Expression of a conserved cell-type-specific protein in nerve terminals coincides with synaptogenesis.
Contact of axons with target territories results in the formation of synapses, specific junctional complexes that may represent a final stage of neuronal maturation. Synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP-25) is a component of particular nerve terminals recently identified in rodent brain. To evaluate the structure and regulation of molecular components of the synapse, we investigated the expression of SNAP-25 in the developing chicken nervous system. Analysis of SNAP-25 cDNA clones demonstrated that the chicken homologue is identical in amino acid sequence to the mouse protein. In chicken retina and neural tube, the onset of SNAP-25 mRNA and protein expression was found to correspond to the time of synaptogenesis. These results suggest that SNAP-25 plays a role in the physiology of mature nerve terminals and that its expression may be regulated by specific cell-cell interactions occurring during synapse formation.
Catsicas
S
S
Department of Neuropharmacology, Research Institute of Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, CA 92037.
Larhammar
D
D
Blomqvist
A
A
Sanna
P P
PP
Milner
R J
RJ
Wilson
M C
MC
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000502:physiology; D015723:Gene Library; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009411:Nerve Endings / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012160:Retina / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D050825:Synaptosomal-Associated Protein 25; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000502:physiology*
D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C494209:Snap25 protein, mouse; D050825:Synaptosomal-Associated Protein 25