Patterning sensory axon projections in the Drosophila embryonic nervous system
Patterning sensory axon projections in the Drosophila embryonic nervous system
Sensory neurons make specific axonal projections in the CNS according to their position and modality. The genetic specification of position and sensory identity therefore determines where an axon terminates in the CNS. This process is central to the generation of an ordered CNS. The aim of the work presented here was to examine the mechanisms that control the translation of positional information and sensory modality into patterns of central projections. Although many genes involved in determining sense organ type have been identified, little is known regarding the specification of positional values within the sensory nervous system. While the anterior-posterior and dorso-ventral patterning genes are thought to supply the positional information that governs the formation of neural precursors, their activity remains largely uncharacterised in the embryonic PNS.
A detailed analysis of the expression of known segmentation genes was conducted to provide a cell by cell identification of expressed genes within the sensory nervous system. Based on this knowledge, selected genes were misexpressed in sensory neurons and embryos examined for defects. In order to determine the role of these genes several methods of targeting gene expression to single neurons were examined: the MARCM technique, which enables mosaic analysis to be conducted in a cell-specific manner, and laser activated gene expression. The MARCM technique was used to characterise the central projections of embryonic-born sensory neurons in larvae. This will provide a framework in which the role of candidate genes in determining the central projections of individual neurons can be analysed.
University of Southampton
Block, Louise Matilda Christie
792620d1-230f-40ce-b20c-4b70b2b15ea3
2001
Block, Louise Matilda Christie
792620d1-230f-40ce-b20c-4b70b2b15ea3
Block, Louise Matilda Christie
(2001)
Patterning sensory axon projections in the Drosophila embryonic nervous system.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
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Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
Sensory neurons make specific axonal projections in the CNS according to their position and modality. The genetic specification of position and sensory identity therefore determines where an axon terminates in the CNS. This process is central to the generation of an ordered CNS. The aim of the work presented here was to examine the mechanisms that control the translation of positional information and sensory modality into patterns of central projections. Although many genes involved in determining sense organ type have been identified, little is known regarding the specification of positional values within the sensory nervous system. While the anterior-posterior and dorso-ventral patterning genes are thought to supply the positional information that governs the formation of neural precursors, their activity remains largely uncharacterised in the embryonic PNS.
A detailed analysis of the expression of known segmentation genes was conducted to provide a cell by cell identification of expressed genes within the sensory nervous system. Based on this knowledge, selected genes were misexpressed in sensory neurons and embryos examined for defects. In order to determine the role of these genes several methods of targeting gene expression to single neurons were examined: the MARCM technique, which enables mosaic analysis to be conducted in a cell-specific manner, and laser activated gene expression. The MARCM technique was used to characterise the central projections of embryonic-born sensory neurons in larvae. This will provide a framework in which the role of candidate genes in determining the central projections of individual neurons can be analysed.
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Published date: 2001
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Local EPrints ID: 464533
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/464533
PURE UUID: 9a81d419-99be-4980-a889-0836e5e95ad4
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 23:44
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 19:35
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Author:
Louise Matilda Christie Block
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