37 Questions
What is the function of presynaptic boutons?
Store neurotransmitters in synaptic vesicles
What is the role of presynaptic active zones?
Fuse with synaptic vesicles
Which component of the synapse is involved in clustering postsynaptic receptors and ion channels at high density?
Postsynaptic density
What is the specialized content of the synaptic cleft?
Synaptic extracellular matrix
During which phase of synapse formation does target selection occur?
Phase 1: Target selection
Which drug specifically inhibits action potentials by blocking sodium channels that depolarize neurons?
Tetrodotoxin
What is the role of the postsynaptic denisity (PSD) in a synapse?
Regulate synapse function
How do drugs like tetrodotoxin typically affect the first phase of synapse formation?
Have no effect on target selection
Which phase of synapse formation involves remodeling the initial course distribution of synaptic connections?
Address selection phase.
What is the role of Agrin in neuromuscular junctions?
Induces clustering of AChRs in cultured myotubes
What happens in MuSK knockout mice?
AChRs do not properly localize
Which molecule is an intracellular adaptor protein for AChRs?
Rapsyn
What is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in CNS synapses?
Glutamate
Which synapses can be axo-dendritic, axo-somatic, or axo-axonic?
CNS synapses
What is the function of netrin-1 in synapses?
Recruits AMPA-Rs to synapses
Which molecule promotes excitatory glutamatergic synapse formation when overexpressed in cortex neurons?
SynCAM
What is a key difference between CNS and PNS synapses in terms of neurotransmitter release?
CNS requires transmitter release from multiple synapses to depolarize the post-synaptic neuron, while PNS does not.
In what way does Rapsyn knockout mice phenotype differ from MuSK knockout mice phenotype?
Both exhibit severe lack of clustering.
What is the role of the intracellular domain of cadherins in synaptic terminals?
Binds to actin
What is the role of Ephrins in axon guidance?
They repel the axons of neurons expressing the corresponding receptor
What effect does disrupting cadherins have on synaptic function?
Reduces PSD95 complex clustering
What is the primary neurotransmitter at the mammalian Neuromuscular Junction (NMJ)?
Acetylcholine
What change in AChR subunits occurs after innervation of myotubes?
A shift from delta to epsilon subunits
In knockout mice lacking gephrin, what is the impact on post-synaptic clustering?
No post-synaptic clustering occurs
What is the function of heterophilic synaptic adhesion molecules like beta-neurexin and neuroligin?
Link pre- and post-synapse sides
What triggers the differentiation of both presynaptic and post-synaptic elements during synapse formation?
Recognition of the target and adhesive interaction
What is the role of PDZ domains in synaptic organization?
Cluster ion channels at the post-synapse
Which protein activates the receptor tyrosine kinase erbB on the post-synaptic membrane of myotubes?
Neuregulin (Nr)
Which proteins contain PDZ domains involved in synaptic function?
PSD95, Cask, ZO-3
What is one of the mechanisms that contribute to AChR clustering?
Redistribution of existing receptors in the plane of the membrane
What does experiment A, denervating a mature NMJ, suggest about AChR clustering?
A nerve is required for AChR clustering to occur
What is the role of the active zones in synaptic terminals?
Anchor synaptic vesicles
What is the proposed function of a presynaptic active zone precursor vesicle?
Facilitating the formation of active zones
What are Ephrins and Eph receptors responsible for directing?
Innervation of the tectum
What is one outcome of synapse formation involving recognition and adhesive interaction?
Enhanced gene transcription in synaptic nuclei
How do CNS neurons differ in response compared to NMJ neurons?
They cluster different types of receptors.
What is the effect of expressing neuroligin by a non-neuronal cell on an axon that contacts it?
Triggers presynaptic differentiation.
Test your knowledge on the signals that lead to acetylcholine receptor clustering at the original synaptic site during neuromuscular junction (NMJ) regeneration.
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