FLRT3, a cell surface molecule containing LRR repeats and a FNIII domain, promotes neurite outgrowth

The mature peripheral nervous system has the ability to survive and to regenerate its axons following axonal injury. After nerve injury, the distal axonal and myelin segment undergoes dissolution and absorption by the surrounding cellular environment, a process called Wallerian degeneration. Using cDNA microarrays, we isolated FLRT3 as one of the up-regulated genes expressed in the distal segment of the sciatic nerve 7 days after transection relative to those of the intact sciatic nerve. FLRT3 is a putative type I transmembrane protein containing 10 leucine-rich repeats, a fibronectin type III domain, and an intracellular tail. The neurons plated on CHO cells expressing FLRT3 extended significantly longer neurites than those plated on wild-type CHO cells, demonstrating that FLRT3 promotes neurite outgrowth. FLRT3 mRNA was especially abundant in the basal ganglia, the granular layer of cerebellum, and the hippocampus, except the CA1 region in the adult rat brain. Thus, FLRT3 may contribute to regeneration following axonal injury.