Genome-wide analysis reveals novel regulators of synaptic maintenance in Drosophila.

Maintaining synaptic communication is required to preserve nervous system function as an organism ages. While much work has been accomplished to understand synapse formation and development, we understand relatively little regarding maintaining synaptic integrity throughout aging. To better understand the mechanisms responsible for maintaining synaptic structure and function, we performed an unbiased forward genetic screen to identify genes required for synapse maintenance of adult Drosophila neuromuscular junctions.