Figure 3. Laser ablation of neural crest in the nasal cavity inhibits microvillous neurogenesis.
(A) Immediately before and after ablation of Sox10:eGFP+/Ngn1:nRFP+ cells in the right nasal cavity in live embryos; example z-plane slice shows six regions of ablation (asterisks). (B) 3D z-stack post-ablation of several z-planes with total of ≥20 Sox10:eGFP+/Ngn1:nRFP+ ablated cells. (C) and (D) 35 hpf embryos show a significant decrease in the number of Sox10:eGFP+/TRPC2:Venus+ microvillous neurons within the right olfactory epithelium as compared to the unablated left side in both small (C) and large (D) ablation experiments. Directly adjacent ciliated neurons are only marginally affected. Sox10:eGFP: green; Ngn1:nRFP: red; TRPC2:Venus: blue. LOE: left olfactory epithelium; ROE: right olfactory epithelium. Orientation arrows: A: anterior; P: posterior; D: dorsal; V: ventral; L: lateral. Scale bars: 30 μm (A and B); 40 μm (C and D).