Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

8.6K
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...
8.6K
Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways01:41

Non-Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathways

1.9K
1.9K
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

10.9K
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...
10.9K
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

2.6K
2.6K
Notch Signaling Pathway03:14

Notch Signaling Pathway

6.8K
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...
6.8K
Notch Signaling Pathway03:14

Notch Signaling Pathway

6.5K
6.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Probing the limits of genetic recoding using multi-omics-guided evolution.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Disease-causing mutations in Synaptotagmin can act via dominant-negative, gain-of-function or haploinsufficient mechanisms.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

A stochastic RNA editing process targets a select number of sites in individual <i>Drosophila</i> glutamatergic motoneurons.

eLife·2025
Same author

Active Zone Maturation Controls Presynaptic Output and Release Mode and Is Regulated by Neuronal Activity.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2025
Same author

Active zone maturation state controls synaptic output and release mode and is differentially regulated by neuronal activity.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

A conserved role for ALG10/ALG10B and the <i>N</i> -glycosylation pathway in the sleep-epilepsy axis.

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices
07:44

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices

Published on: October 6, 2017

18.4K

Shank Modulates Postsynaptic Wnt Signaling to Regulate Synaptic Development.

Kathryn P Harris1, Yulia Akbergenova2, Richard W Cho2

  • 1Departments of Biology and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 kpharris@mit.edu.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|May 27, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Shank proteins are crucial for synapse development. This study reveals Shank regulates Wnt signaling, impacting synapse maturation and offering new insights into autism spectrum disorder causes.

Keywords:
ShankWnt signalingpostsynaptic scaffoldsynaptic development

More Related Videos

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
08:10

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients

Published on: December 14, 2015

11.9K
Genetic Manipulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons In Vitro and In Vivo to Study Neuronal Morphology and Migration
09:07

Genetic Manipulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons In Vitro and In Vivo to Study Neuronal Morphology and Migration

Published on: March 17, 2014

14.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices
07:44

Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices

Published on: October 6, 2017

18.4K
Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
08:10

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients

Published on: December 14, 2015

11.9K
Genetic Manipulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons In Vitro and In Vivo to Study Neuronal Morphology and Migration
09:07

Genetic Manipulation of Cerebellar Granule Neurons In Vitro and In Vivo to Study Neuronal Morphology and Migration

Published on: March 17, 2014

14.3K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Prosap/Shank scaffolding proteins are vital for excitatory synapse formation, organization, and plasticity.
  • Mutations in SHANK genes are linked to autism spectrum disorder and other neuropsychiatric conditions.
  • The precise molecular mechanisms of Shank function and the consequences of complete Shank protein loss remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the role of the single Drosophila Prosap/Shank homolog in vivo.
  • To investigate the molecular mechanisms by which Shank influences synapse biology.
  • To explore Shank's role in Wnt signaling pathways at the synapse.

Main Methods:

  • Characterization of the Drosophila Prosap/Shank homolog.
  • Analysis of synaptic bouton number and maturation in Shank loss and overexpression models.
  • Investigation of Shank's modulation of Wnt receptor Fz2 internalization.

Main Results:

  • Shank is localized to the postsynaptic membrane of glutamatergic neuromuscular junctions.
  • Both Shank deficiency and overexpression lead to defects in synaptic bouton number and maturation.
  • Shank regulates a noncanonical Wnt signaling pathway by modulating Fz2 receptor internalization.

Conclusions:

  • Shank is a key regulator of synapse maturation.
  • Shank functions as a critical component of synaptic Wnt signaling.
  • This study defines a novel mechanism for Shank's contribution to neuronal development and synapse plasticity.