Laboratory of Developmental Genetics, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2010 Mar;11(3):212-7. doi: 10.1038/nrn2740. Epub 2009 Dec 23.
Neuronal synapses are important microstructures that underlie complex cognitive capacities. Recent studies, primarily in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster, have revealed surprising parallels between these synapses and the 'chemosensory synapses' that reside at the tips of chemosensory cells that respond to environmental stimuli. Similarities in the structures, mechanisms of action and specific molecules found at these sites extend to the presynaptic, postsynaptic and glial entities composing both synapse types. In this article I propose that chemosensory synapses may serve as useful models of neuronal synapses, and consider the possibility that the two synapse types derive from a common ancestral structure.
神经元突触是重要的微观结构，为复杂的认知能力提供基础。最近的研究，主要在秀丽隐杆线虫和黑腹果蝇中，揭示了这些突触与位于对环境刺激作出反应的化学感觉细胞末端的“化学感觉突触”之间令人惊讶的相似之处。这些部位的结构、作用机制和特定分子的相似性延伸到组成这两种突触类型的突触前、突触后和神经胶质实体。在本文中，我提出化学感觉突触可能作为神经元突触的有用模型，并考虑这两种突触类型是否源自共同的祖先结构。
