CNS control of a critical period for peripheral induction of central neurons in the leech

Abstract

Most midbody ganglia in the central nervous system (CNS) of the leech Hirudo medicinalis contain about 400 neurons. However, those in the fifth and sixth midbody segments (ganglia M5 and M6) are specialized for reproductive functions, and each contain several hundred additional small neurons. These neurons arise late in embryogenesis as a result of an innervation-dependent inductive interaction between the male genitalia and M5 and M6 and are therefore known as peripherally induced central (PIC) neurons. The results of a series of ablation and transplantation experiments show that the PIC neurons are induced during a 1 to 2 day period about midway in embryogenesis (E15). The male genitalia are not necessary for induction before or after this period, and their presence for only one day may be sufficient for the induction to take place. Heterochronic transplantation of male genitalia shows that the critical period of interaction is independent of the age of the inducing tissues. Since the inductive signal is available from E10 to postembryonic stages, both the beginning and the end of the inductive period are determined by the CNS, not the periphery.