Westerfield M, Eisen J S
Dev Biol. 1985 May;109(1):96-101. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(85)90349-5.
The innervation of the myotomal muscles in the trunk region of Xenopus embryos has been examined to see how the path taken by motoneurons within the spinal cord is formed. The growth of motor axons has been studied by retrograde labeling with horseradish peroxidase and the growth of the spinal cord and myotomes has been studied by labeling with fluorescent beads. Results show that motoneurons initially innervate the nearest muscles. Then through a process of differential growth whereby the muscles elongate more than the spinal cord, the axonal terminals in the muscles become displaced caudally relative to their cell bodies. In this manner the central pathway taken by the motor axons develops after initial innervation of their peripheral targets.
为了探究非洲爪蟾胚胎躯干区域的肌节肌肉的神经支配情况，即脊髓内运动神经元所走的路径是如何形成的，研究人员对其进行了检查。通过用辣根过氧化物酶进行逆行标记来研究运动轴突的生长，并用荧光珠标记来研究脊髓和肌节的生长。结果表明，运动神经元最初支配最近的肌肉。然后，通过一种差异生长过程，即肌肉比脊髓伸长更多，肌肉中的轴突终末相对于其细胞体向尾端移位。通过这种方式，运动轴突的中枢路径在其外周靶标最初受支配后得以发育。
