Normal branching, induced branching, and steering of cultured parasympathetic motor neurons

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Abstract

Cultured embryonic parasympathetic motor neurons branch in vitro by a process in which (1) the central, most anterior portion of the growth cone surface becomes quiescent; (2) the two adjacent lateral growth cone regions remain motile; (3) flat portions of the “split” growth cone round into cylindrical branch axons; and (4) the Y-shaped junction of the branch axons regresses slightly toward the soma. Branching of a seemingly identical type can be induced with a needle by manipulating the central anterior portion of a growth cone. The needle may lift the cell surface from the substratum to cause the branching. Growth cones at the ends of such induced branches can, in turn, be induced with the needle to branch so that they form subsidiary branches. Growth cones may be “steered” in desired directions by passing needles under one side or the other and displacing the growth cone surface from the substratum. When this is done, the cone moves in the opposite direction. The results imply that changes in cell-to-substratum contact may contribute to axonal branching or to directional movement over a substratum.

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    Citation Excerpt :

    The space that is created behind the growth cone by this pulling action is filled by microtubules and elongation occurs. It has been hypothesized that when the filopodia are attached to the substrate they can produce enough tension to pull the actin cytoskeleton apart (Wessells and Nuttall, 1978; van Veen and van Pelt, 1992; Li et al., 1995). This will occur if the filopodia have found more than one guidance cue so that tension is applied to the growth cone in different directions.

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Supported by research grant HD-04708 from the NIH, and by an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship to R. P. N.

1

Present address: Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.

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