Gryllus bimaculatus Terminal Ganglion Transcriptome
Deafferentation alters the morphology, function, and gene expression of neurons.The unusual morphological plasticity of auditory neurons in the cricket prothoracic ganglia has been described. Deafferentation of neurons in the terminal ganglion can similarly be achieved through amputation of a cercus. Deafferentation in this ganglion leads to compensatory responses to the contralateral cercus, likely due to alterations in inhibitory input. In this study, control and deafferented terminal ganglia were collected. Deafferentation was achieved through the unilateral removal of an entire cercus while only the distal end of the cercus was unilaterally removed in controls. The effects of cercal removal on the expression of transcripts in the terminal ganglion will be assessed.