Homeostatic control of Drosophila neuromuscular junction function

Abstract

The ability to adapt to changing internal and external conditions is a key feature of biological systems. Homeostasis refers to a regulatory process that stabilizes dynamic systems to counteract perturbations. In the nervous system, homeostatic mechanisms control neuronal excitability, neurotransmitter release, neurotransmitter receptors, and neural circuit function. The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of Drosophila melanogaster has provided a wealth of molecular information about how synapses implement homeostatic forms of synaptic plasticity, with a focus on the transsynaptic, homeostatic modulation of neurotransmitter release. This review examines some of the recent findings from the Drosophila NMJ and highlights questions the field will ponder in coming years.

Abstract

At the larval Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ), neurotransmitter receptor (blue) perturbation in the muscle cell (gray cylinder) enhances neurotransmitter release (green, “Presynaptic homeostatic potentiation”, PHP) from the motor neuron. This review summarizes recent updates on this evolutionarily conserved form of transsynaptic plasticity.