title: Presynaptic morphogenesis, active zone organization and structural plasticity in Drosophila.
abstract: Effective adaptation of neural circuit function to a changing environment requires many forms of plasticity. Among these, structural plasticity is one of the most durable, and is also an intrinsic part of the developmental logic for the formation and refinement of synaptic connectivity. Structural plasticity of presynaptic sites can involve the addition, remodeling, or removal of pre- and post-synaptic elements. However, this requires coordination of morphogenesis and assembly of the subcellular machinery for neurotransmitter release within the presynaptic neuron, as well as coordination of these events with the postsynaptic cell. While much progress has been made in revealing the cell biological mechanisms of postsynaptic structural plasticity, our understanding of presynaptic mechanisms is less complete.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate University, Tancha 1919-1, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan. Electronic address: davie_vanvactor@hms.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Van Vactor
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biologie/Genetik and NeuroCure, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustrasse 6, D-14195 Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: stephan.sigrist@fu-berlin.de.
authors.forename: Stephan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Sigrist
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission