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- Title
straightjacket is required for the synaptic stabilization of cacophony, a voltage-gated calcium channel α<sub>1</sub> subunit.
- Authors
Ly, Cindy V.; Chi-Kuang Yao; Verstreken, Patrik; Ohyama, Tomoko; Bellen, Hugo J.
- Abstract
In a screen to identify genes involved in synaptic function, we isolated mutations in Drosophila melanogaster straightjacket (stj), an α[sub 2]δ subunit of the voltage-gated calcium channel, stj mutant photoreceptors develop normal synaptic connections but display reduced "on-off" transients in electroretinogram recordings, indicating a failure to evoke postsynaptic responses and, thus, a defect in neurotransmission, stj is expressed in neurons but excluded from glia. Mutants exhibit endogenous seizure-like activity, indicating altered neuronal excitability. However, at the synaptic level, stj larval neuromuscular junctions exhibit approximately fourfold reduction in synaptic release compared with controls stemming from a reduced release probability at these synapses. These defects likely stem from destabilization of Cacophony (Cac), the primary presynaptic α[sub 1] subunit in D. melanogaster. Interestingly, neuronal overexpression of cac partially rescues the viability and physiological defects in stj mutants, indicating a role for the α[sub 2]δ Ca[sup 2+] channel subunit in mediating the proper localization of an α[sub 1] subunit at synapses.
- Subjects
GENES; SYNAPSES; GENETIC mutation; DROSOPHILA melanogaster; CALCIUM channels; PHOTORECEPTORS
- Publication
Journal of Cell Biology, 2008, Vol 181, Issue 1, p157
- ISSN
0021-9525
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1083/jcb.200712152