1. A dual role for Cav1.4 Ca2+ channels in the molecular and structural organization of the rod photoreceptor synapse.
- Author
-
Maddox, J. Wesley, Randall, Kate L., Yadav, Ravi P., Williams, Brittany, Hagen, Jussara, Derr, Paul J., Kerov, Vasily, Santina, Luca Della, Baker, Sheila A., Artemyev, Nikolai, Hoon, Mrinalini, and Lee, Amy
- Subjects
- *
PHOTORECEPTORS , *STRUCTURAL rods , *SYNAPSES , *NERVOUS system , *VISUAL pathways , *ION sources - Abstract
Synapses are fundamental information processing units that rely on voltage-gated Ca2+ (Cav) channels to trigger Ca2+-dependent neurotransmitter release. Cav channels also play Ca2+-independent roles in other biological contexts, but whether they do so in axon terminals is unknown. Here, we addressed this unknown with respect to the requirement for Cav1.4 L-type channels for the formation of rod photoreceptor synapses in the retina. Using a mouse strain expressing a non-conducting mutant form of Cav1.4, we report that the Cav1.4 protein, but not its Ca2+ conductance, is required for the molecular assembly of rod synapses; however, Cav1.4 Ca2+ signals are needed for the appropriate recruitment of postsynaptic partners. Our results support a model in which presynaptic Cav channels serve both as organizers of synaptic building blocks and as sources of Ca2+ ions in building the first synapse of the visual pathway and perhaps more broadly in the nervous system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF