Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Synaptic cell adhesion goes functional.

Markus Missler1

  • 1Zentrum Physiologie und Pathophysiologie, Georg-August Universität, 37073 Göttingen, Germany. mmissle1@gwdg.de

Trends in Neurosciences
|April 12, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Should medical teachers spend more time modelling or coaching students? A dual eye-tracking and randomised controlled study on peer instruction in sonography.

Medical education·2025
Same author

Looking at Social Interactions in Medical Education with Dual Eye-Tracking Technology: A Scoping Review.

MedEdPublish (2016)·2025
Same author

Gaze cueing improves pattern recognition of histology learners.

Anatomical sciences education·2024
Same author

Conditional Knockout of Neurexins Alters the Contribution of Calcium Channel Subtypes to Presynaptic Ca<sup>2+</sup> Influx.

Cells·2024
Same author

Interprofessional socialization of first-year medical and midwifery students: effects of an ultra-brief anatomy training.

BMC medical education·2024
Same author

Profiling learning strategies of medical students: A person-centered approach.

Medical education·2024
Same journal

Emulating the periodic table: A unified list of CNS terms and abbreviations for humans and experimental animals.

Trends in neurosciences·2026
Same journal

From chromatin dynamics to brain disease: Polycomb-Trithorax mechanisms in neurodevelopment.

Trends in neurosciences·2026
Same journal

Striatum regulates the cortex via the basal forebrain cholinergic system: A role for substance P.

Trends in neurosciences·2026
Same journal

A large brain adds new types of neurons: Molecular and functional signatures of spindle neurons in the human neocortex.

Trends in neurosciences·2026
Same journal

Exercise as a regulator of glymphatic function.

Trends in neurosciences·2026
Same journal

The neural basis of laughter.

Trends in neurosciences·2026
See all related articles

Researchers identified a new family of synaptic cell-adhesion molecules (SynCAMs) in mice. These molecules promote the formation and differentiation of functional synapses in vitro, offering new insights into synaptic development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Numerous candidate genes are linked to synaptic function, but their specific roles remain largely unproven.
  • Understanding the molecular mechanisms of synaptic formation and differentiation is crucial for neuroscience research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify novel molecules involved in synaptic structure and function.
  • To investigate the role of newly identified synaptic cell-adhesion molecules (SynCAMs) in synapse formation and differentiation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized extensive sequence data analysis to identify novel gene families.
  • Employed in vitro assays to study the function of identified SynCAMs in synapse development.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • A novel family of homophilic synaptic cell-adhesion molecules (SynCAMs) was identified in mice.
  • SynCAMs were found to be evolutionarily related to invertebrate immunoglobulin-like (Ig)-domain proteins.
  • These molecules demonstrated the ability to promote the formation and differentiation of functional synapses in vitro.

Conclusions:

  • SynCAMs represent a newly discovered class of molecules critical for synaptic development.
  • The findings provide strong evidence for the role of SynCAMs in establishing functional synaptic connections.
  • This discovery opens new avenues for exploring synaptic biology and potential therapeutic targets.