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The Journal of Neuroscience, March 1, 2001, 21(5):1523-1531
Altered Electrical Properties in Drosophila
Neurons Developing without Synaptic Transmission
Richard A.
Baines1,
Jay
P.
Uhler1,
Annemarie
Thompson1,
Sean T.
Sweeney2, and
Michael
Bate1
1 Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge,
Cambridge, CB2 3EJ United Kingdom, and 2 Department of
Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EH United Kingdom
We examine the role of synaptic activity in the development of
identified Drosophila embryonic motorneurons. Synaptic
activity was blocked by both pan-neuronal expression of tetanus toxin
light chain (TeTxLC) and by reduction of acetylcholine (ACh) using a temperature-sensitive allele of choline
acetyltransferase (Chats2).
In the absence of synaptic activity, aCC and RP2
motorneurons develop with an apparently normal morphology and retain
their capacity to form synapses. However, blockade of synaptic
transmission results in significant changes in the electrical phenotype
of these neurons. Specifically, increases are seen in both
voltage-gated inward Na+ and voltage-gated outward
K+ currents. Voltage-gated Ca2+
currents do not change. The changes in conductances appear to promote
neuron excitability. In the absence of synaptic activity, the number of
action potentials fired by a depolarizing ramp ( 60 to +60 mV) is
increased and, in addition, the amplitude of the initial action
potential fired is also significantly larger. Silencing synaptic input
to just aCC, without affecting inputs to other neurons, demonstrates
that the capability to respond to changing levels of synaptic
excitation is intrinsic to these neurons. The alteration to electrical
properties are not permanent, being reversed by restoration of normal
synaptic function. Whereas our data suggest that synaptic activity
makes little or no contribution to the initial formation of embryonic
neural circuits, the electrical development of neurons that constitute
these circuits seems to depend on a process that requires synaptic activity.
Key words:
aCC; activity; connectivity; Drosophila; neurogenesis; synaptic activity; synaptogenesis
Copyright © 2001 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/01/2151523-09$05.00/0
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