Chemoattraction of sensory neuron growth cones by diffusible concentration gradients of acetylcholine

1996 ◽  
Vol 28 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 199-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damien P. Kuffler
1973 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 713-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Bartlett Bunge

The leading tips of elongating nerve fibers are enlarged into "growth cones" which are seen in tissue culture to continually undergo changes in conformation and to foster numerous transitory slender extensions (filopodia) and/or a veillike ruffling sheet. After explantation of 1-day-old rat superior cervical ganglia (as pieces or as individual neurons), nerve fibers and tips were photographed during growth and through the initial stages of aldehyde fixation and then relocated after embedding in plastic. Electron microscopy of serially sectioned tips revealed the following. The moving parts of the cone, the peripheral flange and filopodia, contained a distinctive apparently filamentous feltwork from which all organelles except membranous structures were excluded; microtubules were notably absent from these areas. The cone interior contained varied forms of agranular endoplasmic reticulum, vacuoles, vesicles, coated vesicles, mitochondria, microtubules, and occasional neurofilaments and polysomes. Dense-cored vesicles and lysosomal structures were also present and appeared to be formed locally, at least in part from reticulum. The possible roles of the various forms of agranular membranous components are discussed and it is suggested that structures involved in both the assembly and degradation of membrane are present in the cone. The content of these growing tips resembles that in sensory neuron growth cones studied by others.


Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (10) ◽  
pp. 2099-2111 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Zhang ◽  
M. Granato

En route to their targets, motor axons encounter choice points at which they select their future path. Experimental studies predict that at each choice point specialized cells provide local guidance to pathfinding motor axons, however, the identity of these cells and their signals is unknown. Here, we identify the zebrafish unplugged gene as a key component for choice point navigation of pioneering motor axons. We show that in unplugged mutant embryos, motor neuron growth cones reach the choice point but make inappropriate pathway decisions. Analysis of chimeric embryos demonstrates that unplugged activity is produced by a selective group of mesodermal cells located adjacent to the choice point. As the first motor growth cones approach the choice point, these mesodermal cells migrate away, suggesting that unplugged activity influences growth cones by a contact-independent mechanism. These data suggest that unplugged defines a somite-derived signal that elicits differential guidance decisions in motor growth cones.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (22) ◽  
pp. 9973-9984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nariko Arimura ◽  
Céline Ménager ◽  
Yoji Kawano ◽  
Takeshi Yoshimura ◽  
Saeko Kawabata ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP-2) enhances the advance of growth cones by regulating microtubule assembly and Numb-mediated endocytosis. We previously showed that Rho kinase phosphorylates CRMP-2 during growth cone collapse; however, the roles of phosphorylated CRMP-2 in growth cone collapse remain to be clarified. Here, we report that CRMP-2 phosphorylation by Rho kinase cancels the binding activity to the tubulin dimer, microtubules, or Numb. CRMP-2 binds to actin, but its binding is not affected by phosphorylation. Electron microscopy revealed that CRMP-2 localizes on microtubules, clathrin-coated pits, and actin filaments in dorsal root ganglion neuron growth cones, while phosphorylated CRMP-2 localizes only on actin filaments. The phosphomimic mutant of CRMP-2 has a weakened ability to enhance neurite elongation. Furthermore, ephrin-A5 induces phosphorylation of CRMP-2 via Rho kinase during growth cone collapse. Taken together, these results suggest that Rho kinase phosphorylates CRMP-2, and inactivates the ability of CRMP-2 to promote microtubule assembly and Numb-mediated endocytosis, during growth cone collapse.


2000 ◽  
Vol 355 (1399) ◽  
pp. 971-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Lö schinger ◽  
Franco Weth ◽  
Friedrich Bonhoeffer

Wiring up the nervous system occurs as a self–organizing process during animal development. It has long been proposed that directional growth of axons towards their targets is achieved by gradients of guiding molecules and the conceptual framework of gradient guidance was introduced more than a decade ago. Novel experimental results now allow the formulation of models incorporating more mechanistic detail. We first summarize some crucial in vitro and in vivo results concerning the development of the chick retinotectal projection. We then review two recent theoretical models based on these findings (the models of Nakamoto and colleagues, and of Honda). Neither model considers the latest observation that putative guidance ligands, in addition to their tectal expression, are expressed in a similar pattern on the retina and that a disturbance of this expression affects topography. These findings suggest that retinal axons might grow into the tectum until they have reached a ligand concentration matching that of their site of origin. We call this the imprint–matching concept of retinotectal guidance. As a framework for pinpointing logical difficulties of the mechanistic description of the guidance process and to stimulate further experiments we finally suggest two extended versions of Honda's model implementing imprint matching, which we call ‘the variable set–point’ and ‘the gradient–sensitive adaptation’ model. Strengths and weaknesses of both mechanisms are discussed.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e0159405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Rappaz ◽  
Karen Lai Wing Sun ◽  
James P. Correia ◽  
Paul W. Wiseman ◽  
Timothy E. Kennedy

1991 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
J H Sabry ◽  
T P O'Connor ◽  
L Evans ◽  
A Toroian-Raymond ◽  
M Kirschner ◽  
...  

The growth of an axon toward its target results from the reorganization of the cytoskeleton in response to environmental guidance cues. Recently developed imaging technology makes it possible to address the effect of such cues on the neural cytoskeleton directly. Although high resolution studies can be carried out on neurons in vitro, these circumstances do not recreate the complexity of the natural environment. We report here on the arrangement and dynamics of microtubules in live neurons pathfinding in response to natural guidance cues in situ using the embryonic grasshopper limb fillet preparation. A rich microtubule network was present within the body of the growth cone and normally extended into the distal growth cone margin. Complex microtubule loops often formed transiently within the growth cone. Branches both with and without microtubules were regularly observed. Microtubules did not extend into filopodia. During growth cone steering events in response to identified guidance cues, microtubule behaviour could be monitored. In turns towards guidepost cells, microtubules selectively invaded branches derived from filopodia that had contacted the guidepost cell. At limb segment boundaries, microtubules displayed a variety of behaviors, including selective branch invasion, and also invasion of multiple branches followed by selective retention in branches oriented in the correct direction. Microtubule invasion of multiple branches also was seen in growth cones migrating on intrasegmental epithelium. Both selective invasion and selective retention generate asymmetrical microtubule arrangements within the growth cone, and may play a key role in growth cone steering events.


2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Bouquet ◽  
Michèle Ravaille-Veron ◽  
Friedrich Propst ◽  
Fatiha Nothias

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