Reference Report

Reference
Citation	Blagburn, J.M., Alexopoulos, H., Davies, J.A., Bacon, J.P. (1999). Null mutation in shaking-B eliminates electrical, but not chemical, synapses in the Drosophila giant fiber system: a structural study. J. Comp. Neurol. 404(4): 449--458. (Export to RIS)
FlyBase ID	FBrf0106230
Publication Type	Research paper
PubMed ID	9987990
PubMed Abstract	Mutations in the Drosophila shaking-B gene perturb synaptic transmission and dye coupling in the giant fiber escape system. The GAL4 upstream activation sequence system was used to express a neuronal-synaptobrevin-green fluorescent protein (nsyb-GFP) construct in the giant fibers (GFs); nsyb-GFP was localized where the GFs contact the peripherally synapsing interneurons (PSIs) and the tergotrochanteral motorneurons (TTMns). Antibody to Shaking-B protein stained plaquelike structures in the same regions of the GFs, although not all plaques colocalized with nsyb-GFP. Electron microscopy showed that the GF-TTMn and GF-PSI contacts contained many chemical synaptic release sites. These sites were interposed with extensive regions of close membrane apposition (3.25 nm +/- 0.12 separation), with faint cross striations and a single-layered array of 41-nm vesicles on the GF side of the apposition. These contacts appeared similar to rectifying electrical synapses in the crayfish and were eliminated in shaking-B2 mutants. At mutant GF-TTMn and GF-PSI contacts, chemical synapses and small regions of close membrane apposition, more similar to vertebrate gap junctions, were not affected. Gap junctions with more vertebratelike separation of membranes (1.41 nm +/- 0.08) were abundant between peripheral perineurial glial processes; these were unaffected in the mutants.
DOI
Related Publication(s)
Recent Updates
Description	What does this section display? This section contains items that were added to this record for each release. It currently only tracks new links between this FlyBase report and other FlyBase data classes (e.g. genes, references, stocks) or controlled vocabulary terms (e.g. GO, anatomy terms). What does this section not display? This section does not currently display links that were removed or gene model changes.
Update Feed	Click the icon below to subscribe to this FlyBase record and receive updates automatically through your feed reader.
FB2013_03
FB2013_02
All updates	Click here to see a list of all updates to this record from FB2010_08 and on.
Associated Information
Comments
Associated Files
Other Information
Secondary IDs
Language of Publication	English
Additional Languages of Abstract
Also Published As
Parent Publication
Publication Type	Journal
Abbreviation	J. Comp. Neurol.
Title	Journal of Comparative Neurology
Publication Year	1911-
ISBN/ISSN	0021-9967
Data from Reference
Alleles (3)
	n-syb^{Scer\UAS.cEa.T:Avic\GFP} Scer\GAL4^A307 shakB²
Constructs (2)
	P{UAS-n-syb.GFP} P{UAS-n-syb-GFP.E}
Genes (4)
	n-syb Scer\GAL4 shakB T:Avic\GFP
Insertions (2)
	P{GAL4}A307 P{UAS-n-syb-GFP.E}PSE1
Transcripts (1)
	Scer\GAL4^A307RA