Rice D S, Nusinowitz S, Azimi A M, Martínez A, Soriano E, Curran T
Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA.
Neuron. 2001 Sep 27;31(6):929-41. doi: 10.1016/s0896-6273(01)00436-6.
The formation of synaptic connections requires the coordination of specific guidance molecules and spontaneous neuronal activity. The visual system has provided a useful model for understanding the role of these cues in shaping the precise connections from the neural retina to the brain. Here, we demonstrate that two essential genes in the Reelin signaling pathway function during the patterning of synaptic connectivity in the retina. Physiological studies of mice deficient in either reelin or disabled-1 reveal an attenuation of rod-driven retinal responses. This defect is associated with a decrease in rod bipolar cell density and an abnormal distribution of processes in the inner plexiform layer. These results imply that, in addition to its essential role during neuronal migration, the Reelin pathway contributes to the formation of neuronal circuits in the central nervous system.
突触连接的形成需要特定导向分子与自发神经元活动的协调配合。视觉系统为理解这些线索在塑造从神经视网膜到大脑的精确连接中所起的作用提供了一个有用的模型。在此，我们证明Reelin信号通路中的两个关键基因在视网膜突触连接模式形成过程中发挥作用。对缺乏reelin或disabled-1的小鼠进行的生理学研究显示，视杆细胞驱动的视网膜反应减弱。这一缺陷与视杆双极细胞密度降低以及内网状层中神经突分布异常有关。这些结果表明，除了在神经元迁移过程中的重要作用外，Reelin信号通路还对中枢神经系统中神经元回路的形成有贡献。
