CHODL explained

Chondrolectin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CHODL gene.^{[1] [2]} Mouse chondrolectin is encoded by Chodl.^[3]

Structure

Chondrolectin is a type I membrane protein with a carbohydrate recognition domain characteristic of C-type lectins in its extracellular portion.^{[1] [3]} In other proteins, this domain is involved in endocytosis of glycoproteins and exogenous sugar-bearing pathogens.^[4] This protein has been shown to localise to the perinucleus.^{[1] [5] [6]}

Function

The exact function of chondrolectin is unknown but it has been shown to be a marker of fast motor neurons in mice,^[6] and is involved in motor neuron development and growth in zebrafish (Danio rerio).^[7] Furthermore, human chondrolectin has been shown to localise to motor neurons within the spinal cord.^[8]

Clinical significance

Chondrolectin is alternatively spliced in the spinal cord of mouse models^[9] of the neuromuscular disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which predominantly affects lower motor neurons.^[8] Increased levels of chondrolectin in a zebrafish model of SMA results in significant improvements in disease-related motor neuron defects.^[10]

Further reading

• Gerhard DS, Wagner L, Feingold EA . The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC). . Genome Res. . 14 . 10B . 2121–7 . 2004 . 15489334 . 10.1101/gr.2596504 . 528928 . etal.
• Ota T, Suzuki Y, Nishikawa T . Complete sequencing and characterization of 21,243 full-length human cDNAs. . Nat. Genet. . 36 . 1 . 40–5 . 2004 . 14702039 . 10.1038/ng1285 . etal. free .
• Clark HF, Gurney AL, Abaya E . The secreted protein discovery initiative (SPDI), a large-scale effort to identify novel human secreted and transmembrane proteins: a bioinformatics assessment. . Genome Res. . 13 . 10 . 2265–70 . 2003 . 12975309 . 10.1101/gr.1293003 . 403697 . etal.
• Weng L, Van Bockstaele DR, Wauters J . A novel alternative spliced chondrolectin isoform lacking the transmembrane domain is expressed during T cell maturation. . J. Biol. Chem. . 278 . 21 . 19164–70 . 2003 . 12621022 . 10.1074/jbc.M300653200 . etal. free .
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences. . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . 2002PNAS...9916899M . etal. free .
• Reymond A, Friedli M, Henrichsen CN . From PREDs and open reading frames to cDNA isolation: revisiting the human chromosome 21 transcription map. . Genomics . 78 . 1–2 . 46–54 . 2002 . 11707072 . 10.1006/geno.2001.6640 . etal.
• Hattori M, Fujiyama A, Taylor TD . The DNA sequence of human chromosome 21. . Nature . 405 . 6784 . 311–9 . 2000 . 10830953 . 10.1038/35012518 . 2000Natur.405..311H . etal. free .

Notes and References

1. Weng L, Smits P, Wauters J, Merregaert J . Molecular cloning and characterization of human chondrolectin, a novel type I transmembrane protein homologous to C-type lectins . Genomics . 80 . 1 . 62–70 . Jun 2002 . 12079284 . 10.1006/geno.2002.6806 .
2. Web site: Entrez Gene: CHODL chondrolectin.
3. Weng L, Hübner R, Claessens A, Smits P, Wauters J, Tylzanowski P, Van Marck E, Merregaert J . Isolation and characterization of chondrolectin (Chodl), a novel C-type lectin predominantly expressed in muscle cells . Gene . 308 . 21–29 . Apr 2003 . 12711387 . 10.1016/s0378-1119(03)00425-6.
4. Zelensky AN, Gready JE . The C-type lectin-like domain superfamily . FEBS J . 272 . 24 . 6179–6217 . Dec 2005 . 16336259 . 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2005.05031.x . 7084402 .
5. Claessens A, Van de Vijver K, Van Bockstaele DR, Wauters J, Berneman ZN, Van Marck E, Merregaert J . Expression and localization of CHODLDeltaE/CHODLfDeltaE, the soluble isoform of chondrolectin . Cell Biol Int . 31 . 11 . 1323–1330 . Nov 2007 . 17606388 . 10.1016/j.cellbi.2007.05.014 . 86132649 .
6. Enjin A, Rabe N, Nakanishi ST, Vallstedt A, Gezelius H, Memic F, Lind M, Hjalt T, Tourtellotte WG, Bruder C, Eichele G, Whelan PJ, Kullander K . Identification of novel spinal cholinergic genetic subtypes disclose Chodl and Pitx2 as markers for fast motor neurons and partition cells. . J Comp Neurol . 518 . 12 . 2284–2304 . Jun 2010 . 20437528 . 10.1002/cne.22332 . 23009923 .
7. Zhong . Z. . Ohnmacht . J. . Reimer . M. M. . Bach . I. . Becker . T. . Becker . C. G. . 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5179-11.2012 . Chondrolectin Mediates Growth Cone Interactions of Motor Axons with an Intermediate Target . Journal of Neuroscience . 32 . 13 . 4426–4439 . 2012 . 22457492. 6622066.
8. Bäumer D, Lee S, Nicholson G, Davies JL, Parkinson NJ, Murray LM, Gillingwater TH, Ansorge O, Davies KE, Talbot K . Alternative splicing events are a late feature of pathology in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy . PLOS Genet . 5 . 12 . e1000773 . Dec 2009 . 20019802 . 2787017. 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000773 . free .
9. Sleigh JN, Gillingwater TH, Talbot K . The contribution of mouse models to understanding the pathogenesis of spinal muscular atrophy . Dis. Models Mech. . 4 . 4 . 457–467 . Aug 2011 . 21708901 . 3124050. 10.1242/dmm.007245 .
10. Sleigh JN, Barreiro-Iglesias A, Oliver PL, Biba A, Becker T, Davies KE, Becker CG, Talbot K . Chondrolectin affects cell survival and neuronal outgrowth in in vitro and in vivo models of spinal muscular atrophy . Hum Mol Genet . Sep 2013 . 24067532 . 10.1093/hmg/ddt477 . 23 . 4 . 855–69. free .