Secreted Wnt morphogens mediate cell-cell communication, but the mechanism of Wnt transfer between cells is unknown. Korkut et al. (2009) report that the transmembrane protein Evi is a versatile carrier that guides Wingless to presynaptic terminals of motor neurons and then escorts it across the synaptic cleft. In postsynaptic muscles, Evi promotes Frizzled-2 trafficking.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2009.09.032 | DOI Listing |
Bio Protoc
January 2025
Department of Structural Interactomics, Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP), Berlin, Germany.
Neurons communicate through neurotransmission at highly specialized junctions called synapses. Each neuron forms numerous synaptic connections, consisting of presynaptic and postsynaptic terminals. Upon the arrival of an action potential, neurotransmitters are released from the presynaptic site and diffuse across the synaptic cleft to bind specialized receptors at the postsynaptic terminal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFbioRxiv
January 2025
Astbury Centre for Structural Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
Memory is incorporated into the brain as physicochemical changes to engram cells. These are neuronal populations that form complex neuroanatomical circuits, are modified by experiences to store information, and allow for memory recall. At the molecular level, learning modifies synaptic communication to rewire engram circuits, a mechanism known as synaptic plasticity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxicol Lett
January 2025
Bundeswehr Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Neuherbergstraße 11, Munich 80937, Germany. Electronic address:
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) is a pentameric ligand-gated ion channel (pLGIC) commonly used as a model for receptors belonging to the Cys-loop superfamily. Members of pLGICs are standardly used in numerous toxicological investigations e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mood condition affecting multiple brain regions and cell types. Changes in astrocyte function contribute to depressive-like behaviors. However, while neuronal mechanisms driving MDD have been studied in some detail, molecular mechanisms by which astrocytes promote depression have not been extensively explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmaceuticals (Basel)
November 2024
Relmada Therapeutics, Inc., Coral Gables, FL 33134, USA.
Uncompetitive NMDAR (N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor) antagonists restore impaired neural plasticity, reverse depressive-like behavior in animal models, and relieve major depressive disorder (MDD) in humans. This review integrates recent findings from in silico, in vitro, in vivo, and human studies of uncompetitive NMDAR antagonists into the extensive body of knowledge on NMDARs and neural plasticity. Uncompetitive NMDAR antagonists are activity-dependent channel blockers that preferentially target hyperactive GluN2D subtypes because these subtypes are most sensitive to activation by low concentrations of extracellular glutamate and are more likely activated by certain pathological agonists and allosteric modulators.
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