Axon guidance in cultured wing discs and disc fragments of Drosophila

The sensory neurons of the Drosophila wing differentiate during the initial stages of metamorphosis, appearing in the imaginal wing disc as it everts and flattens. These identifiable neurons arise in a stereotyped sequence, and lay down a specific pattern of axon bundles which travel proximally to the CNS. In several locations, the early arising "pioneer" neurons send axons in the direction of more proximal pioneer neurons, later joining with these to form continuous peripheral nerves. It is possible that distal neurons can contact more proximal neurons by random filopodial search, and use this information to guide axonal outgrowth. To test this "guidepost" hypothesis, everting wing discs were raised in vitro to allow surgical manipulation. Neural outgrowth was largely normal in vitro, though growth of the wing was stunted. If such discs were cut into proximodistal fragments before or at the time of initial axonogenesis, neural outgrowth remained normal: distal axons still grew in the direction of the now missing proximal neurons. Thus, proximal neurons are not necessary for the correct guidance of distal neurons in the developing wing.