Finding the axon

Finding the axon

n actin cable is the sum of its parts, according to Guild et al. (page 1069), who find that short bundles of actin filaments are grafted together to form extra long actin cables in fly bristle cells. Bristle cells, which can reach lengths of up to 400 ␮ m, are initially supported by an assembly of multiple short stretches of polarized actin bundles. By looking closely at these bundles as they b...

Flamingo Regulates R8 Axon-Axon and Axon-Target Interactions in the Drosophila Visual System

Photoreceptors (R cells) in the Drosophila retina connect to targets in three distinct layers of the optic lobe of the brain: R1-R6 connect to the lamina, and R7 and R8 connect to distinct layers in the medulla. In each of these layers, R axon termini are arranged in evenly spaced topographic arrays. In a genetic screen for mutants with abnormal R cell connectivity, we recovered mutations in fl...

The Transmembrane Protein Golden Goal Regulates R8 Photoreceptor Axon-Axon and Axon-Target Interactions

During Drosophila visual system development, photoreceptor (R) axons choose their correct paths and targets in a step-wise fashion. R axons with different identities make specific pathfinding decisions at different stages during development. We show here that the transmembrane protein Golden goal (Gogo), which is dynamically expressed in all R neurons and localizes predominantly to growth cones...

Modeling collective axon growth from in vivo data reveals the importance of physical axon-axon interactions

The axon reflex

Introduction We wish to begin with a citation from Sir Charles Sherrington (1857-1952), in his renowned book, he wrote that reflexes are “... the unit reactions in nervous integration” [1]. Sherrington’s school made important contributions on spinal reflexes based mainly on careful observation and palpation. Development of experimental tools and techniques enabled to analyse specific spinal ref...