PMID- 9331172
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19971120
LR  - 20061115
IS  - 0021-9967 (Print)
IS  - 0021-9967 (Linking)
VI  - 387
IP  - 1
DP  - 1997 Oct 13
TI  - Patterns of connectivity in a Drosophila nerve.
PG  - 63-72
AB  - We investigated the spatial patterns of synaptic profiles in en passant synapses 
      between the premotor axon of a peripherally synapsing interneuron (PAPSI) and a 
      set of individually identifiable motoneuron axons in Drosophila melanogaster. 
      These synaptic profiles are distributed as the axons travel parallel to each 
      other in a bundle; the synapses begin as the axons leave the thoracic ganglion 
      and continue peripherally for 45-65 microm. We found that the number of synaptic 
      profiles per micron length of the motoneuron axons was greatest close to the 
      ganglion; the cumulative distribution of profiles could be fitted to curves of 
      the form f(x) = alpha(1 - e(-beta x)), where x = the distance from the thoracic 
      ganglion, and alpha and beta are constants. The distribution of synaptic profiles 
      was also examined in a mutant strain, Passover (Pas), known to affect 
      connectivity in a pathway that includes the PAPSI. The synaptic profiles between 
      the PAPSI and the motoneuron axons appeared ultrastructurally unremarkable in 
      Pas. Also, the total number of synaptic profiles between the PAPSI and the 
      motoneuron axons did not differ between Pas and wild type flies. However, the 
      distribution of synaptic profiles among the individual motoneuron axons did 
      differ significantly from wild type flies, as did the area of contiguity between 
      the motoneuron axons and the PAPSI, which was much greater in Pas than in wild 
      type flies.
FAU - Egger, M D
AU  - Egger MD
AD  - Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical 
      School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-5635, USA. egger@umdnj.edu
FAU - Nowakowski, R S
AU  - Nowakowski RS
FAU - Peng, B
AU  - Peng B
FAU - Wyman, R J
AU  - Wyman RJ
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PT  - Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
PL  - United States
TA  - J Comp Neurol
JT  - The Journal of comparative neurology
JID - 0406041
SB  - IM
MH  - Animals
MH  - Axons/physiology
MH  - Drosophila melanogaster/*anatomy & histology
MH  - Interneurons/physiology
MH  - Microscopy, Electron
MH  - Motor Neurons/*ultrastructure
MH  - Neural Pathways/physiology
MH  - Synapses/physiology
OTO - NASA
OT  - Non-programmatic
EDAT- 1997/10/23 22:22
MHDA- 2000/06/20 09:00
CRDT- 1997/10/23 22:22
PHST- 1997/10/23 22:22 [pubmed]
PHST- 2000/06/20 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 1997/10/23 22:22 [entrez]
AID - 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19971013)387:1<63::AID-CNE6>3.0.CO;2-L [pii]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Comp Neurol. 1997 Oct 13;387(1):63-72.