Abstract
Fetal alcohol syndrome(
Abel, 2000
) is a leading cause of mental retardation. The neuropathology found in fetal alcohol syndrome is similar to the phenotypes expressed in diseases caused by mutations in the gene for L1 cell adhesion molecule. L1 has a crucial role in the developing nervous system, acting in cell-cell adhesion, neuronal guidance, and growth. We have previously shown that L1 mediated neurite outgrowth and L1 activation of ERK1/2 is exquisitely sensitive to ethanol (
Tang, He, O'Riordan, Farkas, Buck, Lemmon, and Bearer, 2006
). One possible mechanism for this effect is through disruption of a tyrosine based sorting signal, Y(1176)RSLE, on the cytoplasmic domain of L1. Our goal was to determine if ethanol inhibited the sorting signal or its phosphorylation state. Ethanol had no effect on L1 distribution to the growth cone or its ability to be expressed on the cell surface. Clustering of L1 resulted in increased dephosphorylation of Y(1176), increased L1 tyrosine phosphorylation, and an increase in the activation of pp60
src
, all of which were inhibited by 25 mM ethanol. Inhibition of pp60
src
inhibited increases in L1 tyrosine and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and Y(1176) dephosphorylation. We conclude that ethanol disrupts L1 trafficking/signaling following its expression on the surface of the growth cone, and prior to its activation of pp60
src
.
