Abnormal Purkinje cell dendrites in lurcher chimeric mice result from a deafferentation-induced atrophy

Previous studies of Purkinje cell dendrites in lurcher<-->wild-type mouse chimeras (lurcher chimeras) have documented the surprising occurrence of unusual atrophic dendritic morphologies among the wild-type cells of the mosaic cerebella. We have hypothesized that these aberrant morphologies arise from a process of developmental deafferentation that is due to the unique loss of mutant Purkinje cells in these chimeras. These earlier studies left unanswered the question of whether the abnormal dendrites were the result of a blocked developmental process (agenesis) or regressive events that deform a previously well-developed dendritic arbor (atrophy). Using a set of simple morphometric measures, we now examine wild-type Purkinje cells in young lurcher chimeras. At postnatal day 20, normal Purkinje cell development is nearly but not fully complete. In lurcher chimeras, the morphologies of the wild-type Purkinje cell dendrites are similar to those in wild-type controls of the same age. This means that they are larger in height, width, and cross-section than their counterparts in adult lurcher chimeras. The younger cells exhibit almost none of the atrophic morphologies described in mature animals. We conclude that the aberrant morphologies found in adult lurcher chimeras arise from atrophy rather than through a failure in development. Furthermore, consideration of the details of the wild-type dendrites in the lurcher chimeras leads to the proposal that the height and width of the Purkinje cell dendritic tree are controlled by two independent mechanisms.