PUBLICATION
In vivo imaging of preferential motor axon outgrowth to and synaptogenesis at prepatterned acetylcholine receptor clusters in embryonic zebrafish skeletal muscle
- Authors
- Panzer, J.A., Song, Y., and Balice-Gordon, R.J.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-060124-24
- Date
- 2006
- Source
- The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 26(3): 934-947 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Balice-Gordon, Rita J.
- Keywords
- filopodia, motor neuron, axon guidance, acetylcholine receptor, neuromuscular junction, growth cone
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Axons/physiology*
- Embryo, Nonmammalian/cytology
- Embryo, Nonmammalian/embryology
- Embryo, Nonmammalian/physiology
- Growth Cones/physiology
- Microscopy, Confocal
- Motor Neurons/cytology
- Motor Neurons/physiology*
- Muscle, Skeletal/embryology*
- Muscle, Skeletal/physiology
- Receptors, Cholinergic/physiology*
- Synapses/physiology*
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/physiology
- PubMed
- 16421313 Full text @ J. Neurosci.
Citation
Panzer, J.A., Song, Y., and Balice-Gordon, R.J. (2006) In vivo imaging of preferential motor axon outgrowth to and synaptogenesis at prepatterned acetylcholine receptor clusters in embryonic zebrafish skeletal muscle. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 26(3):934-947.
Abstract
Little is known about the spatial and temporal dynamics of presynaptic and postsynaptic specializations that culminate in synaptogenesis. Here, we imaged presynaptic vesicle clusters in motor axons and postsynaptic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters in embryonic zebrafish to study the earliest events in synaptogenesis in vivo. Prepatterned AChR clusters are present on muscle fibers in advance of motor axon outgrowth from the spinal cord. Motor axon growth cones and filopodia are selectively extended toward and contact prepatterned AChR clusters, followed by the rapid clustering of presynaptic vesicles and insertion of additional AChRs, hallmarks of synaptogenesis. All initially formed neuromuscular synapses contain AChRs that were inserted into the membrane at the time the prepattern is present. Examination of embryos in which AChRs were blocked or clustering is absent showed that neither receptor activity or receptor protein is required for these events to occur. Thus, during initial synaptogenesis, postsynaptic differentiation precedes presynaptic differentiation, and prepatterned neurotransmitter clusters mark sites destined for synapse formation.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping