Straightjacket is required for the synaptic stabilization of cacophony, a voltage-gated calcium channel alpha1 subunit.

ABSTRACT: In a screen to identify genes involved in synaptic function, we isolated mutations in Drosophila melanogaster straightjacket (stj), an alpha(2)delta subunit of the voltage-gated calcium channel. stj mutant photoreceptors develop normal synaptic connections but display reduced "on-off" transients in electroretinogram recordings, indicating a failure to evoke postsynaptic responses and, thus, a defect in neurotransmission. stj is expressed in neurons but excluded from glia. Mutants exhibit endogenous seizure-like activity, indicating altered neuronal excitability. However, at the synaptic level, stj larval neuromuscular junctions exhibit approximately fourfold reduction in synaptic release compared with controls stemming from a reduced release probability at these synapses. These defects lik

SUBMITTER: Ly CV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2287295 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature