QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online 24 September 2003
doi: 10.1242/dev.00772

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: dev.00772v1 130/22/5457    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Marqués, G. Articles by O'Connor, M. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Marqués, G. Articles by O'Connor, M. B. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Retrograde Gbb signaling through the Bmp type 2 receptor Wishful Thinking regulates systemic FMRFa expression in Drosophila

Guillermo Marqués^1,, Theodore E. Haerry^1,, M. Lisa Crotty¹, Mingshan Xue², Bing Zhang² and Michael B. O'Connor^1,¶

¹ Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN55455, USA
² The University of Texas at Austin, Section of Neurobiology Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, 227 Patterson Laboratories, Austin, TX78712, USA

^¶ Author for correspondence (e-mail: moconnor{at}mail.med.umn.edu)

Accepted 29 July 2003

Amidated neuropeptides of the FMRFamide class regulate numerous physiological processes including synaptic efficacy at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ). We demonstrate here that mutations in wishful thinking (wit) a gene encoding a Drosophila Bmp type 2 receptor that is required for proper neurotransmitter release at the neuromuscular junction, also eliminates expression of FMRFa in that subset of neuroendocrine cells (Tv neurons) which provide the systemic supply of FMRFa peptides. We show that Gbb, a Bmp ligand expressed in the neurohemal organ provides a retrograde signal that helps specify the peptidergic phenotype of the Tv neurons. Finally, we show that supplying FMRFa in neurosecretory cells partially rescues the wit lethal phenotype without rescuing the primary morphological or electrophysiological defects of wit mutants. We propose that Wit and Gbb globally regulate NMJ function by controlling both the growth and transmitter release properties of the synapse as well as the expression of systemic modulators of NMJ synaptic activity.

Key words: FMRFamide, Neurohemal organ, Neuromuscular junction

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. T. Eade and D. W. Allan Neuronal Phenotype in the Mature Nervous System Is Maintained by Persistent Retrograde Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling J. Neurosci., March 25, 2009; 29(12): 3852 - 3864. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. P. Wairkar, H. Toda, H. Mochizuki, K. Furukubo-Tokunaga, T. Tomoda, and A. DiAntonio Unc-51 Controls Active Zone Density and Protein Composition by Downregulating ERK Signaling J. Neurosci., January 14, 2009; 29(2): 517 - 528. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. Feng and C.-P. Ko Schwann Cells Promote Synaptogenesis at the Neuromuscular Junction via Transforming Growth Factor-{beta}1 J. Neurosci., September 24, 2008; 28(39): 9599 - 9609. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Sidyelyeva, N. E. Baker, and L. D. Fricker Characterization of the Molecular Basis of the Drosophila Mutations in Carboxypeptidase D: EFFECT ON ENZYME ACTIVITY AND EXPRESSION J. Biol. Chem., May 12, 2006; 281(19): 13844 - 13852. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Miguel-Aliaga and S. Thor Segment-specific prevention of pioneer neuron apoptosis by cell-autonomous, postmitotic Hox gene activity Development, December 15, 2004; 131(24): 6093 - 6105. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Miguel-Aliaga, D. W. Allan, and S. Thor Independent roles of the dachshund and eyes absent genes in BMP signaling, axon pathfinding and neuronal specification Development, December 1, 2004; 131(23): 5837 - 5848. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. A. Baines Synaptic Strengthening Mediated by Bone Morphogenetic Protein-Dependent Retrograde Signaling in the Drosophila CNS J. Neurosci., August 4, 2004; 24(31): 6904 - 6911. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Osterwalder, A. Kuhnen, W. M. Leiserson, Y.-S. Kim, and H. Keshishian Drosophila Serpin 4 Functions as a Neuroserpin-Like Inhibitor of Subtilisin-Like Proprotein Convertases J. Neurosci., June 16, 2004; 24(24): 5482 - 5491. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]