distinct modes of neuritic growth in purkinje neurons at different developmental stages axonal morphogenesis and cellular regulatory mechanisms不同的神经炎的增长模式浦肯野神经元轴突形态发生和细胞在不同发育阶段的监管机制.pdfVIP

Distinct Modes of Neuritic Growth in Purkinje Neurons at Different Developmental Stages: Axonal Morphogenesis and Cellular Regulatory Mechanisms 1 1 1 1 Annarita de Luca , Stefania Vassallo , Beatriz Benitez-Temino , Gianluca Menichetti , Ferdinando Rossi1,2,3, Annalisa Buffo1,2* 1 Department of Neuroscience, University of Turin, Turin, Italy, 2 Neuroscience Institute of Turin (NIT), Turin, Italy, 3 Rita Levi-Montalcini Center for Brain Repair, National Institute of Neuroscience, Turin, Italy Abstract Background: During development, neurons modify their axon growth mode switching from an elongating phase, in which the main axon stem reaches the target territory through growth cone-driven extension, to an arborising phase, when the terminal arbour is formed to establish synaptic connections. To investigate the relative contribution of cell-autonomous factors and environmental signals in the control of these distinct axon growth patterns, we examined the neuritogenesis of Purkinje neurons in cerebellar cultures prepared at elongating (embryonic day 17) or arborising (postnatal day zero) stages of Purkinje axon maturation. Methodology/Principal Findings: When placed in vitro, Purkinje cells of both ages undergo an initial phase of neurite elongation followed by the development of terminal ramifications. Nevertheless, elongation of the main axon stem prevails in embryonic Purkinje axons, and many of these neurons are totally unable to form terminal branches. On the contrary, all postnatal neurites switch to arbour growth within a few days in culture and spread extensive terminal trees. Regardless of their elongating or arborising pattern, defined growth features (e.g. growth rate and tree extension) of embryonic Purkinje axons remai