Parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons play a pivotal role in orchestrating windows of experience-dependent brain plasticity during development. Critical period closure is marked by the condensation of a perineuronal net (PNN) tightly enwrapping subsets of PV+ neurons, both acting as a molecular brake on plasticity and maintaining mature PV+ cell signaling. As much of the molecular organization of PNNs exists at length scales near or below the diffraction limit of light microscopy, we developed a superresolution imaging and analysis platform to visualize the structural organization of PNNs and the synaptic inputs perforating them in primary visual cortex. We identified a structural trajectory of PNN maturation featuring a range of net structures, which was accompanied by an increase in Synaptotagmin-2 (Syt2) signals on PV+ cells suggestive of increased inhibitory input between PV+ neurons. The same structural trajectory was followed by PNNs both during normal development and under conditions of critical period delay by total sensory deprivation or critical period acceleration by deletion of MeCP2, the causative gene for Rett syndrome, despite shifted maturation levels under these perturbations. Notably, superresolution imaging further revealed a decrease in Syt2 signals alongside an increase in vesicular glutamate transporter-2 signals on PV+ cells in MeCP2-deficient animals, suggesting weaker recurrent inhibitory input between PV+ neurons and stronger thalamocortical excitatory inputs onto PV+ cells. These results imply a latent imbalanced circuit signature that might promote cortical silencing in Rett syndrome before the functional regression of vision. parvalbumin interneuron | critical period | visual cortex | dark rearing | MeCP2

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Synaptic signaling involves the release of neurotransmitter from presynaptic active zones (AZs). Proteins that regulate vesicle exocytosis cluster at AZs, composing the cytomatrix at the active zone (CAZ). At the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ), the small GTPase Rab3 controls the distribution of CAZ proteins across release sites, thereby regulating the efficacy of individual AZs. Here we identify Rab3-GEF as a second protein that acts in conjunction with Rab3 to control AZ protein composition. At rab3-GEF mutant NMJs, Bruchpilot (Brp) and Ca2+ channels are enriched at a subset of AZs, leaving the remaining sites devoid of key CAZ components in a manner that is indistinguishable from rab3 mutant NMJs. As the Drosophila homologue of mammalian DENN/MADD and Caenorhabditis elegans AEX-3, Rab3-GEF is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Rab3 that stimulates GDP to GTP exchange. Mechanistic studies reveal that although Rab3 and Rab3-GEF act within the same mechanism to control AZ development, Rab3-GEF is involved in multiple roles. We show that Rab3-GEF is required for transport of Rab3. However, the synaptic phenotype in the rab3-GEF mutant cannot be fully explained by defective transport and loss of GEF activity. A transgenically expressed GTP-locked variant of Rab3 accumulates at the NMJ at wild-type levels and fully rescues the rab3 mutant but is unable to rescue the rab3-GEF mutant. Our results suggest that although Rab3-GEF acts upstream of Rab3 to control Rab3 localization and likely GTP-binding, it also acts downstream to regulate CAZ development, potentially as a Rab3 effector at the synapse.

Integration of functional infrared photodetectors on silicon platforms has been gaining attention for diverse applications in the fields of imaging and sensing. Although III–V semiconductor is a promising candidate for infrared photodetectors on silicon, the difficulties in directly growing high-quality III–V on silicon and realizing functionalities have been a challenge. Here, we propose a design of III–V nanowires on silicon (100) substrates, which are self-assembled with gold plasmonic nanostructures, as a key building block for efficient and functional photodetectors on silicon. Partially gold-coated III–V nanowire arrays form a plasmonic-photonic hybrid metasurface, wherein the localized and propagating plasmonic resonances enable high absorption in III–V nanowires. Unlike conventional photodetectors, numerical calculations reveal that the proposed meta-absorber exhibits high sensitivity to the polarization, incident angle, wavelength of input light, as well as the surrounding environment. These features represent that the proposed meta-absorber design can be utilized not only for efficient infrared photodetectors on silicon but for various sensing applications with high sensitivity and functionality.

1AbstractNeprilysin (Nep) is a membrane-bound zinc-dependent endopeptidase that cleaves a wide variety of small peptides in the body. In the brain, it has gained fame as an important endogenous degrader of amyloid beta peptide, responsible for the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease. Nep is expressed specifically by parvalbumin (PV)-expressing inhibitory neurons in the adult cortex, the maturation of which regulates critical period plasticity. Given that PV neuron soma and proximal dendrites are primary sites of perineuronal net (PNN) formation, we investigated the role that Nep plays in PNN and PV neuron maturation and cortical development in the mouse visual cortex, using mice whose Nep expression is constitutively knocked out (Nep KO mice). Nep expression is high in young wildtype mice (P10) and is downregulated rapidly throughout postnatal development. It is especially prominent in layer 5 where it is highly expressed by inhibitory neurons and also expressed at low levels by many excitatory neurons. Contrary to our hypothesis, Nep KO mice did not show an alteration in the relative density or gross morphology of PNNs. Instead, Nep KO mice showed reduced maximal activation of L5 after white matter stimulation and decreased number of inhibitory neurons in L4. These laminar defects may lead to impaired development of optomotor acuity in Nep KO mice.