In search of proteins that are important for synaptic functions in Drosophila visual system

This is the second of two reviews that include some of the studies we, members of the Pak laboratory and collaborators, did from 2000 to 2010 on the mutants that affect synaptic transmission in the Drosophila visual system. Of the five mutants we discuss, two turned out to also play roles in the larval neuromuscular junction. This review complements the one on phototransduction to give a fairly complete account of what we focused on during the 10-year period, although we also did some studies on photoreceptor degeneration in the early part of the decade. Besides showing the power of using a genetic approach to the study of synaptic transmission, the review contains some unexpected results that illustrate the serendipitous nature of research.