Transsynaptic Teneurin Signaling in Neuromuscular Synapse Organization and Target Choice. Nature. 2012; (this issue

Abstract

Synapse assembly requires trans-synaptic signals between the preand postsynapse 1 , but our understanding of the essential organizational molecules involved in this process remains incomplete 2 . Teneurin proteins are conserved, epidermal growth factor (EGF)-repeat-containing transmembrane proteins with large extracellular domains Vertebrate teneurins are enriched in the developing brain Both Ten-m and Ten-a were enriched at the larval NMJ ( The localization of Ten-a and Ten-m suggested their trans-synaptic interaction. To examine this, we co-expressed Myc-tagged Ten-a in nerves using the Q system 14 and haemagglutinin (HA)-tagged Ten-m in muscles using GAL4. Muscle Ten-m was able to coimmunoprecipitate nerve Ten-a from larval synaptosomes To determine Teneurin function at the NMJ, we examined the ten-a null allele and larvae with neuron or muscle RNAi of ten-a and/or ten-m. Following such perturbations, bouton number and size were altered: the quantity was reduced by 55