Slit homolog 2 protein (SLIT2, SLIL3)

Function

• molecular guidance cue in cellular migration
• interaction with roundabout homolog receptors
• axonal navigation at ventral midline of neural tube
• projection of axons to different regions
• midline guidance in the forebrain
  • repulsive signal preventing inappropriate midline crossing by axons projecting from olfactory bulb
• in spinal cord, guides commissural axons once they reached the floor plate via response to netrin
• silences the attractive effect of NTN1 but not its growth-stimulatory effect (in vitro)
• spinal cord midline post-crossing axon repulsion (putative)
• repellent for retinal ganglion axons in developing visual system
  • collapses & repels retinal ganglion cell growth cones
• branching & arborization of CNS sensory axons
• neuronal cell migration
• leukocyte migration
• interacts with GREM1, ROBO1, ROBO2

Structure

• the leucine-rich repeat domain is sufficient for guiding both axon projection & neuronal migration, in vitro -contains 1 CTCK (C-terminal cystine knot-like) domain
• contains 7 EGF-like domains
• contains 1 laminin G-like domain
• contains 20 LRR repeats (leucine-rich repeats)
• contains 4 LRRCT domains
• contains 4 LRRNT domains

Compartment

• secreted
• the C-terminal cleavage protein is more diffusible than the larger N-terminal protein that is more tightly cell associated

Alternative splicing

named isoforms=3

Expression

• expressed in fetal lung, kidney, adult spinal cord > adult adrenal gland, thyroid, trachea

More general terms

• slit homolog protein
• multiple epidermal growth factor like domains (protein)
• leucine-rich repeat-containing protein (LRRC)

Database

• Entrez gene: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Graphics&list_uids=9353
• Kegg: http://www.genome.jp/dbget-bin/www_bget?hsa:9353
• OMIM: https://mirror.omim.org/entry/603746
• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/O94813.html