Synaptic Specificity, Recognition Molecules, and Assembly of Neural Circuits

Developing neurons connect in specific and stereotyped ways to form the complex circuits that underlie brain function. By comparison to earlier steps in neural development, progress has been slow in identifying the cell surface recognition molecules that mediate these synaptic choices, but new high-...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell 2020-04, Vol.181 (3), p.536-556
Main Authors: Sanes, Joshua R., Zipursky, S. Lawrence
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cadherins - genetics
Cell Communication
Cell Membrane - metabolism
Humans
Nerve Net - metabolism
Nerve Net - physiology
Neurogenesis
Neurons - metabolism
Neurons - physiology
Synapses - metabolism
Synapses - physiology
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Summary:Developing neurons connect in specific and stereotyped ways to form the complex circuits that underlie brain function. By comparison to earlier steps in neural development, progress has been slow in identifying the cell surface recognition molecules that mediate these synaptic choices, but new high-throughput imaging, genetic, and molecular methods are accelerating progress. Over the past decade, numerous large and small gene families have been implicated in target recognition, including members of the immunoglobulin, cadherin, and leucine-rich repeat superfamilies. We review these advances and propose ways in which combinatorial use of multifunctional recognition molecules enables the complex neuron-neuron interactions that underlie synaptic specificity. Neurons form elaborate networks of connections, creating the complex circuits that underlie brain function. In this Review, Sanes and Zipursky summarize our understanding of the molecular mechanisms and combinatorial logic axons used to find the right synaptic partners and create these networks.
ISSN:0092-8674
1097-4172
DOI:10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.008