title: Local caspase activity directs engulfment of dendrites during pruning.
abstract: Pruning is important for sculpting neural circuits, as it removes excessive or inaccurate projections. Here we show that the removal of sensory neuron dendrites during pruning in Drosophila melanogaster is directed by local caspase activity. Suppressing caspase activity prevented dendrite removal, whereas a global activation of caspases within a neuron caused cell death. A new genetically encoded caspase probe revealed that caspase activity is confined to the degenerating dendrites of pruning neurons.
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK. darren.williams@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Darren W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krzyzanowska
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hiromi
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Truman
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017209:Apoptosis; D020169:Caspases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000502:physiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique / Q000379:methods; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000166:cytology; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000166:cytology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases