Journal
NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 291, Issue -, Pages 155-166Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.01.069
Keywords
drosophila; neuromuscular junction; synaptic transmission; Bone Morphogenetic Protein signaling pathway; microtubule; fluorescent calcium sensor
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01NS050833]
- HHMI
- National Science Foundation [FIBR 0623527]
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH [R01MH060711] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE [R01NS050833] Funding Source: NIH RePORTER
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The strength of synaptic transmission between a neuron and multiple postsynaptic partners can vary considerably. We have studied synaptic heterogeneity using the glutamatergic Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ), which contains multiple synaptic connections of varying strengths between a motor axon and muscle fiber. In larval NMJs, there is a gradient of synaptic transmission from weak proximal to strong distal boutons. We imaged synaptic transmission with the postsynaptically targeted fluorescent calcium sensor SynapCam, to investigate the molecular pathways that determine synaptic strength and set up this gradient. We discovered that mutations in the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling pathway disrupt production of strong distal boutons. We find that strong connections contain unbundled microtubules in the boutons, suggesting a role for microtubule organization in transmission strength. The spastin mutation, which disorganizes microtubules, disrupted the transmission gradient, supporting this interpretation. We propose that the BMP pathway, shown previously to function in the homeostatic regulation of synaptic growth, also boosts synaptic transmission in a spatially selective manner that depends on the microtubule system. (C) 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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