The Nogo receptor 2 is a novel substrate of Fbs1

Members of the Nogo66 receptor family (NgR) are closely associated with nerve growth inhibition and plasticity in the CNS. All three members, NgR1, NgR2 and NgR3, are GPI anchored and highly glycosylated proteins. The binding and signaling properties of NgR1 are well described, but largely unknown for NgR2. At present the only known ligands are myelin associated glycoprotein (MAG) and amyloid beta precursor protein (APP). Despite the requirement of co-receptors for signaling no other binding partner has been uncovered. To learn more about the interactome of NgR2 we performed pull down experiments and were able to identify F-box protein that recognizes sugar chain 1 (Fbs1) as binding partner. We confirmed this finding with co-immunoprecipitations and in vitro binding assays and showed that the binding is mediated by the substrate recognition domain of Fbs1. As a substrate recognition protein of the SCF complex, Fbs1 binding leads to polyubiquitination and finally degradation of its substrates. This is the first time a member of the Nogo receptor family has been connected with an intracellular degradation pathway, which has not only implications for its production, but also for amyloid deposition in Alzheimer’s disease.