A quantitative analysis of branching, growth cone turning and directed growth in zebrafish retinotectal axon guidance

Simpson, Hugh D., Kita, Elizabeth M., Scott, Ethan K. and Goodhill, Geoffrey J. (2012) A quantitative analysis of branching, growth cone turning and directed growth in zebrafish retinotectal axon guidance. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 521 6: 1409-1429.


Author Simpson, Hugh D.
Kita, Elizabeth M.
Scott, Ethan K.
Goodhill, Geoffrey J.
Title A quantitative analysis of branching, growth cone turning and directed growth in zebrafish retinotectal axon guidance
Journal name Journal of Comparative Neurology  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank A*)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2012-11-01
Sub-type Article
DOI 10.1002/cne.23248
Volume number 521
Issue number 6
ISSN 0021-9967
1096-9861
Start page 1409
End page 1429
Total pages 21
Place of publication Hoboken, NJ, United States
Publisher John Wiley & Sons
Collection year 2013
Language eng
Abstract The topographic projection from the eye to the tectum (amphibians and fish) / superior colliculus (birds and mammals) is a paradigm model system for studying mechanisms of neural wiring development. It has previously been proposed that retinal ganglion cell axons use distinct guidance strategies in fish versus mammals, with direct guidance to the tectal target zone in the former, and overshoot followed by biased branching towards the target zone in the latter. Here, we visualized individual retinal ganglion cell axons as they grew over the tectum in zebrafish for periods of 10-21 hours, and analyzed these results using an array of quantitative measures. We found that, while axons were generally guided directly towards their targets, this occurred without growth cone turning. Instead, axons branched dynamically and profusely throughout pathfinding, and successive branches oriented growth cone extension towards a target zone in a stepwise manner. These data suggest that the guidance strategies used between fish and mammals may be less distinct than previously thought.
Keyword Neural development
Visual system
Topographic maps
Retinal ganglion cell
Pathfinding
Timelapse
Q-Index Code C1
Q-Index Status Confirmed Code
Institutional Status UQ

 
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Created: Fri, 23 Nov 2012, 10:57:22 EST by Debra McMurtrie on behalf of Queensland Brain Institute