cAMP-Dependent Co-stabilization of Axonal Arbors from Adjacent Developing Neurons
Alice Louail, Martijn C. Sierksma, Antoine Chaffiol, Sarah Baudet, Ahlem Assali, Sandrine Couvet, Melissa Nedjam, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Yvrick Zagar, Jens Duebel, Xavier Nicol
Abstract
Axonal arbors in many neuronal networks are exuberant early during development and become refined by activity-dependent competitive mechanisms. Theoretical work proposed non-competitive interactions between co-active axons to co-stabilize their connections, but the demonstration of such interactions is lacking. Here, we provide experimental evidence that reducing cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling in a subset of retinal ganglion cells favors the elimination of thalamic projections from neighboring neurons, pointing to a cAMP-dependent interaction that promotes axon stabilization.