Capsid transfer of the retrotransposon Copia controls structural synaptic plasticity in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: Transposons are parasitic genome elements that can also serve as raw material for the evolution of new cellular functions. However, how retrotransposons are selected and domesticated by host organisms to modulate synaptic plasticity remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the Ty1 retrotransposon Copia forms virus-like capsids in vivo and transfers between cells. Copia is enriched at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and transported across synapses, and disrupting its expression promotes both synapse development and structural synaptic plasticity. We show that proper synaptic plasticity is maintained in Drosophila by the balance of Copia and the Arc1 (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein) homolog. High-resolution cryogenic-electron microscopy imaging shows that t

SUBMITTER: M'Angale PG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11835246 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature