Pruning Neuronal Trees (6 of 6) (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Pruning Neuronal Trees (6 of 6)

Caption

Fluorescent microscopy image of C. elegans mechanoreceptor neuron (PVD). The PVDs elaborate neuronal trees comprising structural units we call "menorahs." The branches of the menorahs are very thin, only 30 nanometers in diameter. This complex morphology was used to dissect the mechanisms of branch generation and plasticity. EFF-1, an essential protein mediating fusion between cells, trims developing menorahs through retraction and neurite-neurite autofusion. This image relates to an article that appeared in the May 6, 2010, issue of Science Express, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. M. Oren-Suissa at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, and colleagues, is titled, "The Fusogen EFF-1 Controls Sculpting of Mechanosensory Dendrites."

Credit

Image courtesy of Benjamin Podbilewicz, Meital Oren-Suissa and Matan Poreh

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