TY - JOUR
T1 - Comprehensive morphological analysis of individual peripheral neuron dendritic arbors in ascidian larvae using the photoconvertible protein kaede
AU - Yokoyama, Takatoshi D.
AU - Hotta, Kohji
AU - Oka, Kotaro
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PY - 2014/10/1
Y1 - 2014/10/1
N2 - Background: Ascidian larval epidermal sensory neurons (ESNs) each extend a single cilium into the outer body structure, or tunic, to form a unique external sensory network, the ASNET (ascidian dendritic network in tunic). The functions of ESNs and the ASNET are unknown, though it has been suggested that they play important roles in swimming larvae. In this study, we used transgenic larva expressing the photoconvertible protein Kaede pan-neuronally to identify the orientation and morphology of single ESN external processes within the ASNET. Results: When individual ESN cell bodies were UV-irradiated, the photoconverted Kaede protein diffused into the external processes that projected to the edge of the tunic, indicating that these processes are cytoplasmically connected to the cell bodies of ESNs. We were, therefore, able to comprehensively catalog the morphology and orientation of each ESN external process. Most trunk ESNs appeared to extend neurites to the palp, but no processes were observed to emanate from palp neurons. ESN processes differed systematically in their morphology and orientation, suggesting that the ASNET is formed in a regulated, non-random fashion. Conclusions: This study reveals the organization of ESN sensory fields in the ascidian larval tunic.
AB - Background: Ascidian larval epidermal sensory neurons (ESNs) each extend a single cilium into the outer body structure, or tunic, to form a unique external sensory network, the ASNET (ascidian dendritic network in tunic). The functions of ESNs and the ASNET are unknown, though it has been suggested that they play important roles in swimming larvae. In this study, we used transgenic larva expressing the photoconvertible protein Kaede pan-neuronally to identify the orientation and morphology of single ESN external processes within the ASNET. Results: When individual ESN cell bodies were UV-irradiated, the photoconverted Kaede protein diffused into the external processes that projected to the edge of the tunic, indicating that these processes are cytoplasmically connected to the cell bodies of ESNs. We were, therefore, able to comprehensively catalog the morphology and orientation of each ESN external process. Most trunk ESNs appeared to extend neurites to the palp, but no processes were observed to emanate from palp neurons. ESN processes differed systematically in their morphology and orientation, suggesting that the ASNET is formed in a regulated, non-random fashion. Conclusions: This study reveals the organization of ESN sensory fields in the ascidian larval tunic.
KW - Chemosensory
KW - Ciona
KW - Dendritic arbor
KW - Epidermal sensory neuron
KW - Mechanosensory
KW - Neural network, neuron apoptosis, external neuron network
KW - Sensory field
KW - Tunicate
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U2 - 10.1002/dvdy.24169
DO - 10.1002/dvdy.24169
M3 - Article
C2 - 25073890
AN - SCOPUS:84907881952
VL - 243
SP - 1362
EP - 1373
JO - American Journal of Anatomy
JF - American Journal of Anatomy
SN - 1058-8388
IS - 10
ER -