title: Ear manipulations reveal a critical period for survival and dendritic development at the single-cell level in Mauthner neurons.
abstract: Second-order sensory neurons are dependent on afferents from the sense organs during a critical period in development for their survival and differentiation. Past research has mostly focused on whole populations of neurons, hampering progress in understanding the mechanisms underlying these critical phases. To move toward a better understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of afferent-dependent neuronal development, we developed a new model to study the effects of ear removal on a single identifiable cell in the hindbrain of a frog, the Mauthner cell. Ear extirpation at various stages of Xenopus laevis development defines a critical period of progressively-reduced dependency of Mauthner cell survival/differentiation on the ear afferents. Furthermore, ear removal results in a progressively decreased reduction in the number of dendritic branches. Conversely, addition of an ear results in an increase in the number of dendritic branches. These results suggest that the duration of innervation and the number of inner ear afferents play a quantitative role in Mauthner cell survival/differentiation, including dendritic development.
authors: Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242.
authors: Karen L
authors: KL
authors: Elliott
authors: Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242.
authors: Douglas W
authors: DW
authors: Houston
authors: Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242.
authors: Rhonda
authors: R
authors: DeCook
authors: Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242.
authors: Bernd
authors: B
authors: Fritzsch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D003423:Critical Period, Psychological; D003712:Dendrites / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D004423:Ear / Q000293:injuries; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D023421:Models, Animal; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D012683:Sensory Deprivation / Q000502:physiology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D014982:Xenopus laevis
keywords: Xenopus laevis; cell survival; dendritic branching; mauthner cell