title: Influence of the target on distribution and functioning of the varicosities of Helix pomatia metacerebral cell C1 in dissociated cell culture.
abstract: The serotonergic metacerebral giant cell (C1) of Helix pomatia was isolated with its bifurcate axon and plated in culture under five conditions: (i) with no target; (ii) with the appropriate target B2 near the stump of the bigger branch (CBC); (iii) with B2 near the stump of the smaller branch (CC); (iv) with a wrong target (C3) near the stump of the CBC branch and (v) with B2 and C3 positioned near the CBC and CC stump, respectively. The counting of anti-serotonin antibody-labelled varicosities of the C1 neuron showed that the presence of the appropriate target in either axonal domain both down-regulated the number of varicosities of the contralateral neuritic field, and increased their average size, whereas the wrong target induced an overall reduction of the number of C1 neuron varicosities, and inhibited the evoked transmitter release. The action potential-evoked calcium concentration increase in the neuritic terminals of the C1 neuron cultured alone, or in presence of the appropriate target, reached a value significantly higher than that reached in presence of the wrong target. These results provide evidence that the postsynaptic neuron regulates both morphological and functional development of presynaptic terminals.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Sezione di Fisiologia, Corso Raffaello 30, 10125, Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghirardi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casadio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Naretto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Montarolo
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D017952:Ganglia, Invertebrate / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006372:Helix, Snails / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016501:Neurites / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013572:Synaptic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D012701:Serotonin; D002118:Calcium