The behaviour of growing axons invading developing chick wing buds with dorsoventral or anteroposterior axis reversed

The trajectories of motor axons innervating chick wings reversed about the DV or AP axis before axon invasion were analysed after retrograde filling by HRP injection into biceps or triceps muscles. Chick-quail chimaeras showed that the plane of reversal for flank operations was proximal to the confluence of the 14th, 15th, and 16th spinal roots as they form the plexus. The shoulder reversal plane was distal to the plexus. In dorsoventral (DV) reversed wings at both shoulder or flank level, the motor axons do not alter their course as they enter the graft. They therefore innervate by passive deployment any target that they encounter. In anteroposterior (AP) reversed wings at both shoulder or flank level, the motor axons clearly corrected their position in the nerve tract after entering the graft and innervated appropriate targets. The innervation of appropriate targets in AP shoulder reversals shows that axons are sensitive to AP mismatch distal to the plexus. Since axons were displaced similar distances from their normal routes in flank DV and AP reversals, the difference in behaviour suggests that they respond to mismatch in the AP but not the DV axis.