Summary: | The neuronal transmembrane proteins Neto1 and Neto2, along with different protein partners, perform multiple roles in diverse processes including axon guidance in the developing nervous system and synaptic plasticity in the adult brain. My project focuses on identifying the membrane bound interacting partners of Neto2 using Membrane Yeast Two Hybrid (MYTH). By performing MYTH screens for the Neto2 molecule using human adult and embryonic whole brain cDNA libraries, I have identified several novel membrane bound putative interacting partners including, VAMP associated protein B (VAPB) and Glutamate transporter EAAT3-associated protein (GTRAP3-18), which play diverse functions during the glutamatergic neurotransmission. Initial studies to validate these interactions in vivo are currently underway by co-immunoprecipitation approach using mouse brain tissue. If these two candidate proteins are confirmed to be true interactors, it will open important avenues of research for the Neto2 protein during excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian central nervous system.
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