Nip and tuck at the neuromuscular junction: A role for proteases in developmental synapse elimination |
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Authors: | Qiang Chang Rita J. Balice-Gordon |
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Affiliation: | Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 215 Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19104–6074, USA |
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Abstract: | During late embryonic and early postnatal development, synaptic connections are extensively modified so that some functional connections are weakened and eliminated from a neural circuit while others are strengthened and maintained. The mechanisms that underlie synapse elimination are beginning to be understood from studies of the neuromuscular junction. A recent paper(1) provides some intriguing insights into the role proteases may play in the developmental disassembly of neuromuscular synapses. |
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