HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 91/5/2353    most recent 01115.2003v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (24) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Choi, J. C. Articles by Griffith, L. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Choi, J. C. Articles by Griffith, L. C.

Electrophysiological and Morphological Characterization of Identified Motor Neurons in the Drosophila Third Instar Larva Central Nervous System

Department of Biology and Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454-9110

Submitted 18 November 2003; accepted in final form 18 December 2003

We have used dye fills and electrophysiological recordings to identify and characterize a cluster of motor neurons in the third instar larval ventral ganglion. This cluster of neurons is similar in position to the well-studied embryonic RP neurons. Dye fills of larval dorsomedial neurons demonstrate that individual neurons within the cluster can be reproducibly identified by observing their muscle targets and bouton morphology. The terminal targets of these five neurons are body wall muscles 6/7, 1, 14, and 30 and the intersegmental nerve (ISN) terminal muscles (1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 19, 20). All cells except the ISN neuron, which has a type Is ending, display type Ib boutons. Two of these neurons appear to be identical to the embryonic RP3 and aCC cells, which define the most proximal and distal innervations within a hemisegment. The targets of the other neurons in the larval dorsomedial cluster do not correspond to embryonic targets of the neurons in the RP cluster, suggesting rewiring of this circuit during early larval stages. Electrophysiological studies of the five neurons in current clamp revealed that type Is neurons have a longer delay in the appearance of the first spike compared with type Ib neurons. Genetic, biophysical, and pharmacological studies in current and voltage clamp show this delay is controlled by the kinetics and voltage sensitivity of inactivation of a current whose properties suggest that it may be the Shal I_A current. The combination of genetic identification and whole cell recording allows us to directly explore the cellular substrates of neural and locomotor behavior in an intact system.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. R. Pulver, S. L. Pashkovski, N. J. Hornstein, P. A. Garrity, and L. C. Griffith Temporal Dynamics of Neuronal Activation by Channelrhodopsin-2 and TRPA1 Determine Behavioral Output in Drosophila Larvae J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2009; 101(6): 3075 - 3088. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. W. Gouwens and R. I. Wilson Signal Propagation in Drosophila Central Neurons J. Neurosci., May 13, 2009; 29(19): 6239 - 6249. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. W. Worrell and R. B. Levine Characterization of Voltage-Dependent Ca2+ Currents in Identified Drosophila Motoneurons In Situ J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2008; 100(2): 868 - 878. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Nicholson, G. K. Singh, T. Osterwalder, G. W. Roman, R. L. Davis, and H. Keshishian Spatial and Temporal Control of Gene Expression in Drosophila Using the Inducible GeneSwitch GAL4 System. I. Screen for Larval Nervous System Drivers Genetics, January 1, 2008; 178(1): 215 - 234. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I-F. Peng, B. A. Berke, Y. Zhu, W.-H. Lee, W. Chen, and C.-F. Wu Temperature-Dependent Developmental Plasticity of Drosophila Neurons: Cell-Autonomous Roles of Membrane Excitability, Ca2+ Influx, and cAMP Signaling J. Neurosci., November 14, 2007; 27(46): 12611 - 12622. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I-F. Peng and C.-F. Wu Differential Contributions of Shaker and Shab K+ Currents to Neuronal Firing Patterns in Drosophila J Neurophysiol, January 1, 2007; 97(1): 780 - 794. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Park and L. C. Griffith Electrophysiological and Anatomical Characterization of PDF-Positive Clock Neurons in the Intact Adult Drosophila Brain J Neurophysiol, June 1, 2006; 95(6): 3955 - 3960. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]