Figure 4. Phenotype of neurons defective in TORC2, and a genetic interaction between CHORD and TORC2.

(A–C) Representative images of MARCM clones of the wild-type neuron (A), the rictor² mutant neuron (B), and the rictor² mutant neuron in which a CHORD transgene was overexpressed (C). Scale bars, 50 μm. (D–J) Quantification of branching patterns of dendritic arbors. (D) Dendritic arbor size. (E) Total length of dendritic branches. (F) The number of endings of dendritic branches. (G and H) The branch density: total length/arbor size (G) and ending number/arbor size (H). (I and J) The number (I) and length (J) of branches of each order. (K) Western blot analysis of extracts of larvae under the fed or starved condition with the indicated antibodies (top). Larvae of 91–97 hr AEL were collected, placed under either the fed or starved condition for 8 hrs, and then homogenized. Levels of phospho-S505 Akt were normalized to the total Akt levels in three independent preparations and the ratios were plotted (bottom). Uncropped images of the blots are shown in Supplementary Figure S4. All data are presented as means ± standard deviation (SD). *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, and ***p < 0.001. Blue asterisks indicate statistically significant differences of the cohort from the wild-type neuron; and orange asterisks indicate statistically significant differences of the cohort from the rictor mutant neuron. NS: Statistically not significant (P > 0.05). (L) Hypothetical molecular complexes that regulate dendrite growth and branching in response to the extracellular environment (the body size and/or the nutrition condition). The environmental cue(s) controls CHORD downstream of TORC2, which tunes the segment length (growth); on the other hand, the cue(s) also regulates the IIS/TORC1 pathway and affects both growth and branching.