Architecture and activity-mediated refinement of axonal projections from a mosaic of genetically identified retinal ganglion cells |
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Authors: | Huberman Andrew D Manu Mihai Koch Selina M Susman Michael W Lutz Amanda Brosius Ullian Erik M Baccus Stephen A Barres Ben A |
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Affiliation: | Department of Neurobiology, Fairchild Science Building D235, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA. adh1@stanford.edu |
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Abstract: | Our understanding of how mammalian sensory circuits are organized and develop has long been hindered by the lack of genetic markers of neurons with discrete functions. Here, we report a transgenic mouse selectively expressing GFP in a complete mosaic of transient OFF-alpha retinal ganglion cells (tOFF-alphaRGCs). This enabled us to relate the mosaic spacing, dendritic anatomy, and electrophysiology of these RGCs to their complete map of projections in the brain. We find that tOFF-alphaRGCs project exclusively to the superior colliculus (SC) and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and are restricted to a specific laminar depth within each of these targets. The axons of tOFF-alphaRGC are also organized into columns in the SC. Both laminar and columnar specificity develop through axon refinement. Disruption of cholinergic retinal waves prevents the emergence of columnar- but not laminar-specific tOFF-alphaRGC connections. Our findings reveal that in a genetically identified sensory map, spontaneous activity promotes synaptic specificity by segregating axons arising from RGCs of the same subtype. |
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