title: N-cadherin regulates target specificity in the Drosophila visual system.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: 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.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Clandinin
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Zipursky
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D001616:beta-Galactosidase