Drosophila melanogaster Scramblases modulate synaptic transmission
Acharya, Usha ; Edwards, Michael Beth ; Jorquera, Ramon A. ; Silva, Hugo ; Nagashima, Kunio ; Labarca, Pedro ; Acharya, Jairaj K.
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UMass Chan Affiliations
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Keywords
Apoptosis
Cell Membrane
Databases, Nucleic Acid
Drosophila Proteins
Drosophila melanogaster
Exocytosis
Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic
Immunity, Innate
Larva
Membrane Proteins
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Molecular Sequence Data
Mutation
Neuromuscular Junction
Neurotransmitter Agents
Phospholipid Transfer Proteins
Phospholipids
Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
Synaptic Membranes
Synaptic Transmission
Synaptic Vesicles
Genetics and Genomics
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Abstract
Scramblases are a family of single-pass plasma membrane proteins, identified by their purported ability to scramble phospholipids across the two layers of plasma membrane isolated from platelets and red blood cells. However, their true in vivo role has yet to be elucidated. We report the generation and isolation of null mutants of two Scramblases identified in Drosophila melanogaster. We demonstrate that flies lacking either or both of these Scramblases are not compromised in vivo in processes requiring scrambling of phospholipids. Instead, we show that D. melanogaster lacking both Scramblases have more vesicles and display enhanced recruitment from a reserve pool of vesicles and increased neurotransmitter secretion at the larval neuromuscular synapses. These defects are corrected by the introduction of a genomic copy of the Scramb 1 gene. The lack of phenotypes related to failure of scrambling and the neurophysiological analysis lead us to propose that Scramblases play a modulatory role in the process of neurotransmission.
Source
J Cell Biol. 2006 Apr 10;173(1):69-82. Link to article on publisher's site