Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25681521›Full record

ArticleNeuroscience2015

BMP signaling and microtubule organization regulate synaptic strength.

R W Ball, E S Peled, G Guerrero, E Y Isacoff

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neuroscience, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

R W BallDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.
E S PeledDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.
G GuerreroDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States.
E Y IsacoffDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States; Physical Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States. Electronic address: ehud@berkeley.edu.
University of California, Berkeley · USLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory · US

Funding

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF SYNAPTIC GROWTH AND PLASTICITYR01MH060711 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI ISACOFF, EHUD · 2000 to 2004
$1.9M
Fluorescent Protein Sensors of Neural ActivityR01NS050833 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI ISACOFF, EHUD · 2005 to 2008
$1.3M
Howard Hughes Medical InstituteNIMH NIH HHS R01 MH060711NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS050833NINDS NIH HHS R01NS050833
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The strength of synaptic transmission between a neuron and multiple postsynaptic partners can vary considerably. We have studied synaptic heterogeneity using the glutamatergic Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ), which contains multiple synaptic connections of varying strengths between a motor axon and muscle fiber. In larval NMJs, there is a gradient of synaptic transmission from weak proximal to strong distal boutons. We imaged synaptic transmission with the postsynaptically targeted fluorescent calcium sensor SynapCam, to investigate the molecular pathways that determine synaptic strength and set up this gradient. We discovered that mutations in the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling pathway disrupt production of strong distal boutons. We find that strong connections contain unbundled microtubules in the boutons, suggesting a role for microtubule organization in transmission strength. The spastin mutation, which disorganizes microtubules, disrupted the transmission gradient, supporting this interpretation. We propose that the BMP pathway, shown previously to function in the homeostatic regulation of synaptic growth, also boosts synaptic transmission in a spatially selective manner that depends on the microtubule system.

Indexed as

Adenosine TriphosphatasesAnimalsAnimals, Genetically ModifiedBone Morphogenetic ProteinsCalciumDNA-Binding ProteinsDrosophilaDrosophila ProteinsFemaleFluorescent DyesImmunohistochemistryMicrotubule-Associated ProteinsMicrotubulesNeuromuscular JunctionPatch-Clamp TechniquesPresynaptic TerminalsAdenosine TriphosphatasesBone Morphogenetic ProteinsCalciumDNA-Binding ProteinsDrosophila ProteinsFluorescent Dyesfutsch protein, DrosophilaMAD protein, DrosophilaMicrotubule-Associated ProteinsReceptors, Cell Surfacespas protein, DrosophilaTranscription Factorswit protein, DrosophilaBone Morphogenetic Protein signaling pathwaydrosophilafluorescent calcium sensormicrotubuleneuromuscular junctionsynaptic transmission

Identifiers

PMID25681521
PMCPMC4369397
OpenAlexW2035188965

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.