As previously reported (Adolfsen et al., 2004), Syt4 is localized both in pre- and postsynaptic compartments of wild-type NMJs, as determined by double labeling with anti-HRP antibodies, which is used as a neuronal membrane marker to determine the boundary between presynaptic boutons and postsynaptic selleck kinase inhibitor muscles (Figure 1H). The Syt4 signal was specific, as it was virtually eliminated in syt4 null mutants ( Figure 1I).

Notably, expressing a Syt4 transgene exclusively in the neurons of syt4 null mutants rescued both the presynaptic and postsynaptic localization of Syt4 ( Figure 1J). This observation raises the possibility that presynaptic Syt4 might be transferred to the postsynaptic region and that postsynaptic Syt4 might at least be partly derived from presynaptic boutons. Consistent with this, expressing a C-terminally Myc-tagged Syt4 (Syt4-Myc) transgene in wild-type motor neurons using the OK6-Gal4 driver mimicked the endogenous localization of Syt4 in both presynaptic boutons and the postsynaptic muscle region ( Figure 1K). The same postsynaptic localization

of Syt4 was observed when expressing the transgene using either the neuronal Gal4 drivers elav-Gal4 or C380-Gal4 ( Figures S1B and S1C). Like the wild-type, untagged transgene, presynaptically expressed Syt4-Myc completely rescued the syt4 mutant phenotype upon spaced stimulation ( Figure 1N), suggesting that the tagged transgene is functional. These observations suggest that endogenous Syt4 might be transferred from synaptic boutons to muscles. This was tested by downregulating endogenous presynaptic Syt4 by expressing Syt4-RNAi in neurons. In Gemcitabine price agreement with the above model, downregulating Syt4 in motorneurons resulted in near elimination of the Syt4 signal, not only from presynaptic boutons but also from the postsynaptic muscle region (Figures 1L and 1O). Thus, the transfer of Syt4-Myc from neurons to muscles is not just the result of overexpressing the transgene in neurons but is probably

an endogenous process. Further, although Syt4-RNAi was highly efficient at decreasing Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase the Syt4 signal from motorneurons and muscles when expressed in motorneurons, expressing Syt4-RNAi in muscles using the strong C57-Gal4 driver did not decrease Syt4 levels in either the pre- or postsynaptic compartment (Figures 1M and 1O). These results support the idea that at least an important fraction of, if not all, postsynaptic Syt4 is derived from presynaptic neurons. We also determined whether neurons and/or muscles contained syt4 transcripts. RT-PCR using equal amounts of total RNA derived from either the nervous system or body wall muscles revealed the presence of a strong syt4 band in the nervous system ( Figure 1P). However, virtually no syt4 transcript was observed in the muscles of wild-type controls or larvae expressing Syt4-RNAi in muscles ( Figure 1P).