Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026
08:10
Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
Published on: December 14, 2015
Retrograde signalling at the synapse: a role for Wnt proteins
1Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, University College London, University Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK. p.salinas@ucl.ac.uk
Biochemical Society Transactions
|October 26, 2005
Summary
Wnt secreted proteins act as retrograde signals, guiding axon remodeling and synapse formation. This involves changes in microtubule dynamics, crucial for presynaptic terminal development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Synapse formation requires precise communication between axons and target neurons.
- Axon guidance mechanisms are well-studied, but presynaptic terminal development is less understood.
- Wnt secreted proteins are implicated in neuronal development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Wnt secreted proteins in regulating axon remodeling during synapse formation.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which Wnts influence presynaptic differentiation.
- To explore the conserved Wnt signaling pathway in synapse development.
Main Methods:
- Studied axon remodeling in response to Wnt signaling in vertebrate and Drosophila models.
- Analyzed changes in axon extension, growth cone morphology, and microtubule dynamics.
- Investigated the Wnt-Dvl-GSK-3beta signaling pathway.
Main Results:
- Wnt proteins secreted by postsynaptic neurons act as retrograde signals.
- Wnts induce axon remodeling, characterized by reduced extension and increased growth cone size.
- Wnt signaling alters microtubule dynamics and organization during presynaptic terminal formation.
- The Wnt-Dvl-GSK-3beta pathway is involved in this remodeling process.
Conclusions:
- Wnt secreted proteins are critical retrograde signals for axon remodeling and synaptic differentiation.
- Wnt signaling modulates presynaptic microtubules, a conserved mechanism across species.
- The Wnt-Dvl-GSK-3beta pathway plays a key role in axon remodeling during central nervous system synapse formation.
Related Concept Videos
01:12Synaptic Signaling
Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
01:09Synaptic Signaling
Neurons communicate at synapses, or junctions, to excite or inhibit the activity of other neurons or target cells, such as muscles. Synapses may be chemical or electrical.
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...
Most synapses are chemical, meaning an electrical impulse or action potential spurs the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The neuron sending the signal is called the presynaptic neuron, and the neuron receiving the signal is the postsynaptic neuron.
The presynaptic neuron fires an action potential that...
03:14Notch Signaling Pathway
The Notch signaling pathway is a major intracellular signaling pathway that is highly conserved over a broad spectrum of metazoan species. It stands unique from other intracellular signaling mechanisms in animals because notch protein itself acts as the receptor as well as the primary signaling molecule.
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
The Notch gene came into the limelight in 1914 after the discovery that its mutation in Drosophila melanogaster leads to a serrated (or "notched") wing margin phenotype. It was not until 1985...
02:54Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway
The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which results in tumor...
01:41Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...
01:41Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways
Wnt is a zygotic effect gene that is expressed during very early embryonic development. It regulates various processes in animals starting from early development through the adult stage, such as organogenesis in the embryo and maintenance of neuronal and blood stem cells. Wnt proteins can induce a wide variety of intracellular pathways depending upon the specific abilities of different Wnt ligands to form a complex with shared and cognate receptors in the presence of different co-receptors. The...