Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses
Chemical synapses are sites of contact and information transfer between a neuron and its partner cell. Each synapse is a specialized junction, where the presynaptic cell assembles machinery for the release of neurotransmitter, and the postsynaptic cell assembles components to receive and integrate t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Genetics Society of America (GSA)
2017
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106628 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5576-2887 |
| _version_ | 1826207332074258432 |
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| author | Littleton, J. Troy Harris, Kathryn P. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology Littleton, J. Troy Harris, Kathryn P. |
| author_sort | Littleton, J. Troy |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Chemical synapses are sites of contact and information transfer between a neuron and its partner cell. Each synapse is a specialized junction, where the presynaptic cell assembles machinery for the release of neurotransmitter, and the postsynaptic cell assembles components to receive and integrate this signal. Synapses also exhibit plasticity, during which synaptic function and/or structure are modified in response to activity. With a robust panel of genetic, imaging, and electrophysiology approaches, and strong evolutionary conservation of molecular components, Drosophila has emerged as an essential model system for investigating the mechanisms underlying synaptic assembly, function, and plasticity. We will discuss techniques for studying synapses in Drosophila, with a focus on the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ), a well-established model glutamatergic synapse. Vesicle fusion, which underlies synaptic release of neurotransmitters, has been well characterized at this synapse. In addition, studies of synaptic assembly and organization of active zones and postsynaptic densities have revealed pathways that coordinate those events across the synaptic cleft. We will also review modes of synaptic growth and plasticity at the fly NMJ, and discuss how pre- and postsynaptic cells communicate to regulate plasticity in response to activity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:47:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/106628 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T13:47:41Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Genetics Society of America (GSA) |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1066282022-09-28T16:17:36Z Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses Littleton, J. Troy Harris, Kathryn P. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Picower Institute for Learning and Memory Littleton, J. Troy Harris, Kathryn Littleton, J. Troy Chemical synapses are sites of contact and information transfer between a neuron and its partner cell. Each synapse is a specialized junction, where the presynaptic cell assembles machinery for the release of neurotransmitter, and the postsynaptic cell assembles components to receive and integrate this signal. Synapses also exhibit plasticity, during which synaptic function and/or structure are modified in response to activity. With a robust panel of genetic, imaging, and electrophysiology approaches, and strong evolutionary conservation of molecular components, Drosophila has emerged as an essential model system for investigating the mechanisms underlying synaptic assembly, function, and plasticity. We will discuss techniques for studying synapses in Drosophila, with a focus on the larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ), a well-established model glutamatergic synapse. Vesicle fusion, which underlies synaptic release of neurotransmitters, has been well characterized at this synapse. In addition, studies of synaptic assembly and organization of active zones and postsynaptic densities have revealed pathways that coordinate those events across the synaptic cleft. We will also review modes of synaptic growth and plasticity at the fly NMJ, and discuss how pre- and postsynaptic cells communicate to regulate plasticity in response to activity. 2017-01-25T21:38:48Z 2017-01-25T21:38:48Z 2015-10 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0016-6731 1943-2631 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106628 Harris, Kathryn P., and J. Troy Littleton. “Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses.” Genetics 201, no. 2 (October 1, 2015): 345-375. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5576-2887 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1534/genetics.115.176529 Genetics Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ application/pdf Genetics Society of America (GSA) Prof. Littleton via Courtney Crummett |
| spellingShingle | Littleton, J. Troy Harris, Kathryn P. Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses |
| title | Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses |
| title_full | Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses |
| title_fullStr | Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses |
| title_short | Transmission, Development, and Plasticity of Synapses |
| title_sort | transmission development and plasticity of synapses |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106628 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5576-2887 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT littletonjtroy transmissiondevelopmentandplasticityofsynapses AT harriskathrynp transmissiondevelopmentandplasticityofsynapses |