Crystal structure of Ankyrin-G in complex with a fragment of Neurofascin reveals binding mechanisms required for integrity of the axon initial segment

The axon initial segment (AIS) has characteristically dense clustering of voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav), cell adhesion molecule Neurofascin 186 (Nfasc), and neuronal scaffold protein Ankyrin-G (AnkG) in neurons, which facilitates generation of an action potential and maintenance of axonal polarity. However, the mechanisms underlying AIS assembly, maintenance, and plasticity remain poorly understood. Here, we report the high-resolution crystal structure of the AnkG ankyrin repeat (ANK repeat) domain in complex with its binding site in the Nfasc cytoplasmic tail that shows, in conjunction with binding affinity assays with serial truncation variants, the molecular basis of AnkG–Nfasc binding. We confirm AnkG interacts with the FIGQY motif in Nfasc, and we identify another region required for their high affinity binding. Our structural analysis revealed that ANK repeats form 4 hydrophobic or hydrophilic layers in the AnkG inner groove that coordinate interactions with essential Nfasc residues, including F1202, E1204, and Y1212. Moreover, we show disruption of the AnkG–Nfasc complex abolishes Nfasc enrichment at the AIS in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. Finally, our structural and biochemical analysis indicated that L1 syndrome-associated mutations in L1CAM, a member of the L1 immunoglobulin family proteins including Nfasc, L1CAM, NrCAM, and CHL1, compromise binding with ankyrins. Taken together, these results define the mechanisms underlying AnkG–Nfasc complex formation and show that AnkG-dependent clustering of Nfasc is required for AIS integrity.