Synaptic maturation of the Xenopus retinotectal system: effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor on synapse ultrastructure.

ABSTRACT: Synaptogenesis is a dynamic process that involves structural changes in developing axons and dendrites as synapses form and mature. The visual system of Xenopus laevis has been used as a model to study dynamic changes in axons and dendrites as synapses form in the living brain and the molecular mechanisms that control these processes. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) contributes to the establishment and refinement of visual connectivity by modulating retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon arborization and presynaptic differentiation. Here, we have analyzed the ultrastructural organization of the Xenopus retinotectal system to understand better the maturation of this synaptic circuit and the relation between synapse ultrastructure and the structural changes in connectivity that take place

SUBMITTER: Nikolakopoulou AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2922692 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature