Wallerian degeneration of zebrafish trigeminal axons in the skin is required for regeneration and developmental pruning.

ABSTRACT: Fragments of injured axons that detach from their cell body break down by the molecularly regulated process of Wallerian degeneration (WD). Although WD resembles local axon degeneration, a common mechanism for refining neuronal structure, several previously examined instances of developmental pruning were unaffected by WD pathways. We used laser axotomy and time-lapse confocal imaging to characterize and compare peripheral sensory axon WD and developmental pruning in live zebrafish larvae. Detached fragments of single injured axon arbors underwent three stereotyped phases of WD: a lag phase, a fragmentation phase and clearance. The lag phase was developmentally regulated, becoming shorter as embryos aged, while the length of the clearance phase increased with the amount of axon debris. Bot

SUBMITTER: Martin SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2976282 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature