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Development

Dendrites hit the spot

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 8, pages 6–7 (2007)Cite this article

Developing axons use various strategies to ensure that they reach the correct target, but dendrites have generally been thought to be more promiscuous. Instead of forming selective synapses, they are believed to generate widespread arborizations and connections that are then refined through removal, or 'pruning', of the inappropriate synapses and branches.

Mumm et al. used in vivo time-lapse imaging to investigate how the dendrites of retinal ganglion cells in the zebrafish form lamina-specific dendritic arborizations in the inner plexiform layer of the retina. Zebrafish embryos develop from an egg to a larva with a functioning visual system in just 5 days, and because they are transparent they are perfect for studying this kind of problem. By using transgenic zebrafish that expressed fluorescent dyes in specific neurons, the authors could watch as the dendritic arbor developed.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Mumm, J. S. et al. In vivo imaging reveals dendritic targeting of laminated afferents by zebrafish retinal ganglion cells. Neuron 52, 609–621 (2006)

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  1. Rachel Jones
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Jones, R. Dendrites hit the spot. Nat Rev Neurosci 8, 6–7 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2069

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2069

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