Zebrafish Neurons Select Hair Cells Based on Orientation
Author Information
Author(s): Faucherre Adèle, Pujol-Martí Jesús, Kawakami Koichi, López-Schier Hernán
Primary Institution: Centre de Regulació Genòmica, Barcelona, Spain
Hypothesis
How do zebrafish lateral-line afferent neurons resolve the ambiguity of hair-cell orientation?
Conclusion
Afferent neurons in zebrafish selectively form synapses with hair cells of the same orientation, allowing for effective signal processing.
Supporting Evidence
- Each afferent neuron forms synapses with hair cells of identical orientation.
- Neurons can re-establish synapses with identically oriented targets during hair-cell regeneration.
- Live imaging showed that afferent neurons are strict selectors of hair-cell polarity.
Takeaway
Zebrafish have special nerve cells that only connect to certain hair cells, helping them understand which way sounds are coming from.
Methodology
The study used transgenic zebrafish, live imaging, and genetic mosaics to visualize hair cells and neurons at single-cell resolution.
Limitations
The study primarily focuses on zebrafish, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other species.
Participant Demographics
Zebrafish larvae were used in the experiments.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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