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The Journal of Neuroscience, November 11, 2009, 29(45):14151-14159; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2497-09.2009

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Development/Plasticity/Repair
The Conserved Ig Superfamily Member Turtle Mediates Axonal Tiling in Drosophila

Kerry Ferguson, Hong Long, Scott Cameron, Wen-Tzu Chang, and Yong Rao

McGill Centre for Research in Neuroscience, and Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec H3G 1A4, Canada

Correspondence should be addressed to Yong Rao, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, McGill University Health Centre, Room L7-136, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4, Canada. Email: yong.rao{at}mcgill.ca

Restriction of adjacent same-type axons/dendrites to separate single columns for specific neuronal connections is commonly observed in vertebrates and invertebrates, and is necessary for proper processing of sensory information. Columnar restriction is conceptually similar to tiling, a phenomenon referring to the avoidance of neurites from adjacent same-type neurons. The molecular mechanism underlying the establishment of columnar restriction or axonal/dendritic tiling remains largely undefined. Here, we identify Turtle (Tutl), a member of the conserved Tutl/Dasm1/IgSF9 subfamily of the Ig superfamily, as a key player in regulating the tiling pattern of R7 photoreceptor terminals in Drosophila. Tutl functions to prevent fusion between two adjacent R7 terminals, and acts in parallel to the Activin pathway. Tutl mediates homophilic cell–cell interactions. We propose that extrinsic terminal–terminal recognition mediated by Tutl, acts in concert with intrinsic Activin-dependent control of terminal growth, to restrict the connection made by each R7 axon to a single column.

Received May 28, 2009; revised Sept. 10, 2009; accepted Sept. 14, 2009.

Correspondence should be addressed to Yong Rao, Centre for Research in Neuroscience, McGill University Health Centre, Room L7-136, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Montreal, QC H3G 1A4, Canada. Email: yong.rao{at}mcgill.ca


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