Synaptic Growth

Once an axon reaches its target and forms a synapse, its arbor must expand to a functionally appropriate size. At the Drosophila NMJ, connections are made during late embryonic stages but axon arbors continue to expand through larval development to accommodate the drastic increase in muscle size (see the size change in Gallery). Failure to expand the synapse can lead to significant defects in NMJ function and larval locomotion.

In the Carrillo lab, we are interested in understanding how axon terminal arbors expand after appropriate connections are established. We explore how DIPs and Dprs mediate this process and the underlying signaling pathways. Prior work indicates that Dpr11 and DIP-γ inhibit growth of the NMJ by signaling through the BMP pathway (Figure) (Carrillo et al., 2015). We will investigate how Dprs/DIP mediate BMP signaling and continue to explore other members of the Dprome to gain a better understanding of input-specific synaptic growth.