Temporal dynamics of presynaptic BRP and postsynaptic GluRIID proteins in Drosophila larval synapses

In drosophila neurons, information flows from the soma to the active zones, electron-dense regions decorated with conserved molecules, including BRP. BRP sits vis-a-vis postsynaptic Glutamate receptors. Despite comprehensive studies highlighting their importance in synaptic transmission, there has yet to be a study regarding the temporal dynamics of these molecules at drosophila neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) and their correlation with changes in locomotor patterns. In this study, we aimed to study the temporal dynamics of BRP and glutamate receptors via immunostaining and imaging. We quantitatively analyzed the locomotor pattern via video recordings of third-instar larvae.Our findings demonstrated a robust time-dependent oscillation in both BRP and GluRIID levels, predominantly synchronous, indicating coordinated temporal dynamics. Intriguingly, the occasional disruption of this synchrony in BRP and GLuRIID levels precedes an increase in bending behavior in Drosophila 3rd instar larvae. These temporal oscillations, accompanied by occasional asynchronies in BRP and Glutamate receptor levels, offer insights into synaptic transmission dynamics and implications for neurological diseases. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism of these temporal dynamics fully.