Human nectin3/PRR3: a novel member of the PVR/PRR/nectin family that interacts with afadin

We have isolated nectin3/PRR3, the fourth human member of the nectin/PRR fa mily, also described as the alpha herpes virus receptor family. Nectin/PRR members are adhesion molecules expressed at intercellular junctions. Nectin 3/PRR3 is a transmembrane protein, whose extracellular region contains thre e Ig-like domains (V, C and C) and shares approximately 30% identity with t he other members. It is mainly expressed in testis and placental tissues. S DS-PAGE analyses demonstrate that nectin3/PRR3 has a molecular weight of 83 kDa. Nectin1/PRR1L and nectin2/PRR2S and L were found to be specifically e xpressed at the intercellular junctions. This localization is in part due t o the interaction of the C-terminal part of these receptors (ended by the c onsensus sequence A/EXYV) and the PDZ domain of afadin. In this report we d emonstrate that the nectin3/PRR3 receptor carries the A/EXYV consensus sequ ence and interacts in vivo with both long and short isoforms of afadin. The se results suggest that the human nectin3/PRR3 is a new afadin-associated m olecule. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.