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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Nov 26.
Published in final edited form as: Neuron. 2011 May 26;70(4):742–757. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.04.002

Figure 8. UNC-104 and Dynein Motor Proteins Act Temporally To Properly Pattern the Synapses Along the Dorsal Process During DD Synaptic Remodeling.

Figure 8

(A) UNC-104 transports synaptic vesicles toward both anterior and posterior ends of dorsal processes during DD synaptic remodeling. In wild-type worms, synaptic vesicles labeled by GFP::RAB-3 are transported to the both anterior and posterior ends of dorsal processes (20–22-hr, upper), and then redistribute evenly along the processes (26-hr, lower) during the remodeling.

(B and C) Overexpression of UNC-104 in DDs directs GFP::RAB-3 accumulated in the anterior and posterior ends of dorsal processes (B) during the remodeling. But, in unc-104(e1265) mutants, the transport of GFP::RAB-3 to the dorsal process is completely blocked (C).

(D) In dhc-1(js319) mutants, GFP::RAB-3 accumulates in both anterior and posterior ends of dorsal process even at 26-hr time point. Arrows indicate the location of commissures. Brackets mark the length of dorsal axons of individual DD neurons. Scale bars, 20 µm.

(E) Schematic diagram for both anterior and posterior ends accumulation phenotype that is examined in (A, 22-hr), (B), and (D), and is quantified in (F).

(F) Quantification of the phenotype for the end accumulation of GFP::RAB-3 as in (E). n (from left to right)=136, 99, 70, 106, 64, 57. **<0.0001 compared to wild-type, 26-hr, ##<0.001 compared to dhc-1, 26-hr, Fisher’s exact test.

(G) Schematic diagram for the roles of two motor proteins, UNC-104 and Dynein for synapse formation during DD synaptic remodeling. Straight gray lines, dorsal and ventral processes; curved gray line, commissure; gray oval, cell body. Transport directions are indicated by black and gray arrows for UNC-104 and Dynein, respectively.