Synapse Formation Activates a Transcriptional Program for Persistent Enhancement in the Bi-directional Transport of Mitochondria (Cell Reports)

Badal et al. show that the formation of a functional synapse between pre-synaptic sensory and post-synaptic motor neurons of the gill withdrawal reflex of Aplysia results in persistently enhanced anterograde and retrograde transport of mitochondria in sensory neurons. Once synapses are formed, transcription and translation in pre-synaptic neurons constrain mitochondrial transport.