1
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Sanfilippo P, Kim AJ, Bhukel A, Yoo J, Mirshahidi PS, Pandey V, Bevir H, Yuen A, Mirshahidi PS, Guo P, Li HS, Wohlschlegel JA, Aso Y, Zipursky SL. Mapping of multiple neurotransmitter receptor subtypes and distinct protein complexes to the connectome. Neuron 2024; 112:942-958.e13. [PMID: 38262414 PMCID: PMC10957333 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Neurons express various combinations of neurotransmitter receptor (NR) subunits and receive inputs from multiple neuron types expressing different neurotransmitters. Localizing NR subunits to specific synaptic inputs has been challenging. Here, we use epitope-tagged endogenous NR subunits, expansion light-sheet microscopy, and electron microscopy (EM) connectomics to molecularly characterize synapses in Drosophila. We show that in directionally selective motion-sensitive neurons, different multiple NRs elaborated a highly stereotyped molecular topography with NR localized to specific domains receiving cell-type-specific inputs. Developmental studies suggested that NRs or complexes of them with other membrane proteins determine patterns of synaptic inputs. In support of this model, we identify a transmembrane protein selectively associated with a subset of spatially restricted synapses and demonstrate its requirement for synapse formation through genetic analysis. We propose that mechanisms that regulate the precise spatial distribution of NRs provide a molecular cartography specifying the patterns of synaptic connections onto dendrites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piero Sanfilippo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Alexander J Kim
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Anuradha Bhukel
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Juyoun Yoo
- Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pegah S Mirshahidi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Vijaya Pandey
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Harry Bevir
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ashley Yuen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Parmis S Mirshahidi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Peiyi Guo
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Hong-Sheng Li
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - James A Wohlschlegel
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Yoshinori Aso
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - S Lawrence Zipursky
- Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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2
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Zhu YJ, Deng CY, Fan L, Wang YQ, Zhou H, Xu HT. Combinatorial expression of γ-protocadherins regulates synaptic connectivity in the mouse neocortex. eLife 2024; 12:RP89532. [PMID: 38470230 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
In the process of synaptic formation, neurons must not only adhere to specific principles when selecting synaptic partners but also possess mechanisms to avoid undesirable connections. Yet, the strategies employed to prevent unwarranted associations have remained largely unknown. In our study, we have identified the pivotal role of combinatorial clustered protocadherin gamma (γ-PCDH) expression in orchestrating synaptic connectivity in the mouse neocortex. Through 5' end single-cell sequencing, we unveiled the intricate combinatorial expression patterns of γ-PCDH variable isoforms within neocortical neurons. Furthermore, our whole-cell patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that as the similarity in this combinatorial pattern among neurons increased, their synaptic connectivity decreased. Our findings elucidate a sophisticated molecular mechanism governing the construction of neural networks in the mouse neocortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Jun Zhu
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cai-Yun Deng
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Liu Fan
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Ya-Qian Wang
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Zhou
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Hua-Tai Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
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3
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Osaka J, Ishii A, Wang X, Iwanaga R, Kawamura H, Akino S, Sugie A, Hakeda-Suzuki S, Suzuki T. Complex formation of immunoglobulin superfamily molecules Side-IV and Beat-IIb regulates synaptic specificity. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113798. [PMID: 38381608 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurons establish specific synapses based on the adhesive properties of cell-surface proteins while also retaining the ability to form synapses in a relatively non-selective manner. However, comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanism reconciling these opposing characteristics remains incomplete. Here, we have identified Side-IV/Beat-IIb, members of the Drosophila immunoglobulin superfamily, as a combination of cell-surface recognition molecules inducing synapse formation. The Side-IV/Beat-IIb combination transduces bifurcated signaling with Side-IV's co-receptor, Kirre, and a synaptic scaffold protein, Dsyd-1. Genetic experiments and subcellular protein localization analyses showed the Side-IV/Beat-IIb/Kirre/Dsyd-1 complex to have two essential functions. First, it narrows neuronal binding specificity through Side-IV/Beat-IIb extracellular interactions. Second, it recruits synapse formation factors, Kirre and Dsyd-1, to restrict synaptic loci and inhibit miswiring. This dual function explains how the combinations of cell-surface molecules enable the ranking of preferred interactions among neuronal pairs to achieve synaptic specificity in complex circuits in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiro Osaka
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, Japan
| | - Arisa Ishii
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Xu Wang
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Riku Iwanaga
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Hinata Kawamura
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Shogo Akino
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sugie
- Brain Research Institute, Niigata University, Niigata 951-8585, Japan
| | - Satoko Hakeda-Suzuki
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan; Research Initiatives and Promotion Organization, Yokohama National University, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan
| | - Takashi Suzuki
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan.
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4
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Wang M, Fan J, Shao Z. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Synaptic Subcellular Specificity. Brain Sci 2024; 14:155. [PMID: 38391729 PMCID: PMC10886843 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14020155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Chemical synapses are essential for neuronal information storage and relay. The synaptic signal received or sent from spatially distinct subcellular compartments often generates different outcomes due to the distance or physical property difference. Therefore, the final output of postsynaptic neurons is determined not only by the type and intensity of synaptic inputs but also by the synaptic subcellular location. How synaptic subcellular specificity is determined has long been the focus of study in the neurodevelopment field. Genetic studies from invertebrates such as Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) have uncovered important molecular and cellular mechanisms required for subcellular specificity. Interestingly, similar molecular mechanisms were found in the mammalian cerebellum, hippocampus, and cerebral cortex. This review summarizes the comprehensive advances in the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic subcellular specificity, focusing on studies from C. elegans and rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 131 Dong An Rd, Research Building B4017, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Jiale Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 131 Dong An Rd, Research Building B4017, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhiyong Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurosurgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 131 Dong An Rd, Research Building B4017, Shanghai 200032, China
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5
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Yoo J, Dombrovski M, Mirshahidi P, Nern A, LoCascio SA, Zipursky SL, Kurmangaliyev YZ. Brain wiring determinants uncovered by integrating connectomes and transcriptomes. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3998-4005.e6. [PMID: 37647901 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Advances in brain connectomics have demonstrated the extraordinary complexity of neural circuits.1,2,3,4,5 Developing neurons encounter the axons and dendrites of many different neuron types and form synapses with only a subset of them. During circuit assembly, neurons express cell-type-specific repertoires comprising many cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) that can mediate interactions between developing neurites.6,7,8 Many CAM families have been shown to contribute to brain wiring in different ways.9,10 It has been challenging, however, to identify receptor-ligand pairs directly matching neurons with their synaptic targets. Here, we integrated the synapse-level connectome of the neural circuit11,12 with the developmental expression patterns7 and binding specificities of CAMs6,13 on pre- and postsynaptic neurons in the Drosophila visual system. To overcome the complexity of neural circuits, we focus on pairs of genetically related neurons that make differential wiring choices. In the motion detection circuit,14 closely related subtypes of T4/T5 neurons choose between alternative synaptic targets in adjacent layers of neuropil.12 This choice correlates with the matching expression in synaptic partners of different receptor-ligand pairs of the Beat and Side families of CAMs. Genetic analysis demonstrated that presynaptic Side-II and postsynaptic Beat-VI restrict synaptic partners to the same layer. Removal of this receptor-ligand pair disrupts layers and leads to inappropriate targeting of presynaptic sites and postsynaptic dendrites. We propose that different Side/Beat receptor-ligand pairs collaborate with other recognition molecules to determine wiring specificities in the fly brain. Combining transcriptomes, connectomes, and protein interactome maps allow unbiased identification of determinants of brain wiring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juyoun Yoo
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Mark Dombrovski
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Parmis Mirshahidi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Aljoscha Nern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Samuel A LoCascio
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - S Lawrence Zipursky
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
| | - Yerbol Z Kurmangaliyev
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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6
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Hauser D, Behr K, Konno K, Schreiner D, Schmidt A, Watanabe M, Bischofberger J, Scheiffele P. Targeted proteoform mapping uncovers specific Neurexin-3 variants required for dendritic inhibition. Neuron 2022; 110:2094-2109.e10. [PMID: 35550065 PMCID: PMC9275415 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2022.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The diversification of cell adhesion molecules by alternative splicing is proposed to underlie molecular codes for neuronal wiring. Transcriptomic approaches mapped detailed cell-type-specific mRNA splicing programs. However, it has been hard to probe the synapse-specific localization and function of the resulting protein splice isoforms, or “proteoforms,” in vivo. We here apply a proteoform-centric workflow in mice to test the synapse-specific functions of the splice isoforms of the synaptic adhesion molecule Neurexin-3 (NRXN3). We uncover a major proteoform, NRXN3 AS5, that is highly expressed in GABAergic interneurons and at dendrite-targeting GABAergic terminals. NRXN3 AS5 abundance significantly diverges from Nrxn3 mRNA distribution and is gated by translation-repressive elements. Nrxn3 AS5 isoform deletion results in a selective impairment of dendrite-targeting interneuron synapses in the dentate gyrus without affecting somatic inhibition or glutamatergic perforant-path synapses. This work establishes cell- and synapse-specific functions of a specific neurexin proteoform and highlights the importance of alternative splicing regulation for synapse specification. Translational regulation guides alternative Neurexin proteoform expression NRXN3 AS5 proteoforms are concentrated at dendrite-targeting interneuron synapses A proteome-centric workflow uncovers NRXN3 AS5 interactors in vivo Loss of NRXN3 AS5 leads to selective impairments in dendritic inhibition
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Affiliation(s)
- David Hauser
- Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Katharina Behr
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Pestalozzistrasse 20, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kohtarou Konno
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Dietmar Schreiner
- Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Schmidt
- Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Masahiko Watanabe
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Josef Bischofberger
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Pestalozzistrasse 20, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Peter Scheiffele
- Biozentrum of the University of Basel, Spitalstrasse 41, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
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7
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Kiral FR, Dutta SB, Linneweber GA, Hilgert S, Poppa C, Duch C, von Kleist M, Hassan BA, Hiesinger PR. Brain connectivity inversely scales with developmental temperature in Drosophila. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110145. [PMID: 34936868 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Variability of synapse numbers and partners despite identical genes reveals the limits of genetic determinism. Here, we use developmental temperature as a non-genetic perturbation to study variability of brain wiring and behavior in Drosophila. Unexpectedly, slower development at lower temperatures increases axo-dendritic branching, synapse numbers, and non-canonical synaptic partnerships of various neurons, while maintaining robust ratios of canonical synapses. Using R7 photoreceptors as a model, we show that changing the relative availability of synaptic partners using a DIPγ mutant that ablates R7's preferred partner leads to temperature-dependent recruitment of non-canonical partners to reach normal synapse numbers. Hence, R7 synaptic specificity is not absolute but based on the relative availability of postsynaptic partners and presynaptic control of synapse numbers. Behaviorally, movement precision is temperature robust, while movement activity is optimized for the developmentally encountered temperature. These findings suggest genetically encoded relative and scalable synapse formation to develop functional, but not identical, brains and behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdi Ridvan Kiral
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Suchetana B Dutta
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerit Arne Linneweber
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Selina Hilgert
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology (iDN), Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Caroline Poppa
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Carsten Duch
- Institute of Developmental Biology and Neurobiology (iDN), Hanns-Dieter-Hüsch-Weg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Max von Kleist
- MF1 Bioinformatics, Robert Koch-Institute, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Bassem A Hassan
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Sorbonne Université, Inserm, CNRS, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France
| | - P Robin Hiesinger
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
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8
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Palumbos SD, Skelton R, McWhirter R, Mitchell A, Swann I, Heifner S, Von Stetina S, Miller DM. cAMP controls a trafficking mechanism that maintains the neuron specificity and subcellular placement of electrical synapses. Dev Cell 2021; 56:3235-3249.e4. [PMID: 34741804 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Electrical synapses are established between specific neurons and within distinct subcellular compartments, but the mechanisms that direct gap junction assembly in the nervous system are largely unknown. Here, we show that a developmental program tunes cAMP signaling to direct the neuron-specific assembly and placement of electrical synapses in the C. elegans motor circuit. We use live-cell imaging to visualize electrical synapses in vivo and an optogenetic assay to confirm that they are functional. In ventral A class (VA) motor neurons, the UNC-4 transcription factor blocks expression of cAMP antagonists that promote gap junction miswiring. In unc-4 mutants, VA electrical synapses are established with an alternative synaptic partner and are repositioned from the VA axon to soma. cAMP counters these effects by driving gap junction trafficking into the VA axon for electrical synapse assembly. Thus, our experiments establish that cAMP regulates gap junction trafficking for the biogenesis of functional electrical synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra D Palumbos
- Neuroscience Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Rachel Skelton
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Rebecca McWhirter
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Amanda Mitchell
- Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Isaiah Swann
- Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | | | - Stephen Von Stetina
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - David M Miller
- Neuroscience Program, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA.
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9
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Blockus H, Rolotti SV, Szoboszlay M, Peze-Heidsieck E, Ming T, Schroeder A, Apostolo N, Vennekens KM, Katsamba PS, Bahna F, Mannepalli S, Ahlsen G, Honig B, Shapiro L, de Wit J, Losonczy A, Polleux F. Synaptogenic activity of the axon guidance molecule Robo2 underlies hippocampal circuit function. Cell Rep 2021; 37:109828. [PMID: 34686348 PMCID: PMC8605498 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Synaptic connectivity within adult circuits exhibits a remarkable degree of cellular and subcellular specificity. We report that the axon guidance receptor Robo2 plays a role in establishing synaptic specificity in hippocampal CA1. In vivo, Robo2 is present and required postsynaptically in CA1 pyramidal neurons (PNs) for the formation of excitatory (E) but not inhibitory (I) synapses, specifically in proximal but not distal dendritic compartments. In vitro approaches show that the synaptogenic activity of Robo2 involves a trans-synaptic interaction with presynaptic Neurexins, as well as binding to its canonical extracellular ligand Slit. In vivo 2-photon Ca2+ imaging of CA1 PNs during spatial navigation in awake behaving mice shows that preventing Robo2-dependent excitatory synapse formation cell autonomously during development alters place cell properties of adult CA1 PNs. Our results identify a trans-synaptic complex linking the establishment of synaptic specificity to circuit function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heike Blockus
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sebi V Rolotti
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Miklos Szoboszlay
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Eugénie Peze-Heidsieck
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Tiffany Ming
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Anna Schroeder
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nuno Apostolo
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kristel M Vennekens
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Phinikoula S Katsamba
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Fabiana Bahna
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Seetha Mannepalli
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Goran Ahlsen
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Barry Honig
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Lawrence Shapiro
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Joris de Wit
- VIB Center for Brain and Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Attila Losonczy
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Franck Polleux
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Kavli Institute for Brain Science, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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10
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Abstract
The quest for molecular mechanisms that guide axons or specify synaptic contacts has largely focused on molecules that intuitively relate to the idea of an "instruction." By contrast, "permissive" factors are traditionally considered background machinery without contribution to the information content of a molecularly executed instruction. In this essay, I recast this dichotomy as a continuum from permissive to instructive actions of single factors that provide relative contributions to a necessarily collaborative effort. Individual molecules or other factors do not constitute absolute instructions by themselves; they provide necessary context for each other, thereby creating a composite that defines the overall instruction. The idea of composite instructions leads to two main conclusions: first, a composite of many seemingly permissive factors can define a specific instruction even in the absence of a single dominant contributor; second, individual factors are not necessarily related intuitively to the overall instruction or phenotypic outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Robin Hiesinger
- Division of Neurobiology, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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11
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Rangel Olguin AG, Rochon PL, Krishnaswamy A. New Optical Tools to Study Neural Circuit Assembly in the Retina. Front Neural Circuits 2020; 14:44. [PMID: 32848633 PMCID: PMC7424070 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2020.00044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
During development, neurons navigate a tangled thicket of thousands of axons and dendrites to synapse with just a few specific targets. This phenomenon termed wiring specificity, is critical to the assembly of neural circuits and the way neurons manage this feat is only now becoming clear. Recent studies in the mouse retina are shedding new insight into this process. They show that specific wiring arises through a series of stages that include: directed axonal and dendritic growth, the formation of neuropil layers, positioning of such layers, and matching of co-laminar synaptic partners. Each stage appears to be directed by a distinct family of recognition molecules, suggesting that the combinatorial expression of such family members might act as a blueprint for retinal connectivity. By reviewing the evidence in support of each stage, and by considering their underlying molecular mechanisms, we attempt to synthesize these results into a wiring model which generates testable predictions for future studies. Finally, we conclude by highlighting new optical methods that could be used to address such predictions and gain further insight into this fundamental process.
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Abstract
Throughout his scientific career, Tom Jessell pioneered the spinal cord as a model system to study the molecular programs of neural specification, axon guidance, and connection specificity. His contributions to these fields and more broadly to that of developmental neuroscience will continue to inspire and define many generations of researchers. It is challenging to capture all of Tom's findings in one essay, and therefore, here we wish to briefly highlight his contributions to the problem of connection specificity, with a focus on the spinal sensory-motor reflex circuit. In particular, emphasis will be placed on discoveries from his laboratory that revealed a significant role of positional strategies in establishing selective sensory-motor connections. This work introduced novel principles of neuronal connectivity that may apply to how precise circuit wiring occurs throughout the nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Balaskas
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind, Brain, and Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - David Ng
- The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind, Brain, and Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.
| | - Niccolò Zampieri
- Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany.
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13
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Graham HK, Duan X. Molecular mechanisms regulating synaptic specificity and retinal circuit formation. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Dev Biol 2020; 10:e379. [PMID: 32267095 DOI: 10.1002/wdev.379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The central nervous system (CNS) is composed of precisely assembled circuits which support a variety of physiological functions and behaviors. These circuits include multiple subtypes of neurons with unique morphologies, electrical properties, and molecular identities. How these component parts are precisely wired-up has been a topic of great interest to the field of developmental neurobiology and has implications for our understanding of the etiology of many neurological disorders and mental illnesses. To date, many molecules involved in synaptic choice and specificity have been identified, including members of several families of cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs), which are cell-surface molecules that mediate cell-cell contacts and subsequent intracellular signaling. One favored hypothesis is that unique expression patterns of CAMs define specific neuronal subtype populations and determine compatible pre- and postsynaptic neuronal partners based on the expression of these unique CAMs. The mouse retina has served as a beautiful model for investigations into mammalian CAM interactions due to its well-defined neuronal subtypes and distinct circuits. Moreover, the retina is readily amenable to visualization of circuit organization and electrophysiological measurement of circuit function. The advent of recent genetic, genomic, and imaging technologies has opened the field up to large-scale, unbiased approaches for identification of new molecular determinants of synaptic specificity. Thus, building on the foundation of work reviewed here, we can expect rapid expansion of the field, harnessing the mouse retina as a model to understand the molecular basis for synaptic specificity and functional circuit assembly. This article is categorized under: Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: General Principles Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: Regional Development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah K Graham
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Xin Duan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,Neuroscience Graduate Program, Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,Kavli Institute for Fundamental Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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14
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Fan J, Ji T, Wang K, Huang J, Wang M, Manning L, Dong X, Shi Y, Zhang X, Shao Z, Colón-Ramos DA. A muscle-epidermis-glia signaling axis sustains synaptic specificity during allometric growth in Caenorhabditis elegans. eLife 2020; 9:55890. [PMID: 32255430 PMCID: PMC7164957 DOI: 10.7554/elife.55890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Synaptic positions underlie precise circuit connectivity. Synaptic positions can be established during embryogenesis and sustained during growth. The mechanisms that sustain synaptic specificity during allometric growth are largely unknown. We performed forward genetic screens in C. elegans for regulators of this process and identified mig-17, a conserved ADAMTS metalloprotease. Proteomic mass spectrometry, cell biological and genetic studies demonstrate that MIG-17 is secreted from cells like muscles to regulate basement membrane proteins. In the nematode brain, the basement membrane does not directly contact synapses. Instead, muscle-derived basement membrane coats one side of the glia, while glia contact synapses on their other side. MIG-17 modifies the muscle-derived basement membrane to modulate epidermal-glial crosstalk and sustain glia location and morphology during growth. Glia position in turn sustains the synaptic pattern established during embryogenesis. Our findings uncover a muscle-epidermis-glia signaling axis that sustains synaptic specificity during the organism's allometric growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiale Fan
- Department of Neurosurgery, the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, the Institutes of Brain Science, and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Tingting Ji
- Department of Neurosurgery, the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, the Institutes of Brain Science, and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, the Institutes of Brain Science, and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Jichang Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengqing Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, the Institutes of Brain Science, and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Laura Manning
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States
| | - Xiaohua Dong
- Department of Neurosurgery, the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, the Institutes of Brain Science, and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanjun Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery, the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, the Institutes of Brain Science, and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Xumin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiyong Shao
- Department of Neurosurgery, the State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, the Institutes of Brain Science, and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Daniel A Colón-Ramos
- Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair, Department of Neuroscience and Department of Cell Biology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.,Instituto de Neurobiología, Recinto de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
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15
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Dong X, Jin S, Shao Z. Glia Promote Synaptogenesis through an IQGAP PES-7 in C. elegans. Cell Rep 2020; 30:2614-2626.e2. [PMID: 32101740 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.01.102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Synapses are fundamental to the normal function of the nervous system. Glia play a pivotal role in regulating synaptic formation. However, how presynaptic neurons assemble synaptic structure in response to the glial signals remains largely unexplored. To address this question, we use cima-1 mutant C. elegans as an in vivo model, in which the astrocyte-like VCSC glial processes ectopically reach an asynaptic neurite region and promote presynaptic formation there. Through an RNAi screen, we find that the Rho GTPase CDC-42 and IQGAP PES-7 are required in presynaptic neurons for VCSC glia-induced presynaptic formation. In addition, we find that cdc-42 and pes-7 are also required for normal synaptogenesis during postembryonic developmental stages. PES-7 activated by CDC-42 promotes presynaptic formation, most likely through regulating F-actin assembly. Given the evolutionary conservation of CDC-42 and IQGAPs, we speculate that our findings in C. elegans apply to vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohua Dong
- Department of Neurosurgery, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Shuhan Jin
- Department of Neurosurgery, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhiyong Shao
- Department of Neurosurgery, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
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16
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Orlandi C, Omori Y, Wang Y, Cao Y, Ueno A, Roux MJ, Condomitti G, de Wit J, Kanagawa M, Furukawa T, Martemyanov KA. Transsynaptic Binding of Orphan Receptor GPR179 to Dystroglycan-Pikachurin Complex Is Essential for the Synaptic Organization of Photoreceptors. Cell Rep 2020; 25:130-145.e5. [PMID: 30282023 PMCID: PMC6203450 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.08.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Establishing synaptic contacts between neurons is paramount for nervous system function. This process involves transsynaptic interactions between a host of cell adhesion molecules that act in cooperation with the proteins of the extracellular matrix to specify uniquephysiological propertiesofindividual synaptic connections. However, understanding of the molecular mechanisms that generate functional diversity in an input-specific fashion is limited. In this study, we identify that major components of the extracellular matrix proteins present in the synaptic cleft—members oftheheparansulfateproteoglycan (HSPG) family—associate with the GPR158/179 group of orphan receptors. Using the mammalian retina as a model system, we demonstrate that the HSPG member Pikachurin, released by photoreceptors, recruits a key post-synaptic signaling complex of downstream ON-bipolar neurons in coordination with the presynaptic dystroglycan glycoprotein complex. We further demonstrate that this transsynaptic assembly plays an essential role in synaptic transmission of photoreceptor signals. Orlandi et al. identify transsynaptic assembly at photoreceptor synapses involving pre-synaptic dystrophindystroglycan complex and the postsynaptic orphan receptor GPR179 bridged by HSPG protein Pikachurin in the cleft and demonstrate its role in shaping transmission of photoreceptor signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesare Orlandi
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yoshihiro Omori
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yuchen Wang
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yan Cao
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Akiko Ueno
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Michel J Roux
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Université de Strasbourg, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR7104, INSERM, U1258, Illkirch, France
| | - Giuseppe Condomitti
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joris de Wit
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Motoi Kanagawa
- Division of Molecular Brain Science, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan
| | - Takahisa Furukawa
- Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kirill A Martemyanov
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
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17
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Xu C, Theisen E, Maloney R, Peng J, Santiago I, Yapp C, Werkhoven Z, Rumbaut E, Shum B, Tarnogorska D, Borycz J, Tan L, Courgeon M, Griffin T, Levin R, Meinertzhagen IA, de Bivort B, Drugowitsch J, Pecot MY. Control of Synaptic Specificity by Establishing a Relative Preference for Synaptic Partners. Neuron 2019; 103:865-877.e7. [PMID: 31300277 PMCID: PMC6728174 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The ability of neurons to identify correct synaptic partners is fundamental to the proper assembly and function of neural circuits. Relative to other steps in circuit formation such as axon guidance, our knowledge of how synaptic partner selection is regulated is severely limited. Drosophila Dpr and DIP immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) cell-surface proteins bind heterophilically and are expressed in a complementary manner between synaptic partners in the visual system. Here, we show that in the lamina, DIP mis-expression is sufficient to promote synapse formation with Dpr-expressing neurons and that disrupting DIP function results in ectopic synapse formation. These findings indicate that DIP proteins promote synapses to form between specific cell types and that in their absence, neurons synapse with alternative partners. We propose that neurons have the capacity to synapse with a broad range of cell types and that synaptic specificity is achieved by establishing a preference for specific partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chundi Xu
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Emma Theisen
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ryan Maloney
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jing Peng
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ivan Santiago
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Clarence Yapp
- Image and Data Analysis Core, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Zachary Werkhoven
- Center for Brain Science and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Elijah Rumbaut
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bryan Shum
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dorota Tarnogorska
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Life Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Jolanta Borycz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Life Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Liming Tan
- Department of Biological Chemistry, HHMI, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Maximilien Courgeon
- Department of Biology, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Tessa Griffin
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Raina Levin
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ian A Meinertzhagen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Life Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Benjamin de Bivort
- Center for Brain Science and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Jan Drugowitsch
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Matthew Y Pecot
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, 220 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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18
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Hoang PT, Chalif JI, Bikoff JB, Jessell TM, Mentis GZ, Wichterle H. Subtype Diversification and Synaptic Specificity of Stem Cell-Derived Spinal Interneurons. Neuron 2019; 100:135-149.e7. [PMID: 30308166 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal diversification is a fundamental step in the construction of functional neural circuits, but how neurons generated from single progenitor domains acquire diverse subtype identities remains poorly understood. Here we developed an embryonic stem cell (ESC)-based system to model subtype diversification of V1 interneurons, a class of spinal neurons comprising four clades collectively containing dozens of molecularly distinct neuronal subtypes. We demonstrate that V1 subtype diversity can be modified by extrinsic signals. Inhibition of Notch and activation of retinoid signaling results in a switch to MafA clade identity and enriches differentiation of Renshaw cells, a specialized MafA subtype that mediates recurrent inhibition of spinal motor neurons. We show that Renshaw cells are intrinsically programmed to migrate to species-specific laminae upon transplantation and to form subtype-specific synapses with motor neurons. Our results demonstrate that stem cell-derived neuronal subtypes can be used to investigate mechanisms underlying neuronal subtype specification and circuit assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phuong T Hoang
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine, and Neurology, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Joshua I Chalif
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology and Neurology, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Jay B Bikoff
- Departments of Neuroscience and Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Thomas M Jessell
- Departments of Neuroscience and Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - George Z Mentis
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology and Neurology, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Hynek Wichterle
- Departments of Pathology and Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine, and Neurology, Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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19
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Shimozono M, Osaka J, Kato Y, Araki T, Kawamura H, Takechi H, Hakeda-Suzuki S, Suzuki T. Cell surface molecule, Klingon, mediates the refinement of synaptic specificity in the Drosophila visual system. Genes Cells 2019; 24:496-510. [PMID: 31124270 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Revised: 05/04/2019] [Accepted: 05/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the Drosophila brain, neurons form genetically specified synaptic connections with defined neuronal targets. It is proposed that each central nervous system neuron expresses specific cell surface proteins, which act as identification tags. Through an RNAi screen of cell surface molecules in the Drosophila visual system, we found that the cell adhesion molecule Klingon (Klg) plays an important role in repressing the ectopic formation of extended axons, preventing the formation of excessive synapses. Cell-specific manipulation of klg showed that Klg is required in both photoreceptors and the glia, suggesting that the balanced homophilic interaction between photoreceptor axons and the glia is required for normal synapse formation. Previous studies suggested that Klg binds to cDIP and our genetic analyses indicate that cDIP is required in glia for ectopic synaptic repression. These data suggest that Klg play a critical role together with cDIP in refining synaptic specificity and preventing unnecessary connections in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mai Shimozono
- Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokahama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Jiro Osaka
- Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokahama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yuya Kato
- Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokahama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Araki
- Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokahama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hinata Kawamura
- Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokahama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hiroki Takechi
- Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokahama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Satoko Hakeda-Suzuki
- Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokahama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takashi Suzuki
- Graduate School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokahama, Kanagawa, Japan
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20
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Condomitti G, Wierda KD, Schroeder A, Rubio SE, Vennekens KM, Orlandi C, Martemyanov KA, Gounko NV, Savas JN, de Wit J. An Input-Specific Orphan Receptor GPR158-HSPG Interaction Organizes Hippocampal Mossy Fiber-CA3 Synapses. Neuron 2018; 100:201-215.e9. [PMID: 30290982 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.08.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Pyramidal neuron dendrites integrate synaptic input from multiple partners. Different inputs converging on the same dendrite have distinct structural and functional features, but the molecular mechanisms organizing input-specific properties are poorly understood. We identify the orphan receptor GPR158 as a binding partner for the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) glypican 4 (GPC4). GPC4 is enriched on hippocampal granule cell axons (mossy fibers), whereas postsynaptic GPR158 is restricted to the proximal segment of CA3 apical dendrites receiving mossy fiber input. GPR158-induced presynaptic differentiation in contacting axons requires cell-surface GPC4 and the co-receptor LAR. Loss of GPR158 increases mossy fiber synapse density but disrupts bouton morphology, impairs ultrastructural organization of active zone and postsynaptic density, and reduces synaptic strength of this connection, while adjacent inputs on the same dendrite are unaffected. Our work identifies an input-specific HSPG-GPR158 interaction that selectively organizes synaptic architecture and function of developing mossy fiber-CA3 synapses in the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Condomitti
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Keimpe D Wierda
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Anna Schroeder
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sara E Rubio
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kristel M Vennekens
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Cesare Orlandi
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Kirill A Martemyanov
- Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Natalia V Gounko
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Electron Microscopy Platform & VIB BioImaging Core, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeffrey N Savas
- Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Joris de Wit
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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21
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Schroeder A, Vanderlinden J, Vints K, Ribeiro LF, Vennekens KM, Gounko NV, Wierda KD, de Wit J. A Modular Organization of LRR Protein-Mediated Synaptic Adhesion Defines Synapse Identity. Neuron 2018; 99:329-344.e7. [PMID: 29983322 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/14/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Pyramidal neurons express rich repertoires of leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-containing adhesion molecules with similar synaptogenic activity in culture. The in vivo relevance of this molecular diversity is unclear. We show that hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons express multiple synaptogenic LRR proteins that differentially distribute to the major excitatory inputs on their apical dendrites. At Schaffer collateral (SC) inputs, FLRT2, LRRTM1, and Slitrk1 are postsynaptically localized and differentially regulate synaptic structure and function. FLRT2 controls spine density, whereas LRRTM1 and Slitrk1 exert opposing effects on synaptic vesicle distribution at the active zone. All LRR proteins differentially affect synaptic transmission, and their combinatorial loss results in a cumulative phenotype. At temporoammonic (TA) inputs, LRRTM1 is absent; FLRT2 similarly controls functional synapse number, whereas Slitrk1 function diverges to regulate postsynaptic AMPA receptor density. Thus, LRR proteins differentially control synaptic architecture and function and act in input-specific combinations and a context-dependent manner to specify synaptic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schroeder
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Vanderlinden
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Katlijn Vints
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Electron Microscopy Platform & VIB BioImaging Core, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Luís F Ribeiro
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kristel M Vennekens
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Natalia V Gounko
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Electron Microscopy Platform & VIB BioImaging Core, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Keimpe D Wierda
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joris de Wit
- VIB Center for Brain & Disease Research, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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22
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Nguyen TM, Schreiner D, Xiao L, Traunmüller L, Bornmann C, Scheiffele P. An alternative splicing switch shapes neurexin repertoires in principal neurons versus interneurons in the mouse hippocampus. eLife 2016; 5. [PMID: 27960072 PMCID: PMC5213383 DOI: 10.7554/elife.22757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The unique anatomical and functional features of principal and interneuron populations are critical for the appropriate function of neuronal circuits. Cell type-specific properties are encoded by selective gene expression programs that shape molecular repertoires and synaptic protein complexes. However, the nature of such programs, particularly for post-transcriptional regulation at the level of alternative splicing is only beginning to emerge. We here demonstrate that transcripts encoding the synaptic adhesion molecules neurexin-1,2,3 are commonly expressed in principal cells and interneurons of the mouse hippocampus but undergo highly differential, cell type-specific alternative splicing. Principal cell-specific neurexin splice isoforms depend on the RNA-binding protein Slm2. By contrast, most parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons lack Slm2, express a different neurexin splice isoform and co-express the corresponding splice isoform-specific neurexin ligand Cbln4. Conditional ablation of Nrxn alternative splice insertions selectively in PV+ cells results in elevated hippocampal network activity and impairment in a learning task. Thus, PV-cell-specific alternative splicing of neurexins is critical for neuronal circuit function DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.22757.001
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Le Xiao
- Biozentrum, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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23
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Abstract
Neurons form precise patterns of connections. The cellular recognition mechanisms regulating the selection of synaptic partners are poorly understood. As final mediators of cell-cell interactions, cell surface and secreted molecules (CSMs) are expected to play important roles in this process. To gain insight into how neurons discriminate synaptic partners, we profiled the transcriptomes of 7 closely related neurons forming distinct synaptic connections in discrete layers in the medulla neuropil of the fly visual system. Our sequencing data revealed that each one of these neurons expresses a unique combination of hundreds of CSMs at the onset of synapse formation. We show that 21 paralogs of the defective proboscis extension response (Dpr) family are expressed in a unique cell-type-specific fashion, consistent with the distinct connectivity pattern of each neuron profiled. Expression analysis of their cognate binding partners, the 9 members of the Dpr interacting protein (DIP) family, revealed complementary layer-specific expression in the medulla, suggestive of interactions between neurons expressing Dpr and those expressing DIP in the same layer. Through coexpression analysis and correlation to connectome data, we identify neurons expressing DIP as a subset of the synaptic partners of the neurons expressing Dpr. We propose that Dpr-DIP interactions regulate patterns of connectivity between the neurons expressing them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Morey
- a Department de Genètica , Facultat de Biologia and Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB) , Barcelona Spain
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24
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Hong JH, Park M. Understanding Synaptogenesis and Functional Connectome in C. elegans by Imaging Technology. Front Synaptic Neurosci 2016; 8:18. [PMID: 27445787 PMCID: PMC4925697 DOI: 10.3389/fnsyn.2016.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Formation of functional synapses is a fundamental process for establishing neural circuits and ultimately for expressing complex behavior. Extensive research has interrogated how such functional synapses are formed and how synapse formation contributes to the generation of neural circuitry and behavior. The nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans, due to its relatively simple structure, the transparent body, and tractable genetic system, has been adapted as an excellent model to investigate synapses and the functional connectome. Advances in imaging technology together with the improvement of genetically encoded molecular tools enabled us to visualize synapses and neural circuits of the animal model, which provide insights into our understanding of molecules and their signaling pathways that mediate synapse formation and neuronal network modulation. Here, we review synaptogenesis in active zones and the mapping of local connectome in C. elegans nervous system whose understandings have been extended by the advances in imaging technology along with the genetic molecular tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Hwa Hong
- Center for Functional Connectomics, Korea Institute of Science and TechnologySeoul, South Korea; Department of Life Sciences, Korea UniversitySeoul, South Korea
| | - Mikyoung Park
- Center for Functional Connectomics, Korea Institute of Science and TechnologySeoul, South Korea; Department of Neuroscience, Korea University of Science and TechnologyDaejeon, South Korea
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25
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Tan L, Zhang KX, Pecot MY, Nagarkar-Jaiswal S, Lee PT, Takemura SY, McEwen JM, Nern A, Xu S, Tadros W, Chen Z, Zinn K, Bellen HJ, Morey M, Zipursky SL. Ig Superfamily Ligand and Receptor Pairs Expressed in Synaptic Partners in Drosophila. Cell 2016; 163:1756-69. [PMID: 26687360 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Revised: 09/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/10/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Information processing relies on precise patterns of synapses between neurons. The cellular recognition mechanisms regulating this specificity are poorly understood. In the medulla of the Drosophila visual system, different neurons form synaptic connections in different layers. Here, we sought to identify candidate cell recognition molecules underlying this specificity. Using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we show that neurons with different synaptic specificities express unique combinations of mRNAs encoding hundreds of cell surface and secreted proteins. Using RNA-seq and protein tagging, we demonstrate that 21 paralogs of the Dpr family, a subclass of immunoglobulin (Ig)-domain containing proteins, are expressed in unique combinations in homologous neurons with different layer-specific synaptic connections. Dpr interacting proteins (DIPs), comprising nine paralogs of another subclass of Ig-containing proteins, are expressed in a complementary layer-specific fashion in a subset of synaptic partners. We propose that pairs of Dpr/DIP paralogs contribute to layer-specific patterns of synaptic connectivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Tan
- Department of Biological Chemistry, HHMI, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Kelvin Xi Zhang
- Department of Biological Chemistry, HHMI, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Matthew Y Pecot
- Department of Biological Chemistry, HHMI, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Sonal Nagarkar-Jaiswal
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, HHMI, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Pei-Tseng Lee
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Shin-Ya Takemura
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Jason M McEwen
- Department of Biological Chemistry, HHMI, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Aljoscha Nern
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA 20147, USA
| | - Shuwa Xu
- Department of Biological Chemistry, HHMI, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Wael Tadros
- Department of Biological Chemistry, HHMI, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Zhenqing Chen
- Department of Biology, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Kai Zinn
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Hugo J Bellen
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, HHMI, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Marta Morey
- Departament de Genètica, Facultat de Biologia and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB) de la Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
| | - S Lawrence Zipursky
- Department of Biological Chemistry, HHMI, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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26
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Martin EA, Muralidhar S, Wang Z, Cervantes DC, Basu R, Taylor MR, Hunter J, Cutforth T, Wilke SA, Ghosh A, Williams ME. The intellectual disability gene Kirrel3 regulates target-specific mossy fiber synapse development in the hippocampus. eLife 2015; 4:e09395. [PMID: 26575286 PMCID: PMC4642954 DOI: 10.7554/elife.09395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic target specificity, whereby neurons make distinct types of synapses with different target cells, is critical for brain function, yet the mechanisms driving it are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate Kirrel3 regulates target-specific synapse formation at hippocampal mossy fiber (MF) synapses, which connect dentate granule (DG) neurons to both CA3 and GABAergic neurons. Here, we show Kirrel3 is required for formation of MF filopodia; the structures that give rise to DG-GABA synapses and that regulate feed-forward inhibition of CA3 neurons. Consequently, loss of Kirrel3 robustly increases CA3 neuron activity in developing mice. Alterations in the Kirrel3 gene are repeatedly associated with intellectual disabilities, but the role of Kirrel3 at synapses remained largely unknown. Our findings demonstrate that subtle synaptic changes during development impact circuit function and provide the first insight toward understanding the cellular basis of Kirrel3-dependent neurodevelopmental disorders. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09395.001 Nerve cells in the brain connect to each other via junctions called synapses to form vast networks that process information. Much like streets can be joined with stop signs, traffic lights, or exit ramps depending on the flow of traffic, different types of synapses control the flow of information along nerves in distinct ways. In a region of the brain called the hippocampus, nerve cells called DG neurons are connected to other neurons by two different types of synapses. One type of synapse allows the DG neurons to activate CA3 neurons, while the second type allows the DG neurons to activate GABAergic neurons. These same GABAergic neurons can then inhibit the activity of the CA3 neurons. Therefore, through these two different types of synapses, DG neurons can both increase and decrease the activity of the CA3 neurons. This delicate balance of activity across the two types of DG synapses is very important for the hippocampus to work properly, which is critical for our ability to learn and remember. Mutations in the gene that encodes a protein called Kirrel3 are associated with autism, Jacobsen's syndrome, and other disorders that affect intellectual ability in humans. Kirrel3 is similar to a protein found in roundworms that regulates the formation of synapses, but it is not known if it plays the same role in humans and other mammals. Now, Martin, Muralidhar et al. studied the role of Kirrel3 in mice. The experiments show that Kirrel3 is produced in both the DG neurons and the GABAergic neurons, but not the CA3 neurons. Young mutant mice that lacked Kirrel3 made fewer synapse-forming structures between DG neurons and GABAergic neurons than normal mice, but the synapses that connect DG neurons to CA3 neurons formed normally. This disrupted the balance of activity across the two types of DG synapses and the CA3 neurons in the mutant mice were over-active. Together, Martin, Muralidhar et al.'s findings show that altering the levels of Kirrel3 can alter the balance of synapses in the hippocampus. This may explain how even very small changes in synapse formation during brain development can have a big impact on nerve cell activity. The next challenge is to understand exactly how Kirrel3 helps build synapses, which may lead to the development of new drugs that help to rebalance brain activity in people that lack Kirrel3. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.09395.002
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Affiliation(s)
- E Anne Martin
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Shruti Muralidhar
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Zhirong Wang
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Diégo Cordero Cervantes
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Raunak Basu
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Matthew R Taylor
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Jennifer Hunter
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
| | - Tyler Cutforth
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York City, United States
| | - Scott A Wilke
- Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, United States
| | - Anirvan Ghosh
- Neuroscience Discovery, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Megan E Williams
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, United States
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27
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Abstract
During brain development, billions of neurons organize into highly specific circuits. To form specific circuits, neurons must build the appropriate types of synapses with appropriate types of synaptic partners while avoiding incorrect partners in a dense cellular environment. Defining the cellular and molecular rules that govern specific circuit formation has significant scientific and clinical relevance because fine scale connectivity defects are thought to underlie many cognitive and psychiatric disorders. Organizing specific neural circuits is an enormously complicated developmental process that requires the concerted action of many molecules, neural activity, and temporal events. This review focuses on one class of molecules postulated to play an important role in target selection and specific synapse formation: the classic cadherins. Cadherins have a well-established role in epithelial cell adhesion, and although it has long been appreciated that most cadherins are expressed in the brain, their role in synaptic specificity is just beginning to be unraveled. Here, we review past and present studies implicating cadherins as active participants in the formation, function, and dysfunction of specific neural circuits and pose some of the major remaining questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raunak Basu
- a Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy ; University of Utah ; Salt Lake City , UT USA
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28
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Pregno G, Frola E, Graziano S, Patrizi A, Bussolino F, Arese M, Sassoè-Pognetto M. Differential regulation of neurexin at glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses. Front Cell Neurosci 2013; 7:35. [PMID: 23576952 PMCID: PMC3616244 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2013.00035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2012] [Accepted: 03/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurexins (Nrxs) have emerged as potential determinants of synaptic specificity, but little is known about their localization at central synapses. Here we show that Nrxs have a remarkably selective localization at distinct types of glutamatergic synapses and we reveal an unexpected ontogenetic regulation of Nrx expression at GABAergic synapses. Our data indicate that synapses are specified by molecular interactions that involve both Nrx-dependent and Nrx-independent mechanisms. We propose that differences in the spatio-temporal profile of Nrx expression may contribute to specify the molecular identity of synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Pregno
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin Torino, Italy
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29
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Marie B, Blagburn JM. Differential roles of engrailed paralogs in determining sensory axon guidance and synaptic target recognition. J Neurosci 2003; 23:7854-62. [PMID: 12944515 PMCID: PMC6740593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The transcription factor Engrailed (En) controls axon pathfinding and synaptic target choice in an identified neuron (6m) of the cockroach cercal sensory system. Knock-out of En using double-stranded RNA interference (dsRNAi) transforms 6m so that it resembles a neighboring neuron that normally does not express the en gene, has a different arbor anatomy, and makes different connections. Like many animals, the cockroach has two En paralogs, Pa-En1 and Pa-En2. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the paralogs have different effects on axon guidance and synaptic target recognition, using RNAi to knock out each one individually. Using dye injections into 6m and intracellular recordings from target interneurons, we obtained evidence that both Pa-En1 and Pa-En2 determine the axonal arborization, but only Pa-En1 controls synaptic connections. However, because immunocytochemical quantification of En protein in 6m after RNAi showed that Pa-En1 represents 65% of the total En activity and Pa-En2 only 35%, our results could be caused by dosage effects. We measured the effects of diluting the mixture of both dsRNAs on the amounts of En protein. From this dose-response curve, we calculated the appropriate dilutions of the dsRNA mixture that would titrate total En protein to levels equivalent to knock-out of either paralog. RNAi using these dilutions showed that Pa-En1 and Pa-En2 both contribute toward the control of axonal guidance and confirmed that Pa-En1 has the paralog-specific function of controlling synaptic target recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Marie
- Institute of Neurobiology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901, USA
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30
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Lickteig KM, Duerr JS, Frisby DL, Hall DH, Rand JB, Miller DM. Regulation of neurotransmitter vesicles by the homeodomain protein UNC-4 and its transcriptional corepressor UNC-37/groucho in Caenorhabditis elegans cholinergic motor neurons. J Neurosci 2001; 21:2001-14. [PMID: 11245684 PMCID: PMC6762608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor neuron function depends on neurotransmitter release from synaptic vesicles (SVs). Here we show that the UNC-4 homeoprotein and its transcriptional corepressor protein UNC-37 regulate SV protein levels in specific Caenorhabditis elegans motor neurons. UNC-4 is expressed in four classes (DA, VA, VC, and SAB) of cholinergic motor neurons. Antibody staining reveals that five different vesicular proteins (UNC-17, choline acetyltransferase, Synaptotagmin, Synaptobrevin, and RAB-3) are substantially reduced in unc-4 and unc-37 mutants in these cells; nonvesicular neuronal proteins (Syntaxin, UNC-18, and UNC-11) are not affected, however. Ultrastructural analysis of VA motor neurons in the mutant unc-4(e120) confirms that SV number in the presynaptic zone is reduced ( approximately 40%) whereas axonal diameter and synaptic morphology are not visibly altered. Because the UNC-4-UNC-37 complex has been shown to mediate transcriptional repression, we propose that these effects are performed via an intermediate gene. Our results are consistent with a model in which this unc-4 target gene ("gene-x") functions at a post-transcriptional level as a negative regulator of SV biogenesis or stability. Experiments with a temperature-sensitive unc-4 mutant show that the adult level of SV proteins strictly depends on unc-4 function during a critical period of motor neuron differentiation. unc-4 activity during this sensitive larval stage is also required for the creation of proper synaptic inputs to VA motor neurons. The temporal correlation of these events may mean that a common unc-4-dependent mechanism controls both the specificity of synaptic inputs as well as the strength of synaptic outputs for these motor neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Lickteig
- Department of Cell Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
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31
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Winnier AR, Meir JY, Ross JM, Tavernarakis N, Driscoll M, Ishihara T, Katsura I, Miller DM. UNC-4/UNC-37-dependent repression of motor neuron-specific genes controls synaptic choice in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genes Dev 1999; 13:2774-86. [PMID: 10557206 PMCID: PMC317130 DOI: 10.1101/gad.13.21.2774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The UNC-4 homeoprotein and the Groucho-like corepressor UNC-37 specify synaptic choice in the Caenorhabditis elegans motor neuron circuit. In unc-4 mutants, VA motor neurons are miswired with inputs from interneurons normally reserved for their lineal sisters, the VB motor neurons. Here we show that UNC-4 and UNC-37 function together in VA motor neurons to repress VB-specific genes and that this activity depends on physical contact between UNC-37 and a conserved Engrailed-like repressor domain (eh1) in UNC-4. Missense mutations in the UNC-4 eh1 domain disrupt interactions between UNC-4 and UNC-37 and result in the loss of UNC-4-dependent repressor activity in vivo. A compensatory amino acid substitution in UNC-37 suppresses specific unc-4 alleles by restoring physical interactions with UNC-4 as well as UNC-4-dependent repression of VB-specific genes. We propose that repression of VB-specific genes by UNC-4 and UNC-37 is necessary for the creation of wild-type inputs to VA motor neurons. The existence of mammalian homologs of UNC-4 and UNC-37 indicates that a similar mechanism could regulate synaptic choice in the vertebrate spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- A R Winnier
- Department of Cell Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
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32
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Wenner P, O'Donovan MJ. Identification of an interneuronal population that mediates recurrent inhibition of motoneurons in the developing chick spinal cord. J Neurosci 1999; 19:7557-67. [PMID: 10460262 PMCID: PMC6782514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies on the development of synaptic specificity, embryonic activity, and neuronal specification in the spinal cord have all been limited by the absence of a functionally identified interneuron class (defined by its unique set of connections). Here, we identify an interneuron population in the embryonic chick spinal cord that appears to be the avian equivalent of the mammalian Renshaw cell (R-interneurons). These cells receive monosynaptic nicotinic, cholinergic input from motoneuron recurrent collaterals. They make predominately GABAergic connections back onto motoneurons and to other R-interneurons but project rarely to other spinal interneurons. The similarity between the connections of the developing R-interneuron, shortly after circuit formation, and the mature mammalian Renshaw cell raises the possibility that R-interneuronal connections are formed precisely from the onset. Using a newly developed optical approach, we identified the location of R-interneurons in a column, dorsomedial to the motor nucleus. Functional characterization of the R-interneuron population provides the basis for analyses that have so far only been possible for motoneurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Wenner
- Section on Developmental Neurobiology, Laboratory of Neural Control, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-4455, USA
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33
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Borrell V, Del Río JA, Alcántara S, Derer M, Martínez A, D'Arcangelo G, Nakajima K, Mikoshiba K, Derer P, Curran T, Soriano E. Reelin regulates the development and synaptogenesis of the layer-specific entorhino-hippocampal connections. J Neurosci 1999; 19:1345-58. [PMID: 9952412 PMCID: PMC6786030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Here we examine the role of Reelin, an extracellular protein involved in neuronal migration, in the formation of hippocampal connections. Both at prenatal and postnatal stages, the general laminar and topographic distribution of entorhinal projections is preserved in the hippocampus of reeler mutant mice, in the absence of Reelin. However, developing and adult entorhinal afferents show severe alterations, including increased numbers of misrouted fibers and the formation of abnormal patches of termination from the medial and lateral entorhinal cortices. At perinatal stages, single entorhinal axons in reeler mice are grouped into thick bundles, and they have decreased axonal branching and decreased extension of axon collaterals. We also show that the number of entorhino-hippocampal synapses is lower in reeler mice than in control animals during development. Studies performed in mixed entorhino-hippocampal co-cultures combining slices from reeler and wild-type mice indicate that these abnormalities are caused by the lack of Reelin in the target hippocampus. These findings imply that Reelin fulfills a modulatory role during the formation of layer-specific and topographic connections in the hippocampus. They also suggest that Reelin promotes maturation of single fibers and synaptogenesis by entorhinal afferents.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Borrell
- Department of Animal and Plant Cell Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
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34
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Zhou HM, Walthall WW. UNC-55, an orphan nuclear hormone receptor, orchestrates synaptic specificity among two classes of motor neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurosci 1998; 18:10438-44. [PMID: 9852581 PMCID: PMC6793349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Loss of UNC-55 function in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans causes one motor neuron class, the ventral D (VD) motor neurons, to adopt the synaptic pattern of another motor neuron class, the dorsal D (DD) motor neurons. Here we show that unc-55 encodes a member of the nuclear hormone receptor gene family that is similar to the vertebrate chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factors. Although the VD and DD motor neuron classes arise from different lineages at different developmental stages, they share a number of structural and functional features that appear to be the product of identical genetic programs. UNC-55 is expressed in the VD but not the DD motor neurons to modify this genetic program and to create the synaptic pattern that distinguishes the two motor neuron classes from one another.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Body Patterning
- Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics
- Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
- Cloning, Molecular
- Drosophila/genetics
- Green Fluorescent Proteins
- Humans
- Luminescent Proteins/genetics
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Motor Neurons/chemistry
- Motor Neurons/physiology
- Multigene Family
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Receptors, Cell Surface/chemistry
- Receptors, Cell Surface/genetics
- Receptors, Cell Surface/metabolism
- Receptors, Cell Surface/physiology
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/chemistry
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/metabolism
- Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/physiology
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/analysis
- Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics
- Sequence Alignment
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
- Synapses/genetics
- Zebrafish/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- H M Zhou
- Department of Biology and Center for Neural Communication and Computation, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, USA
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Mears SC, Frank E. Formation of specific monosynaptic connections between muscle spindle afferents and motoneurons in the mouse. J Neurosci 1997; 17:3128-35. [PMID: 9096147 PMCID: PMC6573627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In adult vertebrates, sensory neurons innervating stretch-sensitive muscle spindles make monosynaptic excitatory connections with specific subsets of motoneurons in the spinal cord. Spindle afferents (Ia fibers) make the strongest connections with motoneurons supplying the same (homonymous) muscle but make few or no connections with motoneurons supplying antagonistic or functionally unrelated muscles. In lower vertebrates these connections are specific from the time they first are formed, but there is comparatively little information about how these reflex connections form in mammals. We therefore studied the pattern of these synaptic connections during postnatal development in mice. Intracellular recordings were made from identified hindlimb motoneurons in an isolated spinal cord preparation, and monosynaptic inputs from Ia fibers in identified hindlimb muscle nerves were measured at different times during the first postnatal week. The pattern of connections was specific throughout this period. Ia fibers made strong connections with homonymous motoneurons but only weak connections with antagonistic motoneurons at every time point examined, from P0 through P7. Even when muscle nerves were stimulated at only 0.1 Hz, the pattern of connections was still highly specific, arguing against a special subpopulation of labile inappropriate connections. The absence of appreciable rearrangements in the pattern of these connections during the first postnatal week is, therefore, analogous to the situation in lower vertebrates, suggesting that mechanisms responsible for establishing this specificity have been conserved during evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Mears
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA
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