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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0eLife

Glutamate receptor composition at Drosophila neuromuscular junctions depends on developmental stage and muscle identity

  • Anne Sustar1
  • Chengjie Qiu2
  • Yu Xiong2
  • Dion K Dickman2
  • John C Tuthill1
  1. 1Department of Neurobiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
  2. 2Department of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, United States
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Abstract

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of larval Drosophila is widely used for studying synaptic transmission. Larval body wall muscles express five ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) subunits that assemble into two tetrameric complexes, with subunit composition determining the strength and plasticity of synaptic transmission. Because NMJ function has been extensively characterized in larvae, it has commonly been assumed that adult fly NMJs share this molecular composition, despite substantial differences between life stages. Here, we systematically compare glutamate receptor expression across larval and adult Drosophila muscles. We find that adult leg and flight muscles exhibit different iGluR expression than larvae, lacking expression of several receptors previously considered essential. Adjacent muscles within the adult femur express distinct iGluRs, suggesting specialization of flexor and extensor muscles. Finally, the glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluClα) is expressed extrasynaptically in adult but not larval muscle fibers. Our results reveal unexpected heterogeneity in glutamate receptor expression across muscles and developmental stages, demonstrating the need for muscle-specific analyses in flies and other animals.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{sustar2026glutamate,
  title = {{Glutamate receptor composition at Drosophila neuromuscular junctions depends on developmental stage and muscle identity}},
  author = {Anne Sustar and Chengjie Qiu and Yu Xiong and Dion K Dickman and John C Tuthill},
  journal = {eLife},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.7554/elife.111371},
  url = {https://elifesciences.org/articles/111371},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Glutamate receptor composition at Drosophila neuromuscular junctions depends on developmental stage and muscle identity
AU  - Anne Sustar
AU  - Chengjie Qiu
AU  - Yu Xiong
AU  - Dion K Dickman
AU  - John C Tuthill
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/30
JO  - eLife
DO  - 10.7554/elife.111371
UR  - https://elifesciences.org/articles/111371
AB  - The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of larval Drosophila is widely used for studying synaptic transmission. Larval body wall muscles express five ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) subunits that assemble into two tetrameric complexes, with subunit composition determining the strength and plasticity of synaptic transmission. Because NMJ function has been extensively characterized in larvae, it has commonly been assumed that adult fly NMJs share this molecular composition, despite substantial differences between life stages. Here, we systematically compare glutamate receptor expression across larval and adult Drosophila muscles. We find that adult leg and flight muscles exhibit different iGluR expression than larvae, lacking expression of several receptors previously considered essential. Adjacent muscles within the adult femur express distinct iGluRs, suggesting specialization of flexor and extensor muscles. Finally, the glutamate-gated chloride channel (GluClα) is expressed extrasynaptically in adult but not larval muscle fibers. Our results reveal unexpected heterogeneity in glutamate receptor expression across muscles and developmental stages, demonstrating the need for muscle-specific analyses in flies and other animals.
SN  - 2050-084X
ER  -