Biology subjects

Snow, A. W.

Publications and source records attributed to Snow, A. W..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

A modular system to label endogenous presynaptic proteins using split fluorophores in C. elegans

Visualizing the subcellular localization of presynaptic proteins with fluorescent proteins is a powerful tool to dissect the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying synapse formation and patterning in live animals. Here, we utilize split green and red fluorescent proteins to visualize the localization of endogenously expressed presynaptic proteins at a single neuron resolution in Caenorhabditis elegans. By using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, we generated a collection of C. elegans strains in which endogenously expressed presynaptic proteins (RAB-3/Rab3, CLA-1/Piccolo, SYD-2/Liprin-, UNC-10/RIM and ELKS-1/ELKS) are tagged with tandem repeats of GFP11 and/or wrmScarlet11. We show that the expression of wrmScarlet1-10 and GFP1-10 under neuron-specific promoters can robustly label presynaptic proteins in different neuron types. We believe that combinations of knock-in strains and wrmScarlet1-10 and GFP1-10 plasmids are a versatile modular system to examine the localization of endogenous presynaptic proteins in any neuron type.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Channel-independent function of UNC-9/INX in spatial arrangement of GABAergic synapses in C. elegans

Precise synaptic connection of neurons with their targets is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system. A plethora of signaling pathways act in concert to mediate the precise spatial arrangement of synaptic connections. Here we show a novel role for a gap junction protein in controlling tiled synaptic arrangement in the GABAergic motor neurons in C. elegans, in which their axons and synapses overlap minimally with their neighboring neurons within the same class. We found that while EGL-20/Wnt controls axonal tiling, their presynaptic tiling is mediated by a gap junction protein UNC-9/Innexin, that is localized at the presynaptic tiling border between neighboring DD neurons. Strikingly, the gap junction channel activity of UNC-9 is dispensable for its function in controlling tiled presynaptic patterning. While gap junctions are crucial for the proper functioning of the nervous system as channels, our finding uncovered the novel channel-independent role of UNC-9 in synapse patterning.

neuroscience↗