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Target-specific control of nicotinic receptor expression at developing interneuronal synapses in chick

Nature Neuroscience volume 2, pages 528–534 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Neuronal differentiation and development of synaptic specializations are strongly influenced by cellular interactions. We compared the effects of interaction with distinct autonomic targets on the molecular and biophysical differentiation of 'upstream' neuron–neuron synapses. Contact with cardiac tissue induced expression of nicotinic receptor channels (nAChRs) distinct from those induced by renal tissue in presynaptic autonomic neurons. The kinetics of cholinergic currents at interneuronal synapses are dictated by the peripheral target contacted. Analysis of the nAChR channel subtypes and subunits in individual neurons demonstrated that the profile of transmitter receptors expressed at mature neuron–neuron synapses develops from the convergent influences of input-derived (anterograde) and target-specific (retrograde) signals.

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Figure 1: Spontaneous synaptic currents from individual innervated sympathetic neurons: effect of target interactions.
Figure 2: Target-specific regulation of nAChR-mediated macroscopic and synaptic currents.
Figure 3: Synaptic nAChR channel properties and subunit gene expression are regulated by target.
Figure 4: Target contact differentially regulates the profile of nAChR channels and subunit gene expression in non-innervated sympathetic neurons.
Figure 5: Characterization of qPCR assay used to measure α3, α5, α7 and β4 mRNA levels in individual neurons.

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Acknowledgements

We thank P. Flood for help in initial aspects of these studies, M. Kopal and A. Tang for technical assistance, J. Turner for editorial assistance and our colleagues S. Siegelbaum and A. MacDermott for comments on this work. We also thank N. Mendell for mathematical statistics consults and D. Talmage for detailed review of molecular methods and analyses. This work was supported by NS29071 to L.W.R. and P.D. and by NS35090 to D.S.M.

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Author notes

  1. C. R. Yu

    Present address: Columbia University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute , 701 West 168th Street, New York, 10032, New York, USA

  2. D. S. McGehee

    Present address: University of Chicago, Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, University of Chicago, Whitman Laboratory , 915 East 57th Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60637, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Physicians and Surgeons Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and The Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive, New York, 10032, New York, USA

    P. Devay, D. S. McGehee & L. W. Role

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  1. P. Devay
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  4. L. W. Role
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Correspondence to P. Devay.

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Devay, P., McGehee, D., Yu, C. et al. Target-specific control of nicotinic receptor expression at developing interneuronal synapses in chick. Nat Neurosci 2, 528–534 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/9183

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