title: Whisker-related axonal patterns and plasticity of layer 2/3 neurons in the mouse barrel cortex.
abstract: Elucidating neuronal circuits and their plasticity in the cerebral cortex is one of the important questions in neuroscience research. Here we report novel axonal trajectories and their plasticity in the mouse somatosensory barrel cortex. We selectively visualized layer 2/3 neurons using in utero electroporation and examined the axonal trajectories of layer 2/3 neurons. We found that the axons of layer 2/3 neurons preferentially run in the septal regions of layer 4 and named this axonal pattern "barrel nets." The intensity of green fluorescent protein in the septal regions was markedly higher compared with that in barrel hollows. Focal in utero electroporation revealed that the axons in barrel nets were indeed derived from layer 2/3 neurons in the barrel cortex. During development, barrel nets became visible at postnatal day 10, which was well after the initial appearance of barrels. When whisker follicles were cauterized within 3 d after birth, the whisker-related pattern of barrel nets was altered, suggesting that cauterization of whisker follicles results in developmental plasticity of barrel nets. Our results uncover the novel axonal trajectories of layer 2/3 neurons with whisker-related patterns and their developmental plasticity in the mouse somatosensory cortex. Barrel nets should be useful for investigating the pattern formation and axonal reorganization of intracortical neuronal circuits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sehara
authors.forename: Tomohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toda
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iwai
authors.forename: Mayu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wakimoto
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tanno
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsubayashi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015415:Biomarkers; D001931:Brain Mapping; D018274:Electroporation; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D019581:Neuropil / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013003:Somatosensory Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016708:Synaptophysin; D055698:Touch Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve / Q000502:physiology*; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D016708:Synaptophysin; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins