Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROBIOLOGY
Volume 55, Issue 2, Pages 134-150Publisher
JOHN WILEY & SONS INC
DOI: 10.1002/neu.10189
Keywords
neurogenetics; neuromuscular junction; TGF-beta; synaptic development; physiology
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Funding
- NIA NIH HHS [5T32AG07434] Funding Source: Medline
- NIGMS NIH HHS [GM54832] Funding Source: Medline
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Transforming growth factor-betas (TGF-beta) comprise a superfamily of secreted proteins with diverse functions in patterning and cell division control. TGF-beta signaling has been implicated in synapse assembly and plasticity in both vertebrate and invertebrate systems. Recently, wishful thinking, a Drosophila gene that encodes a protein related to BMP type II receptors, has been shown to be required for the normal function and development of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). These findings suggest that a TGF-beta-related ligand activates a signaling cascade involving type I and II receptors and the Smad family of transcription factors to orchestrate the assembly of the NMJ. Here we demonstrate that the TGF-beta type I receptor Saxophone and the downstream transcription factor Mothers against dpp (Mad) are essential for the normal structural and functional development of the Drosophila NMJ, a synapse that displays activity-dependent plasticity. (C) 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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