Caliber of zebrafish touch-sensory axons is dynamic in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Cell shape is crucial to cell function, particularly in neurons. The cross-sectional diameter, also known as caliber, of axons and dendrites is an important parameter of neuron shape, best appreciated for its influence on the speed of action potential propagation. Many studies of axon caliber focus on cell-wide regulation and assume that caliber is static. Here, we have characterized local variation and dynamics of axon caliber in vivo using the peripheral axons of zebrafish touch-sensing neurons at embryonic stages, prior to sex determination. To obtain absolute measurements of caliber in vivo, we paired sparse membrane labeling with super-resolution microscopy of neurons in live fish. We observed that axon segments had varicose or "pearled" morphologies, and thus vary in caliber along th

SUBMITTER: Ching K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11661087 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature