Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2000 Feb 4;287(5454):864-9.
doi: 10.1126/science.287.5454.864.

Synaptic assembly of the brain in the absence of neurotransmitter secretion

M Verhage  1 , A S Maia, J J Plomp, A B Brussaard, J H Heeroma, H Vermeer, R F Toonen, R E Hammer, T K van den Berg, M Missler, H J Geuze, T C Südhof
Affiliations

Synaptic assembly of the brain in the absence of neurotransmitter secretion

M Verhage et al. Science. .

Abstract

Brain function requires precisely orchestrated connectivity between neurons. Establishment of these connections is believed to require signals secreted from outgrowing axons, followed by synapse formation between selected neurons. Deletion of a single protein, Munc18-1, in mice leads to a complete loss of neurotransmitter secretion from synaptic vesicles throughout development. However, this does not prevent normal brain assembly, including formation of layered structures, fiber pathways, and morphologically defined synapses. After assembly is completed, neurons undergo apoptosis, leading to widespread neurodegeneration. Thus, synaptic connectivity does not depend on neurotransmitter secretion, but its maintenance does. Neurotransmitter secretion probably functions to validate already established synaptic connections.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources