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 family, also described as the alpha herpes virus receptor family. Nectin/PRR members are adhesion molecules expressed at intercellular junctions. Nectin3/PRR3 is a transmembrane protein, whose extracellular region contains three Ig-like domains (V, C and C) and shares approximately 30% identity with the other members. It is mainly expressed in testis and placental tissues. SDS-PAGE analyses demonstrate that nectin3/PRR3 has a molecular weight of 83kDa. Nectin1/PRR1L and nectin2/PRR2S and L were found to be specifically expressed at the intercellular junctions. This localization is in part due to the interaction of the C-terminal part of these receptors (ended by the consensus sequence A/EXYV) and the PDZ domain of afadin. In this report we demonstrate that the nectin3/PRR3 receptor carries the A/EXYV consensus sequence and interacts in vivo with both long and short isoforms of afadin. These results suggest that the human nectin3/PRR3 is a new afadin-associated molecule.