Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 29, 2026

Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay
Published on: May 3, 2018
S6 kinase localizes to the presynaptic active zone and functions with PDK1 to control synapse development
Ling Cheng1, Cody Locke, Graeme W Davis
1Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
None:
The dimensions of neuronal dendrites, axons, and synaptic terminals are reproducibly specified for each neuron type, yet it remains unknown how these structures acquire their precise dimensions of length and diameter. Similarly, it remains unknown how active zone number and synaptic strength are specified relative the precise dimensions of presynaptic boutons. In this paper, we demonstrate that S6 kinase (S6K) localizes to the presynaptic active zone. Specifically, S6K colocalizes with the presynaptic protein Bruchpilot (Brp) and requires Brp for active zone localization. We then provide evidence that S6K functions downstream of presynaptic PDK1 to control synaptic bouton size, active zone number, and synaptic function without influencing presynaptic bouton number. We further demonstrate that PDK1 is also a presynaptic protein, though it is distributed more broadly. We present a model in which synaptic S6K responds to local extracellular nutrient and growth factor signaling at the synapse to modulate developmental size specification, including cell size, bouton size, active zone number, and neurotransmitter release.
More Related Videos
09:32Light-mediated Reversible Modulation of the Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase Pathway during Cell Differentiation and Xenopus Embryonic Development
Published on: June 15, 2017
10:41Visualizing Protein Kinase A Activity In Head-fixed Behaving Mice Using In Vivo Two-photon Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy
Published on: June 7, 2019
Related Concept Videos
MAPK Signaling Cascades
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade
Inhibition of Cdk Activity
The JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
Assembly of Signaling Complexes
Interaction domains in cell signaling
Interaction domains recognize exposed features of their binding partners containing post-translationally modified sequences,...