Journal
NEURON
Volume 44, Issue 4, Pages 651-661Publisher
CELL PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2004.10.026
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In many parts of the developing nervous system, the number of axonal inputs to each postsynaptic cell is dramatically reduced. This synapse elimination has been extensively studied at the neuromuscular junction, but how axons are lost is unknown. Here, we combine time-lapse imaging of fluorescently labeled axons and serial electron microscopy to show that axons at neuromuscular junctions are removed by an unusual cellular mechanism. As axons disappear, they shed numerous membrane bound remnants. These axosomes contain a high density of synaptic organelles and are formed by engulfment of axon tips by Schwann cells. After this engulfment, the axosome's contents mix with the cytoplasm of the glial cell. Axosome shedding might underlie other forms of axon loss and may provide a pathway for interactions between axons and glia.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available