PUBLICATION
Regulation of axon growth in vivo by activity-based competition
- Authors
- Hua, J.Y., Smear, M.C., Baier, H., and Smith, S.J.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-050427-4
- Date
- 2005
- Source
- Nature 434(7036): 1022-1026 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Baier, Herwig, Smear, Matt
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Axons/physiology*
- Brain/cytology
- Brain/growth & development
- Calcium/metabolism
- Calcium Signaling
- Cell Movement
- Cell Shape
- Humans
- Membrane Proteins/genetics
- Membrane Proteins/metabolism
- Models, Neurological
- Nerve Net/cytology*
- Nerve Net/growth & development*
- Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying/genetics
- Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying/metabolism
- Presynaptic Terminals/metabolism
- R-SNARE Proteins
- Retinal Ganglion Cells/cytology*
- Retinal Ganglion Cells/physiology
- Zebrafish/embryology
- Zebrafish/genetics
- PubMed
- 15846347 Full text @ Nature
Citation
Hua, J.Y., Smear, M.C., Baier, H., and Smith, S.J. (2005) Regulation of axon growth in vivo by activity-based competition. Nature. 434(7036):1022-1026.
Abstract
The formation of functional neural networks requires precise regulation of the growth and branching of the terminal arbors of axons, processes known to be influenced by early network electrical activity. Here we show that a rule of activity-based competition between neighbouring axons appears to govern the growth and branching of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axon arbors in the developing optic tectum of zebrafish. Mosaic expression of an exogenous potassium channel or a dominant-negative SNARE protein was used to suppress electrical or neurosecretory activity in subsets of RGC axons. Imaging in vivo showed that these forms of activity suppression strongly inhibit both net growth and the formation of new branches by individually transfected RGC axon arbors. The inhibition is relieved when the activity of nearby 'competing' RGC axons is also suppressed. These results therefore identify a new form of activity-based competition rule that might be a key regulator of axon growth and branch initiation.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping