Maintenance of homeostatic plasticity at the Drosophila neuromuscular synapse requires continuous IP₃-directed signaling.

ABSTRACT: Synapses and circuits rely on neuroplasticity to adjust output and meet physiological needs. Forms of homeostatic synaptic plasticity impart stability at synapses by countering destabilizing perturbations. The Drosophila melanogaster larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a model synapse with robust expression of homeostatic plasticity. At the NMJ, a homeostatic system detects impaired postsynaptic sensitivity to neurotransmitter and activates a retrograde signal that restores synaptic function by adjusting neurotransmitter release. This process has been separated into temporally distinct phases, induction and maintenance. One prevailing hypothesis is that a shared mechanism governs both phases. Here, we show the two phases are separable. Combining genetics, pharmacology, and electr

SUBMITTER: James TD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6557630 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature