Laminin receptors for neurite formation

Laminin, a basement membrane glycoprotein promotes both cell attachment and neurite outgrowth. Separate domains on laminin elicit these responses, suggesting that distinct receptors occur on the surface of cells. NG108-15 neuroblastoma-glioma cells rapidly extend long processes in the presence of laminin. The authors report here that 125I-labeled laminin specifically binds to these cells and to three membrane proteins of 67, 110, and 180 kDa. These proteins were isolated by affinity chromatography on laminin-Sepharose. The 67-kDa protein reacted with antibody to the previously characterized receptor for cell attachment to laminin. Antibodies to the 110-kDa and 180-kDa bands demonstrated that the 110-kDa protein was found in a variety of epithelial cell lines and in brain, whereas the 180-kDa protein was neural specific. Antibodies prepared against the 110-kDa and 180-kDa proteins inhibited neurite outgrowth induced by the neurite-promoting domain of laminin, whereas antibodies to the 67-kDa laminin receptor had no effect on neurite outgrowth. They conclude that neuronal cells have multiple cell-surface laminin receptors and that the 110-kDa and 180-kDa proteins are involved in neurite formation