Synaptic ultrastructure of Drosophila Johnston's organ axon terminals as revealed by an enhancer trap

Elena Sivan-Loukianova; Daniel F Eberl

doi:10.1002/cne.20687

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Synaptic ultrastructure of Drosophila Johnston's organ axon terminals as revealed by an enhancer trap

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Synaptic ultrastructure of Drosophila Johnston's organ axon terminals as revealed by an enhancer trap

Elena Sivan-Loukianova and Daniel F Eberl

Journal of comparative neurology (1911), Vol.491(1), pp.46-55

10/10/2005

DOI: 10.1002/cne.20687

PMCID: PMC1802124

PMID: 16127697

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/1802124View

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Abstract

The role of auditory circuitry is to decipher relevant information from acoustic signals. Acoustic parameters used by different insect species vary widely. All these auditory systems, however, share a common transducer: tympanal organs as well as the Drosophila flagellar ears use chordotonal organs as the auditory mechanoreceptors. We here describe the central neural projections of the Drosophila Johnston's organ (JO). These neurons, which represent the antennal auditory organ, terminate in the antennomechanosensory center. To ensure correct identification of these terminals we made use of a beta-galactosidase-expressing transgene that labels JO neurons specifically. Analysis of these projection pathways shows that parallel JO fibers display extensive contacts, including putative gap junctions. We find that the synaptic boutons show both chemical synaptic structures as well as putative gap junctions, indicating mixed synapses, and belong largely to the divergent type, with multiple small postsynaptic processes. The ultrastructure of JO fibers and synapses may indicate an ability to process temporally discretized acoustic information.

Peripheral Nerves - ultrastructure

Sense Organs - ultrastructure

Synapses - enzymology

Synapses - ultrastructure

Auditory Pathways - ultrastructure

Drosophila - ultrastructure

Drosophila - enzymology

Sense Organs - enzymology

Gap Junctions - ultrastructure

Peripheral Nerves - enzymology

Animals

Ganglia, Invertebrate - enzymology

Mechanoreceptors - enzymology

Auditory Pathways - enzymology

Ear

beta-Galactosidase - metabolism

Gap Junctions - enzymology

Hearing - physiology

Mechanoreceptors - ultrastructure

Ganglia, Invertebrate - ultrastructure

Details

Title: Subtitle: Synaptic ultrastructure of Drosophila Johnston's organ axon terminals as revealed by an enhancer trap
Creators: Elena Sivan-Loukianova - Department of Biological Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1324, USA
Daniel F Eberl
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of comparative neurology (1911), Vol.491(1), pp.46-55
DOI: 10.1002/cne.20687
PMID: 16127697
PMCID: PMC1802124
NLM abbreviation: J Comp Neurol
ISSN: 0021-9967
eISSN: 1096-9861
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R01 DC004848 / NIDCD NIH HHS DC04848 / NIDCD NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 10/10/2005
Academic Unit: Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Biology
Record Identifier: 9984070888602771

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