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Updated: Jul 7, 2026

Inducing Dendritic Growth in Cultured Sympathetic Neurons
Published on: March 21, 2012
Retrograde signaling by Syt 4 induces presynaptic release and synapse-specific growth
Motojiro Yoshihara1, Bill Adolfsen, Kathleen T Galle
1Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Department of Biology, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. motojiro@mit.edu
Abstract:
The molecular pathways involved in retrograde signal transduction at synapses and the function of retrograde communication are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that postsynaptic calcium 2+ ion (Ca2+) influx through glutamate receptors and subsequent postsynaptic vesicle fusion trigger a robust induction of presynaptic miniature release after high-frequency stimulation at Drosophila neuromuscular junctions. An isoform of the synaptotagmin family, synaptotagmin 4 (Syt 4), serves as a postsynaptic Ca2+ sensor to release retrograde signals that stimulate enhanced presynaptic function through activation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-cAMP-dependent protein kinase pathway. Postsynaptic Ca2+ influx also stimulates local synaptic differentiation and growth through Syt 4-mediated retrograde signals in a synapse-specific manner.
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