The highly ordered assembly of retinal axons and their synaptic partners is regulated by Hedgehog/Single-minded in the Drosophila visual system.
During development of the Drosophila visual center, photoreceptor cells extend their axons (R axons) to the lamina ganglion layer, and trigger proliferation and differentiation of synaptic partners (lamina neurons) by delivering the inductive signal Hedgehog (Hh). This inductive mechanism helps to establish an orderly arrangement of connections between the R axons and lamina neurons, termed a retinotopic map because it results in positioning the lamina neurons in close vicinity to the corresponding R axons. We found that the bHLH-PAS transcription factor Single-minded (Sim) is induced by Hh in the lamina neurons and is required for the association of lamina neurons with R axons. In sim mutant brains, lamina neurons undergo the first step of differentiation but fail to associate with R axons. As a result, lamina neurons are set aside from R axons. The data reveal a novel mechanism for regulation of the interaction between axons and neuronal cell bodies that establishes precise neuronal networks.
Umetsu
Daiki
D
Laboratory of Pattern Formation, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi 1-1-1, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan.
Murakami
Satoshi
S
Sato
Makoto
M
Tabata
Tetsuya
T
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D007814:Larva / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D017956:Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018010:Receptors, Invertebrate Peptide / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; D018010:Receptors, Invertebrate Peptide; C103968:dac protein, Drosophila; C089449:sim protein, Drosophila; C077245:hh protein, Drosophila; C066532:Egfr protein, Drosophila