Ephrin-As and neural activity are required for eye-specific patterning during retinogeniculate mapping.
In mammals, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) projections initially intermingle and then segregate into a stereotyped pattern of eye-specific layers in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN). Here we found that in mice deficient for ephrin-A2, ephrin-A3 and ephrin-A5, eye-specific inputs segregated but the shape and location of eye-specific layers were profoundly disrupted. In contrast, mice that lacked correlated retinal activity did not segregate eye-specific inputs. Inhibition of correlated neural activity in ephrin mutants led to overlapping retinal projections that were located in inappropriate regions of the dLGN. Thus, ephrin-As and neural activity act together to control patterning of eye-specific retinogeniculate layers.
Pfeiffenberger
Cory
C
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA.
Cutforth
Tyler
T
Woods
Georgia
G
Yamada
Jena
J
Rentería
René C
RC
Copenhagen
David R
DR
Flanagan
John G
JG
Feldheim
David A
DA
D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D036383:Ephrin-A2 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D036384:Ephrin-A3 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D036386:Ephrin-A5 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D036104:Receptor, EphA2 / Q000172:deficiency; D036121:Receptor, EphA3 / Q000172:deficiency; D036123:Receptor, EphA5 / Q000172:deficiency; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology
D036383:Ephrin-A2; D036384:Ephrin-A3; D036386:Ephrin-A5; D036104:Receptor, EphA2; D036121:Receptor, EphA3; D036123:Receptor, EphA5