Decrease in growth cone-neurite fasciculation by sensory or motor cells in vitro accompanies downregulation of Aplysia cell adhesion molecules by neurotransmitters.

Cell adhesion molecules play important roles in axon guidance and synapse formation. Recent studies suggest that the expression of some of these molecules can be regulated either by electrical activity or by specific neurotransmitters. The expression of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM)-like molecules in Aplysia, designated apCAM, is downregulated from the surface of sensory neurons by 5-HT, a transmitter known to evoke long-term changes in the structure and function of these neurons. We tested whether the distribution of apCAM on the surface of other neurons can be regulated by treatments with other neurotransmitters known to evoke long-term functional and structural changes in Aplysia neurons, and we examined the consequences of treatments with the neurotransmitters on the pattern of growth cone-neurite interactions. We report that applications of the neuropeptide Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-amide (FMRFamide) that evoke long-term synaptic depression also reduce apCAM expression on the surface of motor cell L7 via a mechanism that appears to be similar to the mechanism mediating the 5-HT-induced change in the sensory cells. Specific treatments that affect apCAM distribution on the surface of their respective cells, 5-HT on sensory cells or FMRFamide on motor cell L7, mimic treatment with monoclonal antibodies against apCAM by evoking a significant reduction in the fasciculation of growth cones with other neurites extending from homologous cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)