesion cell molecule, mediating homophilic cell-cell interactions in response to GDNF. Finally, GFRalpha1 can also be released from the cell surface and act at a distance as a soluble factor together with its ligand. This plethora of unconventional mechanisms is likely to be a feature common to several other receptors and considerably expands our view of cell surface receptor function.