Michael RR
The synapsins are a family of neuronal phosphoproteins that have been previously shown to play an important regulatory role in the release of neurotransmitter from the presynaptic terminal and in the process of synaptogenesis. The mechanisms that regulate the formation of synaptic terminals are a central process in determining the specificity of synaptogenesis and the development of the nervous system. Proteins involved in neurotransmitter release and the control of this release process (specifically synaptic vesicle proteins) have been implicated as being important for synaptogenesis. To determine whether synapsin is expressed at times during mouse development when synaptogenic activity is high, we examined the time course of synapsin I and II mRNA and protein expression in embryonic and postnatal mice using Northern blot and Western blot analyses. Quantification of these blot analyses demonstrated that synapsin RNA and protein can be detected as early as 13.5 days of mouse embryogenesis and that expression of five of the six isoforms of synapsin increase throughout embryonic and postnatal development reaching characteristic high levels by adulthood. This early expression pattern suggests an important role for the synapsins in the development of the mammalian nervous system.
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