N-cadherin regulates target specificity in the Drosophila visual system.
Using visual behavioral screens in Drosophila, we identified multiple alleles of N-cadherin. Removal of N-cadherin selectively from photoreceptor neurons (R cells) causes deficits in specific visual behaviors that correlate with disruptions in R cell connectivity. These defects include disruptions in the pattern of neuronal connections made by all three classes of R cells (R1-R6, R7, and R8). N-cadherin is expressed in both R cell axons and their targets. By inducing mitotic recombination in a subclass of eye progenitors, we generated mutant R7 axons surrounded by largely wild-type R cell axons and a wild-type target. R7 axons lacking N-cadherin mistarget to the R8 recipient layer. We consider the implications of these findings in the context of the proposed role for cadherins in target specificity.
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Department of Biological Chemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, 5-748 MRL, 675 Charles Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Herman
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Clandinin
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Lee
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Zipursky
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D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000502:physiology*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D009030:Mosaicism; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D017956:Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / Q000502:physiology*; D012160:Retina / Q000502:physiology; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
D015820:Cadherins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D001616:beta-Galactosidase