Stepwise molecular specification of excitatory synapse diversity onto cerebellar Purkinje cells

Brain function relies on the generation of a large variety of morphologically and functionally diverse, but specific, neuronal synapses. Here we show that, in mice, the initial formation of synapses on cerebellar Purkinje cells involves a presynaptic protein—CBLN1, a member of the C1q protein family—that is secreted by all types of excitatory inputs. The molecular program then evolves only in one of the Purkinje cell inputs, the inferior olivary neurons, with the additional expression of the presynaptic secreted proteins C1QL1, CRTAC1 and LGI2. These molecules work in concert to specify the mature connectivity pattern on the Purkinje cell target. These results show that some inputs actively and gradually specify their synaptic molecular identity, while others rely on the ‘original molecular code’. Thus, the molecular specification of excitatory synapses, crucial for proper circuit function, is acquired in a stepwise manner during mouse postnatal development and obeys input-specific rules.