title: The Purkinje cell as a model of synaptogenesis and synaptic specificity.
abstract: Since the groundbreaking work of Ramon y Cajal, the cerebellar Purkinje cell has always represented an ideal model for studying the organization, development and function of synaptic circuits. Purkinje cells receive distinct types of glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses, each characterized by exquisite sub-cellular and molecular specificity. The formation and refinement of these connections results from a temporally-regulated sequence of events that involves molecular interactions between distinct sets of secreted and surface proteins, as well as activity-dependent competition between converging inputs. Insights into the mechanisms controlling synaptic specificity in Purkinje cells may help understand synapse development also in other brain regions and disclose circuit abnormalities that underlie neurodevelopmental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, C.so Massimo d'Azeglio 52, I-10126 Turin, Italy. Electronic address: marco.sassoe@unito.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sassoè-Pognetto
authors.affiliation: FM Kirby Neurobiology Center, Boston Children's Hospital, 3 Blackfan Circle, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: annarita.patrizi@childrens.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Annarita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patrizi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Cerebellum; GABAergic synapse; Glutamatergic synapse; Purkinje cell; Synaptic specificity; Synaptogenesis