title: Drosophila neuroligin3 regulates neuromuscular junction development and synaptic differentiation.
abstract: Neuroligins (Nlgs) are a family of cell adhesion molecules thought to be important for synapse maturation and function. Mammalian studies have shown that different Nlgs have different roles in synaptic maturation and function. In Drosophila melanogaster, the roles of Drosophila neuroligin1 (DNlg1), neuroligin2, and neuroligin4 have been examined. However, the roles of neuroligin3 (dnlg3) in synaptic development and function have not been determined. In this study, we used the Drosophila neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) as a model system to investigate the in vivo role of dnlg3. We showed that DNlg3 was expressed in both the CNS and NMJs where it was largely restricted to the postsynaptic site. We generated dnlg3 mutants and showed that these mutants exhibited an increased bouton number and reduced bouton size compared with the wild-type (WT) controls. Consistent with alterations in bouton properties, pre- and postsynaptic differentiations were affected in dnlg3 mutants. This included abnormal synaptic vesicle endocytosis, increased postsynaptic density length, and reduced GluRIIA recruitment. In addition to impaired synaptic development and differentiation, we found that synaptic transmission was reduced in dnlg3 mutants. Altogether, our data showed that DNlg3 was required for NMJ development, synaptic differentiation, and function.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Guanglin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Guangming
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Dandan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Mingkuan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Jukang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Huihui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China.
authors.forename: Junhai
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Institute of Life Sciences, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China. Electronic address: wei.xie@seu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000502:physiology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D004705:Endocytosis; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000378:metabolism; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; C098004:neuroligin 3
keywords: Drosophila; Electron Microscopy (EM); Glutamate Receptor; Synapse; Synaptic Plasticity