The Drosophila Wnt, Wingless, Provides an Essential Signal for Pre- and Postsynaptic Differentiation

Overview

Journal Cell

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2002 Nov 7

PMID 12419243

Citations 221

Authors

Mary Packard

Ellen Sumin Koo

Michael Gorczyca

Jade Sharpe

Susan Cumberledge

Vivian Budnik

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

At vertebrate neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), Agrin plays pivotal roles in synapse development, but molecules that activate synapse formation at central synapses are largely unknown. Members of the Wnt family are well established as morphogens, yet recently they have also been implicated in synapse maturation. Here we demonstrate that the Drosophila Wnt, Wingless (Wg), is essential for synapse development. We show that Wg and its receptor are expressed at glutamatergic NMJs, and that Wg is secreted by synaptic boutons. Loss of Wg leads to dramatic reductions in target-dependent synapse formation, and new boutons either fail to develop active zones and postsynaptic specializations or these are strikingly aberrant. We suggest that Wg signals the coordinated development of pre- and postsynaptic compartments.

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