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Light-induced structural and functional plasticity in Drosophila larval visual system.

ABSTRACT: How to build and maintain a reliable yet flexible circuit is a fundamental question in neurobiology. The nervous system has the capacity for undergoing modifications to adapt to the changing environment while maintaining its stability through compensatory mechanisms, such as synaptic homeostasis. Here, we describe our findings in the Drosophila larval visual system, where the variation of sensory inputs induced substantial structural plasticity in dendritic arbors of the postsynaptic neuron and concomitant changes to its physiological output. Furthermore, our genetic analyses have identified the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) pathway and a previously uncharacterized cell surface molecule as critical components in regulating experience-dependent modification of the postsynaptic dendrite morphology in Drosophila.

SUBMITTER: Yuan Q

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4114502 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Light-induced structural and functional plasticity in Drosophila larval visual system.

Yuan Quan Q Xiang Yang Y Yan Zhiqiang Z Han Chun C Jan Lily Yeh LY Jan Yuh Nung YN

Science (New York, N.Y.) 20110901 6048

How to build and maintain a reliable yet flexible circuit is a fundamental question in neurobiology. The nervous system has the capacity for undergoing modifications to adapt to the changing environment while maintaining its stability through compensatory mechanisms, such as synaptic homeostasis. Here, we describe our findings in the Drosophila larval visual system, where the variation of sensory inputs induced substantial structural plasticity in dendritic arbors of the postsynaptic neuron and ...[more]

PMID: 21903815

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Project description:Throughout the nervous system, the convergence of two or more presynaptic inputs on a target cell is commonly observed. The question we ask here is to what extent converging inputs influence each other's structural and functional synaptic plasticity. In complex circuits, isolating individual inputs is difficult because postsynaptic cells can receive thousands of inputs. An ideal model to address this question is the Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) where each postsynaptic muscle cell receives inputs from two glutamatergic types of motor neurons (MNs), known as 1b and 1s MNs. Notably, each muscle is unique and receives input from a different combination of 1b and 1s MNs; we surveyed multiple muscles for this reason. Here, we identified a cell-specific promoter that allows ablation of 1s MNs postinnervation and measured structural and functional responses of convergent 1b NMJs using microscopy and electrophysiology. For all muscles examined in both sexes, ablation of 1s MNs resulted in NMJ expansion and increased spontaneous neurotransmitter release at corresponding 1b NMJs. This demonstrates that 1b NMJs can compensate for the loss of convergent 1s MNs. However, only a subset of 1b NMJs showed compensatory evoked neurotransmission, suggesting target-specific plasticity. Silencing 1s MNs led to similar plasticity at 1b NMJs, suggesting that evoked neurotransmission from 1s MNs contributes to 1b synaptic plasticity. Finally, we genetically blocked 1s innervation in male larvae and robust 1b synaptic plasticity was eliminated, raising the possibility that 1s NMJ formation is required to set up a reference for subsequent synaptic perturbations.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In complex neural circuits, multiple convergent inputs contribute to the activity of the target cell, but whether synaptic plasticity exists among these inputs has not been thoroughly explored. In this study, we examined synaptic plasticity in the structurally and functionally tractable Drosophila larval neuromuscular system. In this convergent circuit, each muscle is innervated by a unique pair of motor neurons. Removal of one neuron after innervation causes the adjacent neuron to increase neuromuscular junction outgrowth and functional output. However, this is not a general feature as each motor neuron differentially compensates. Further, robust compensation requires initial coinnervation by both neurons. Understanding how neurons respond to perturbations in adjacent neurons will provide insight into nervous system plasticity in both healthy and disease states.

Dataset Information

Light-induced structural and functional plasticity in Drosophila larval visual system.

Publications

Light-induced structural and functional plasticity in Drosophila larval visual system.

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