Open AccessKinesin-3 mediated axonal delivery of presynaptic neurexin stabilizes dendritic spines and postsynaptic components
Author(s) -
Devyn Oliver,
Shankar Ramachandran,
Alison Philbrook,
Christopher M. Lambert,
Ken Nguyen,
David H. Hall,
Michael M. Francis
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
plos genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.587
H-Index - 233
eISSN - 1553-7404
pISSN - 1553-7390
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010016
Subject(s) - postsynaptic potential , neurexin , dendritic spine , biology , neuroscience , postsynaptic density , kinesin , gabaergic , microbiology and biotechnology , active zone , synapse , biological neural network , inhibitory postsynaptic potential , excitatory postsynaptic potential , synaptic vesicle , microtubule , receptor , biochemistry , vesicle , hippocampal formation , membrane
The functional properties of neural circuits are defined by the patterns of synaptic connections between their partnering neurons, but the mechanisms that stabilize circuit connectivity are poorly understood. We systemically examined this question at synapses onto newly characterized dendritic spines of C . elegans GABAergic motor neurons. We show that the presynaptic adhesion protein neurexin/NRX-1 is required for stabilization of postsynaptic structure. We find that early postsynaptic developmental events proceed without a strict requirement for synaptic activity and are not disrupted by deletion of neurexin/ nrx-1 . However, in the absence of presynaptic NRX-1, dendritic spines and receptor clusters become destabilized and collapse prior to adulthood. We demonstrate that NRX-1 delivery to presynaptic terminals is dependent on kinesin-3/UNC-104 and show that ongoing UNC-104 function is required for postsynaptic maintenance in mature animals. By defining the dynamics and temporal order of synapse formation and maintenance events in vivo , we describe a mechanism for stabilizing mature circuit connectivity through neurexin-based adhesion.