Drosophila Ten-m and filamin affect motor neuron growth cone guidance

Lihua Zheng, Yehudit Michelson, Vita Freger, Ziva Avraham, Koen J.T. Venken, Hugo J. Bellen, Monica J. Justice, Ron Wides

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

45 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Drosophila Ten-m (also called Tenascin-major, or odd Oz (odz)) gene has been associated with a pair-rule phenotype. We identified and characterized new alleles of Drosophila Ten-m to establish that this gene is not responsible for segmentation defects but rather causes defects in motor neuron axon routing. In Ten-m mutants the inter-segmental nerve (ISN) often crosses segment boundaries and fasciculates with the ISN in the adjacent segment. Ten-m is expressed in the central nervous system and epidermal stripes during the stages when the growth cones of the neurons that form the ISN navigate to their targets. Over-expression of Ten-m in epidermal cells also leads to ISN misrouting. We also found that Filamin, an actin binding protein, physically interacts with the Ten-m protein. Mutations in cheerio, which encodes Filamin, cause defects in motor neuron axon routing like those of Ten-m. During embryonic development, the expression of Filamin and Ten-m partially overlap in ectodermal cells. These results suggest that Ten-m and Filamin in epidermal cells might together influence growth cone progression.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere22956
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume6
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Cancer InstituteR01CA115503
National Institute of Environmental Health SciencesP01ES011253
National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentU01HD039372
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

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