Keeler Austin B, Molumby Michael J, Weiner Joshua A
a Department of Biology ; Neuroscience Graduate Program; University of Iowa ; Iowa City , IA USA.
Cell Adh Migr. 2015;9(3):214-26. doi: 10.1080/19336918.2014.1000069. Epub 2015 Apr 14.
The proper formation of dendritic arbors is a critical step in neural circuit formation, and as such defects in arborization are associated with a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders. Among the best gene candidates are those encoding cell adhesion molecules, including members of the diverse cadherin superfamily characterized by distinctive, repeated adhesive domains in their extracellular regions. Protocadherins (Pcdhs) make up the largest group within this superfamily, encompassing over 80 genes, including the ∼60 genes of the α-, β-, and γ-Pcdh gene clusters and the non-clustered δ-Pcdh genes. An additional group includes the atypical cadherin genes encoding the giant Fat and Dachsous proteins and the 7-transmembrane cadherins. In this review we highlight the many roles that Pcdhs and atypical cadherins have been demonstrated to play in dendritogenesis, dendrite arborization, and dendritic spine regulation. Together, the published studies we discuss implicate these members of the cadherin superfamily as key regulators of dendrite development and function, and as potential therapeutic targets for future interventions in neurodevelopmental disorders.
树突分支的正确形成是神经回路形成中的关键步骤，因此分支缺陷与多种神经发育障碍有关。最佳的基因候选者包括那些编码细胞粘附分子的基因，其中包括不同钙粘蛋白超家族的成员，其特征是在细胞外区域具有独特的、重复的粘附结构域。原钙粘蛋白（Pcdhs）构成了这个超家族中最大的一组，包括80多个基因，其中包括α、β和γ - Pcdh基因簇的约60个基因以及非聚类的δ - Pcdh基因。另外一组包括编码巨大的Fat和Dachsous蛋白的非典型钙粘蛋白基因以及7次跨膜钙粘蛋白。在这篇综述中，我们强调了Pcdhs和非典型钙粘蛋白在树突发生、树突分支和树突棘调节中已被证明发挥的多种作用。我们讨论的已发表研究共同表明，钙粘蛋白超家族的这些成员是树突发育和功能的关键调节因子，也是未来神经发育障碍干预的潜在治疗靶点。
