Appearance of LFA-1 in the initial stage of synaptogenesis of developing hippocampal neurons

In the present study, we found that leucocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1), and integrin (heterodimer complex of CD11a and CD18), which are abundant in immunological synapse, were expressed in developing hippocampal neurons. The expression of LFA-1 in hippocampal neurons was in the period of synaptogenesis, and synaptogenesis was inhibited by the blocking antibodies of anti-CD11a or anti-CD18 in vitro. Since it is known that LFA-1 has an important role in the immunological response, especially in immunological synapse, LFA-1 is considered to have an important role in neuronal synapse and is highly involved in synaptogenesis in the early developmental stage in vitro. In vivo, we also confirmed that CD18 was expressed in hippocampus in the early developmental stage. Telencephalin, which is a candidate for postsynaptic elements to contact LFA-1, was precisely opposed to CD18-positive structures in presynaptic elements, and telencephalin was considered to be involved in synaptogenesis. The present study showed that 17beta-estradiol of steroid hormones, which are well known to have various effects on hippocampal neurons, has a significant influence on the presynaptic expression of CD18 in synaptogenesis and inhibited synaptogenesis in the early developmental stage in vitro. These results suggest that LFA-1 plays some mechanisms in synaptic contacts and synaptogenesis of hippocampal neurons.