SnapShot:Neuroligin-NeurexinComplexesStéphaneBaudouinandPeterScheiffeleBiozentrumoftheUniversityofBasel,4056Basel,SwitzerlandSeeonlineversionforlegendandreferences.908Cell141,May28,2010©2010ElsevierInc.DOI10.1016/j.cell.2010.05.024SnapShot:Neuroligin-NeurexinComplexesStéphaneBaudouinandPeterScheiffeleBiozentrumoftheUniversityofBasel,4056Basel,Switzerland908.e1Cell141,May28,2010©2010ElsevierInc.DOI10.1016/j.cell.2010.05.024Theneuroligin-neurexincomplexisaheterophilicadhesionsystematneuronalsynapses.Bothneuroliginsandneurexinshavesynaptogenicactivitiesthatorganizepre-andpostsynapticcompartmentsinabidirectionalmanner.Multiplegenes,alternativepromoters,andextensivealternativesplicinggenerateneuroliginandneurexinvariantsthatmayunderliesynapse-specificfunctions.Inhumanpatients,mutationsinneuroliginandneurexingenesareassociatedwithneurodevelopmentaldisorders,highlightingtheimportanceoftheseproteinsforcognitivefunction.GenerationofIsoformDiversityInrodentsandhumans,neuroliginsareencodedbyfourandfivegenes,respectively(NLGN1,2,3,4,andNLGN4Y,whichisonlyinhumans).Alternativesplicingatone(inNLGN2,3,and4)ortwosites(inNLGN1)designatedAandBgeneratestwelvevariantswithinsertionsintheextracellulardomain,suchasNL1(−)lackinganyinsertionsandNL1Bcontain-inganinsertionatsiteB;constitutiveexonsaredepictedinblue,alternativeexonsinred.Vertebrateneurexinsareencodedbythreegenes(NRXN1,2,and3),eachofwhichiscontrolledbytwoalternativepromoters(αandβ),resultinginsixprimarytranscripts(NRX1α,NRX1β,NRX2α,etc.).Complexalternativesplicing(usageofalternativeexons,splicedonor,andacceptorsites)atfivesites(1,2,3,4,and5)generatesmorethan2000alternativesplicevariants(suchasNRX1α4(+)orNRX1α4(−)thatincludeorlackinsertionatalternativesplicesite4,respectively).InthefruitflyDrosophilamelanogaster,NLGNandNRXNgeneshavecriticalrolesintheassemblyofglutamatergicneuromuscularjunctionsbutarelesscomplexandapparentlyencodefewervariants.BiochemicalInteractionsofNeuroliginsandNeurexinsNeuroligin(NL)andneurexin...
