Grant: Project Grant

Mutations in genes controlling the development and maintenance of synaptic connections are associated with a number of neurological/psychiatric diseases. In this study, I propose to utilize fruitfly as a genetic model system to study the mechanisms by which the evolutionarily conserved IgSF9 family protein Borderless mediates transsynaptic control of axonal transport in presynaptic assembly and function. By taking a combination of molecular and genetic approaches, we will determine how Borderless interacts with other proteins in the nervous system. This study will provide novel and important insights into transsynaptic control of axonal transport in the formation and function of synaptic connections. The proposed research will also shed new light on the function of the mammalian relatives of Borderless whose alterations are associated with anxiety behaviors in mice and schizophrenia in humans, and thus help the development of new therapeutic strategies to treat neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders in humans.