TY - JOUR T1 - Synapsin III: Developmental Expression, Subcellular Localization, and Role in Axon Formation JF - The Journal of Neuroscience JO - J. Neurosci. SP - 3736 LP - 3744 DO - 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.20-10-03736.2000 VL - 20 IS - 10 AU - Adriana Ferreira AU - Hung-Teh Kao AU - Jian Feng AU - Mark Rapoport AU - Paul Greengard Y1 - 2000/05/15 UR - http://www.jneurosci.org/content/20/10/3736.abstract N2 - We have investigated the developmental expression and subcellular localization of synapsin III, the newest member of the synapsin family, in cultured mouse hippocampal neurons. Our results indicate that synapsin III is expressed early during development, with levels peaking 7 d after plating and declining thereafter. Synapsin III is highly concentrated in growth cones. Using specific antisense oligonucleotides, we have also examined the effect of depleting synapsin III on neurite elongation and synaptogenesis. When synapsin III was suppressed immediately after plating, hippocampal neurons extended minor processes but failed to differentiate one of them as the axon. The suppression of synapsin III after axonal elongation did not affect the time course of synapse formation. The results indicate that synapsin III has a developmental time course, a subcellular localization, and a developmental function very different from those of synapsin I and synapsin II. ER -