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Updated: Sep 13, 2025

Labeling of Single Cells in the Central Nervous System of Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: March 4, 2013
Comparative connectomics of two distantly related nematode species reveals patterns of nervous system evolution
Steven J Cook1, Cristine A Kalinski1, Curtis M Loer2
1Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, NY, USA.
Abstract:
Understanding the evolution of the bilaterian brain requires a detailed exploration of the precise nature of cellular and subcellular differences between related species. We undertook an electron micrographic reconstruction of the brain of the predatory nematode Pristionchus pacificus and compared the results with the brain of Caenorhabditis elegans, which diverged at least 100 million years ago. We revealed changes in neuronal cell death, neuronal cell position, axodendritic projection patterns, and synaptic connectivity of homologous neurons that display no obvious changes in overall neurite morphology and projection patterns. These multiscale patterns of evolutionary changes show no bias to specific brain regions or neuron types.
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