'Identify' and 'lock in': molecular integration during synaptic target recognition.
Synaptic target recognition is a complex molecular event. In a differentiating presynaptic terminal, relatively 'rare' molecules first detect the cell identity of the synaptic target. Subsequently, many 'common' molecules continue the process of synaptogenesis. We present a theoretical framework for understanding synaptic target recognition and discuss the features of its molecular components and their integration, drawing on the rapid progress made in recent studies.
Hoang
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Department of Cell and Structural Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801, USA. hoang@uiuc.edu
Chiba
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D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016023:Integrins / Q000502:physiology; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*
D015820:Cadherins; D016023:Integrins