Parcellation of cerebellins 1, 2, and 4 among different subpopulations of dorsal horn neurons in mouse spinal cord.

The cerebellins (Cblns) are a family of secreted proteins that are widely expressed throughout the nervous system, but whose functions have been studied only in the cerebellum and striatum. Two members of the family, Cbln1 and Cbln2, bind to neurexins on presynaptic terminals and to GluRδs postsynaptically, forming trans-synaptic triads that promote synapse formation. Cbln1 has a higher binding affinity for GluRδs and exhibits greater synaptogenic activity than Cbln2.

Localization of cerebellin-2 in late embryonic chicken brain: implications for a role in synapse formation and for brain evolution.

Cerebellin-1 (Cbln1), the most studied member of the cerebellin family of secreted proteins, is necessary for the formation and maintenance of parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses. However, the roles of the other Cblns have received little attention. We previously identified the chicken homolog of Cbln2 and examined its expression in dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord (Yang et al.

Identification of cerebellin2 in chick and its preferential expression by subsets of developing sensory neurons and their targets in the dorsal horn.

The cerebellins are a family of four secreted proteins, two of which, Cbln1 and Cbln3, play an important role in the formation and maintenance of parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses. We have identified the chicken homologue of Cbln2 and, through the use of in situ hybridization, shown that it is expressed by specific subsets of neurons in the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) and spinal cord starting shortly after those neurons are generated. In the developing spinal cord, Cbln2 is highly expressed by dI1, dI3, dI5, and dILB dorsal interneurons and to a lesser extent by dI2, dI4, dI6, and dILA dorsal interneurons, but not by ventral (v0-v3) interneurons.