WWW.JNEUROSCI.ORG
-
The Journal of Neuroscience MBF Bioscience Neurolucida
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     
-


HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP
The Journal of Neuroscience, November 1, 2006, 26(44):11267-11277; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2722-06.2006

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplemental data
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Related articles in J. Neurosci.
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (2)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Schmid, A.
Right arrow Articles by Sigrist, S. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Schmid, A.
Right arrow Articles by Sigrist, S. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Cellular/Molecular
Non-NMDA-Type Glutamate Receptors Are Essential for Maturation But Not for Initial Assembly of Synapses at Drosophila Neuromuscular Junctions

Andreas Schmid,1 * Gang Qin,1 * Carolin Wichmann,1,2 Robert J. Kittel,1 Sara Mertel,1 Wernher Fouquet,1 Manuela Schmidt,1 Manfred Heckmann,2 and Stephan J. Sigrist1,3

1European Neuroscience Institute Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany, and 2Institut für Klinische Neurobiologie, Universität Würzburg, and 3Institut für Klinische Neurobiologie, Rudolf-Virchow Zentrum, Universität Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany

Correspondence should be addressed to Stephan J. Sigrist at the above address. Email: ssigris{at}gwdg.de

The assembly of glutamatergic postsynaptic densities (PSDs) seems to involve the gradual recruitment of molecular components from diffuse cellular pools. Whether the glutamate receptors themselves are needed to instruct the structural and molecular assembly of the PSD has hardly been addressed. Here, we engineered Drosophila neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) to express none or only drastically reduced amounts of their postsynaptic non-NMDA-type glutamate receptors. At such NMJs, principal synapse formation proceeded and presynaptic active zones showed normal composition and ultrastructure as well as proper glutamate release. At the postsynaptic site, initial steps of molecular and structural assembly took place as well. However, growth of the nascent PSDs to mature size was inhibited, and proteins normally excluded from PSD membranes remained at these apparently immature sites. Intriguingly, synaptic transmission as well as glutamate binding to glutamate receptors appeared dispensable for synapse maturation. Thus, our data suggest that incorporation of non-NMDA-type glutamate receptors and likely their protein–protein interactions with additional PSD components triggers a conversion from an initial to a mature stage of PSD assembly.

Key words: Drosophila; NMJ; synaptogenesis; PSD; glutamate receptor; adhesion

Received June 27, 2006; revised Aug. 22, 2006; accepted Sept. 19, 2006.

Correspondence should be addressed to Stephan J. Sigrist at the above address. Email: ssigris{at}gwdg.de


Related articles in J. Neurosci.:

This Week in The Journal

J. Neurosci. 2006 26: i. [Full Text]  





-

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help
-
Copyright 2008 by Society for Neuroscience ONLINE ISSN: 1529-2401
-