Target recognition at the tips of postsynaptic filopodia: accumulation and function of Capricious

While much evidence suggests that postsynaptic dynamism contributes to the formation of synapses, few studies have addressed its possible role in target selection. Do postsynaptic motile structures seek specific synaptic partner cells, as does the presynaptic growth cone? Here we studied the dynamics of myopodia, postsynaptic filopodia in Drosophila muscles, and the role of Capricious (CAPS) during the process of synaptic matchmaking. CAPS is a target recognition molecule with an extracellular domain containing leucine-rich repeat sequences. It is expressed in specific subsets of embryonic/larval body wall muscles, including muscle 12 (M12). We provide evidence that implicates the tips of myopodia as loci of initial neuromuscular recognition: (1) CAPS, expressed as a GFP-fusion protein in M12, accumulated at the tips of myopodia; and (2) simultaneous live imaging of presynaptic motoneurons and postsynaptic myopodia revealed that initial neuromuscular contacts occur at the tips of myopodia. The live imaging also showed that individual postsynaptic myopodia appear to be able to discriminate partner and non-partner presynaptic cells: whereas many myopodial contacts with the partner motoneurons are stabilized to form synapses, those with non-partner neurons are retracted. In caps mutants, or in double mutants lacking both CAPS and the closely related protein Tartan, we observed fewer contacts between myopodia of M12 and the presynaptic growth cones during the process of initial neuromuscular interaction. The nascent synaptic sites of M12 were also reduced. These results provide evidence for the sensing function of postsynaptic filopodia, and implicate Caps-mediated recognition at the tips of myopodia in synaptic matching.