Integration of a retrograde signal during synapse formation by glia-secreted TGF-beta ligand
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Authors
Fuentes-Medel, Yuly F.Ashley, James A.
Barria, Romina
Maloney, Rachel
Freeman, Marc R.
Budnik, Vivian
Student Authors
James AshleyYuly Fuentes-Medel
Academic Program
NeuroscienceUMass Chan Affiliations
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Neuroscience ProgramFreeman Lab
Budnik Lab
Neurobiology
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2012-10-09
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Glial cells are crucial regulators of synapse formation, elimination, and plasticity [1, 2]. In vitro studies have begun to identify glial-derived synaptogenic factors [1], but neuron-glia signaling events during synapse formation in vivo remain poorly defined. The coordinated development of pre- and postsynaptic compartments at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ) depends on a muscle-secreted retrograde signal, the TGF-beta/BMP Glass bottom boat (Gbb) [3, 4]. Muscle-derived Gbb activates the TGF-beta receptors Wishful thinking (Wit) and either Saxophone (Sax) or Thick veins (Tkv) in motor neurons [3, 4]. This induces phosphorylation of Mad (P-Mad) in motor neurons, its translocation into the nucleus with a co-Smad, and activation of transcriptional programs controlling presynaptic bouton growth [5]. Here we show that NMJ glia release the TGF-beta ligand Maverick (Mav), which likely activates the muscle activin-type receptor Punt to potently modulate Gbb-dependent retrograde signaling and synaptic growth. Loss of glial Mav results in strikingly reduced P-Mad at NMJs, decreased Gbb transcription in muscle, and in turn reduced muscle-to-motor neuron retrograde TGF-beta/BMP signaling. We propose that by controlling Gbb release from muscle, glial cells fine tune the ability of motor neurons to extend new synaptic boutons in correlation to muscle growth. Our work identifies a novel glia-derived synaptogenic factor by which glia modulate synapse formation in vivo.Source
Curr Biol. 2012 Oct 9;22(19):1831-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2012.07.063. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1016/j.cub.2012.07.063Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/37865PubMed ID
22959350Notes
First author Yuly Fuentes-Medel is a doctoral student in the Neuroscience Program in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at UMass Medical School.
Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1016/j.cub.2012.07.063