Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 2, 1651-1659, Copyright © 1982 by Society for Neuroscience
Metabolic changes in deafferented central neurons of an insect, Acheta domesticus. I. Effects upon amino acid uptake and incorporation
MR Meyer and JS Edwards
Chronic cercal deafferentation of the terminal ganglion in developing
crickets (Acheta domesticus), which is known to suppress normal development
of giant interneuron dendritic arborizations is shown here to reduce
[3H]leucine uptake and incorporation into ganglion proteins. Short term
deafferentation of adult crickets, in contrast, does not depress amino acid
uptake and incorporation significantly. Following unilateral long term
deafferentation of the terminal ganglion, a comparison was made of the
[3H]leucine incorporation into primary dendritic processes and somata of
deafferented and normally innervated medial giant interneurons (MGIs)
within the same ganglion by means of quantitative autoradiography. Grain
densities within dendrites of deafferented MGIs were significantly lower
than in paired control MGIs' grain densities within somata of deafferented
MGIs also were reduced, although the effects of deafferentation were less
pronounced in somata than in target dendrites. These results imply a
specific influence of afferent innervation on protein metabolism during
growth and development of target postsynaptic elements.