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Second immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domain in Robo (roundabout) receptors; member of the I-set of Ig superfamily (IgSF) domains The members here are composed of the second immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domain in Robo (roundabout) receptors. Robo receptors play a role in the development of the central nervous system (CNS), and are receptors of the Slit protein. Slit is a repellant secreted by the neural cells in the midline. Slit acts through Robo to prevent most neurons from crossing the midline from either side. Three mammalian Robo homologs (Robo1, Robo2, and Robo3), and three mammalian Slit homologs (Slit-1,Slit-2, Slit-3), have been identified. Commissural axons, which cross the midline, express low levels of Robo; longitudinal axons, which avoid the midline, express high levels of Robo. Robo1, Robo2, and Robo3 are expressed by commissural neurons in the vertebrate spinal cord and Slit-1, Slit-2, Slit-3 are expressed at the ventral midline. Robo-3 is a divergent member of the Robo family which instead of being a positive regulator of Slit responsiveness, antagonizes Slit responsiveness in precrossing axons. The Slit-Robo interaction is mediated by the second leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain of Slit and the two N-terminal Ig domains of Robo, Ig1 and Ig2. The primary Robo binding site for Slit-2 has been shown by surface plasmon resonance experiments and mutational analysis to be the Ig1 domain, while the Ig2 domain has been proposed to harbor a weak secondary binding site. This group belongs to the I-set of IgSF domains, having A-B-E-D strands in one beta-sheet and A'-G-F-C-C' in the other. Like the V-set Ig domains, members of the I-set have a discontinuous A strand, but lack a C" strand.
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