TY - JOUR TI - Similar synapse elimination motifs at successive relays in the same efferent pathway during development in mice AU - Sheu, Shu-Hsien AU - Tapia, Juan Carlos AU - Tsuriel, Shlomo AU - Lichtman, Jeff W A2 - Chao, Moses V VL - 6 PY - 2017 DA - 2017/02/03 SP - e23193 C1 - eLife 2017;6:e23193 DO - 10.7554/eLife.23193 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.23193 AB - In many parts of the nervous system, signals pass across multiple synaptic relays on their way to a destination, but little is known about how these relays form and the function they serve. To get some insight into this question we ask how the connectivity patterns are organized at two successive synaptic relays in a simple, cholinergic efferent pathway. We found that the organization at successive relays in the parasympathetic nervous system strongly resemble each other despite the different embryological origin and physiological properties of the pre- and postsynaptic cells. Additionally, we found a similar developmental synaptic pruning and elaboration strategy is used at both sites to generate their adult organizations. The striking parallels in adult innervation and developmental mechanisms at the relays argue that a general strategy is in operation. We discuss why from a functional standpoint this structural organization may amplify central signals while at the same time maintaining positional targeting. KW - synapse elimination KW - peripheral ganglia KW - synaptic competition KW - parasympathetic nerves JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -