McCann Corey M, Nguyen Quyen T, Santo Neto Humberto, Lichtman Jeff W
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
J Neurosci. 2007 May 30;27(22):6064-7. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0627-07.2007.
To examine the role of retrograde signals on synaptic maintenance, we inhibited protein synthesis in individual postsynaptic cells in vivo while monitoring presynaptic terminals. Within 12 h, axon terminals begin to atrophy and withdraw from normal postsynaptic sites. Structural similarities between this process and naturally occurring synapse elimination suggest that short-lived target derived factors not only participate in synaptic maintenance in adults, but also regulate elimination of connections during development.
为了研究逆行信号在突触维持中的作用，我们在体内监测突触前终末的同时抑制单个突触后细胞中的蛋白质合成。在12小时内，轴突终末开始萎缩并从正常的突触后位点脱离。这一过程与自然发生的突触消除之间的结构相似性表明，短暂的靶源性因子不仅参与成年期的突触维持，还在发育过程中调节连接的消除。
