| First Author | Maddox JW | Year | 2020 |
| Journal | Elife | Volume | 9 |
| PubMed ID | 32940604 | Mgi Jnum | J:302489 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6508165 | Doi | 10.7554/eLife.62184 |
| Citation | Maddox JW, et al. (2020) A dual role for Cav1.4 Ca(2+) channels in the molecular and structural organization of the rod photoreceptor synapse. Elife 9:e62184 |
| abstractText | Synapses are fundamental information processing units that rely on voltage-gated Ca(2+) (Cav) channels to trigger Ca(2+)-dependent neurotransmitter release. Cav channels also play Ca(2+)-independent roles in other biological contexts, but whether they do so in axon terminals is unknown. Here, we addressed this unknown with respect to the requirement for Cav1.4 L-type channels for the formation of rod photoreceptor synapses in the retina. Using a mouse strain expressing a non-conducting mutant form of Cav1.4, we report that the Cav1.4 protein, but not its Ca(2+) conductance, is required for the molecular assembly of rod synapses; however, Cav1.4 Ca(2+) signals are needed for the appropriate recruitment of postsynaptic partners. Our results support a model in which presynaptic Cav channels serve both as organizers of synaptic building blocks and as sources of Ca(2+) ions in building the first synapse of the visual pathway and perhaps more broadly in the nervous system. |
