GSBS Student Publications
GSBS Program
Neuroscience
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Neurobiology; Budnik Lab; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience Program
Date
1-31-2007
Document Type
Article
Medical Subject Headings
Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Drosophila; Drosophila Proteins; Drug Resistance; Molecular Sequence Data; Presynaptic Terminals; SNARE Proteins; Synaptic Membranes; Tumor Suppressor Proteins
Disciplines
Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Abstract
Targeted membrane addition is a hallmark of many cellular functions. In the nervous system, modification of synaptic membrane size has a major impact on synaptic function. However, because of the complex shape of neurons and the need to target membrane addition to very small and polarized synaptic compartments, this process is poorly understood. Here, we show that Gtaxin (GTX), a Drosophila t-SNARE (target-soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor), is required for expansion of postsynaptic membranes during new synapse formation. Mutations in gtx lead to drastic reductions in postsynaptic membrane surface, whereas gtx upregulation results in the formation of complex membrane structures at ectopic sites. Postsynaptic GTX activity depends on its direct interaction with Discs-Large (DLG), a multidomain scaffolding protein of the PSD-95 (postsynaptic density protein-95) family with key roles in cell polarity and formation of cellular junctions as well as synaptic protein anchoring and trafficking. We show that DLG selectively determines the postsynaptic distribution of GTX to type I, but not to type II or type III boutons on the same cell, thereby defining sites of membrane addition to this unique set of glutamatergic synapses. We provide a mechanistic explanation for selective targeted membrane expansion at specific synaptic junctions.
Rights and Permissions
Citation: J Neurosci. 2007 Jan 31;27(5):1033-44. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI of Published Version
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3160-06.2007
Related Resources
Journal Title
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
PubMed ID
17267557
Repository Citation
Gorczyca, David; Ashley, James A.; Speese, Sean; Gherbesi, Norberto G.; Thomas, Ulrich; Gundelfinger, Eckart; Gramates, L. Sian; and Budnik, Vivian, "Postsynaptic membrane addition depends on the Discs-Large-interacting t-SNARE Gtaxin" (2007). GSBS Student Publications. 524.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/524