Via its extracellular N-terminal domain (NTD), the AMPA receptor subunit GluR2 promotes the formation and growth of dendritic spines in cultured hippocampal neurons. Here we show that the first N-terminal 92 amino acids of the extracellular domain are necessary and sufficient for GluR2's spine-promoting activity. Moreover, overexpression of this extracellular domain increases the frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs). Biochemically, the NTD of GluR2 can interact directly with the cell adhesion molecule N-cadherin, in cis or in trans. N-cadherin-coated beads recruit GluR2 on the surface of hippocampal neurons, and N-cadherin immobilization decreases GluR2 lateral diffusion on the neuronal surface. RNAi knockdown of N-cadherin prevents the enhancing effect of GluR2 on spine morphogenesis and mEPSC frequency. Our data indicate that in hippocampal neurons N-cadherin and GluR2 form a synaptic complex that stimulates presynaptic development and function as well as promoting dendritic spine formation.

NrCAM is a cell adhesion molecule of the L1 family that is implicated in the control of axonal growth. Adhesive contacts may promote advance of the growth cone by triggering the coupling of membrane receptors with the F-actin retrograde flow. We sought to understand the mechanisms leading to clutching the F-actin at the site of ligand-mediated clustering of NrCAM. Using optical tweezers and single particle tracking of beads coated with the ligand TAG-1, we analyzed the mobility of NrCAM-deletion mutants transfected in a neuroblastoma cell line. Deletion of the cytoplasmic tail did not prevent the coupling of NrCAM to the actin flow. An additional deletion of the FNIII domains to remove cis-interactions, was necessary to abolish the rearward movement of TAG-1 beads, which instead switched to a stationary behavior. Next, we showed that the actin-dependent retrograde movement of NrCAM required partitioning into lipid rafts as indicated by cholesterol depletion experiments using methyl-␤-cyclodextrin. Recruitment of the raft component caveolin-1 was induced at the adhesive contact between the cell surface and TAG-1 beads, indicating that enlarged rafts were generated. Photobleaching experiments showed that the lateral mobility of NrCAM increased with raft dispersion in these contact areas, further suggesting that TAG-1-coated beads induced the coalescence of lipid rafts. In conclusion, we propose that anchoring of NrCAM with the retrograde actin flow can be triggered by adhesive contacts via cooperative processes including interactions with the cytoplasmic tail, formation of cis-complex via the FNIII repeats, and lipid raft aggregation.

We investigated the interplay between surface trafficking and binding dynamics of the immunoglobulin cell adhesion molecule L1 at neuronal growth cones. Primary neurons were transfected with L1 constructs bearing thrombin-cleavable green fluorescent protein (GFP), allowing visualization of newly exocytosed L1 or labeling of membrane L1 molecules by Quantum dots. Intracellular L1-GFP vesicles showed preferential centrifugal motion, whereas surface L1-GFP diffused randomly, revealing two pathways to address L1 to adhesive sites. We triggered L1 adhesions using microspheres coated with L1-Fc protein or anti-L1 antibodies, manipulated by optical tweezers. Microspheres coupled to the actin retrograde flow at the growth cone periphery while recruiting L1-GFP molecules, of which 50% relied on exocytosis. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiments revealed a rapid recycling of L1-GFP molecules at L1-Fc (but not anti-L1) bead contacts, attributed to a high lability of L1-L1 bonds at equilibrium. L1-GFP molecules truncated in the intracellular tail as well as neuronal cell adhesion molecules (NrCAMs) missing the clathrin adaptor binding sequence showed both little internalization and reduced turnover rates, indicating a role of endocytosis in the recycling of mature L1 contacts at the base of the growth cone. Thus, unlike for other molecules such as NrCAM or N-cadherin, diffusion/trapping and exo/endocytosis events cooperate to allow the fast renewal of L1 adhesions.