L1 helps cells migrate.

Aglycoprotein, more often thought of as an immobilized substrate for crawling over, can also be cleaved to form a soluble signal that promotes cell migration, according to Mechtersheimer et al. (page 661).

The glycoprotein L1 mediates axon guidance and cell migration in the nervous system. Mechtersheimer et al. find that L1 in newborn mouse brain and in certain tumor cells is cleaved. The soluble fragment promotes migration over several substrates, and transfection of CHO cells with an L1 construct enhances migration.

Based on inhibition studies and experiments with mutants, the authors suggest that the metalloproteinase ADAM10 cleaves L1, and the L1 fragment then binds integrins on the same or a nearby cell. Signaling downstream of the integrin probably acts as a general stimulus for migration. ADAM10 can also cleave certain growth factors, thus activating their signaling pathways, which may...

The Rockefeller University Press
2001
The Rockefeller University Press
2001
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