According to a report published in the latest issue of PloS Biology, a new investigation in worms that are less than a millimeter long has provided clues that might be important in understanding how nerves grow.
A group of investigators from the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) have examined the molecular mechanisms which stimulate the development of dendrites, in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
Dendrites, branch-like structures within nerve cells, receive electrochemical signals from other nerve cells or sensory inputs from the external environment.
Together with axons, which transmit electrical impulses between neurons, dendrites are vital to nervous system function, and up to now their development has not been clearly understood.
However, they found that a ligand called LIN-44 and a receptor called LIN-17 collaborate to trigger certain neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans to extend dendrites nearer to their targets.
Ms Leonie Kirszenblat, the investigation assistant who conducted the study in Dr. Massimo Hilliard’s lab, explained: “This is the first study to demonstrate, in vivo, that the initial outgrowth of a dendrite is controlled by these ligands and receptors.”
Dr. Hilliard said:
“Understanding these fundamental mechanisms of neuronal development may have practical, as well as theoretical implications. Having the ability to control dendritic growth may be important for growing neurons from stem cells, which could be useful in a range of neurologic conditions, including spinal injury.”
Written by Grace Rattue