High-resolution mapping of injury-site dependent functional recovery in a single axon in zebrafish

Title data

Hecker, Alexander ; Anger, Pamela ; Braaker, Philipp N. ; Schulze, Wolfram ; Schuster, Stefan:
High-resolution mapping of injury-site dependent functional recovery in a single axon in zebrafish.
In: Communications Biology. Vol. 3 (2020) Issue 1 . - 307.
ISSN 2399-3642
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-1034-x

Project information

Abstract in another language

In non-mammalian vertebrates, some neurons can regenerate after spinal cord injury. One of these, the giant Mauthner (M-) neuron shows a uniquely direct link to a robust survival-critical escape behavior but appears to regenerate poorly. Here we use two-photon microscopy in parallel with behavioral assays in zebrafish to show that the M-axon can regenerate very rapidly and that the recovery of functionality lags by just days. However, we also find that the site of the injury is critical: While regeneration is poor both close and far from the soma, rapid regeneration and recovery of function occurs for injuries between 10% and 50% of total axon length. Our findings show that rapid regeneration and the recovery of function can be studied at remarkable temporal resolution after targeted injury of one single M-axon and that the decision between poor and rapid regeneration can be studied in this one axon.