 Click pictures for higher resolution images
AVE is a pair of interneurons with cell bodies situated in the lateral ganglion close to the
ring neuropile. Processes from the cell bodies enter the ring laterally and run anteriorly through
the neuropile until they are near the anterior surface. They then turn dorsally and start running
round the ring in close association with the processes of AIB. When the processes of AVE reach
the dorsal mid-line they turn and run anteriorly for a short distance until
the anterior surface is reached, where they turn again and carry on round the ring in close association with the
processes of RIB, until they leave the ring ventrally and enter the ventral cord. They run near
the centre of the nerve cord (figure 18) and eventually end before the vulva is reached (j). The
processes of AVE are exclusively postsynaptic in the nerve ring and are lightly staining in this
region. They receive many synapses, particularly from the mechanosensory system. The main
synaptic input is from OLL (*a), URY(*b), CEP (*d), URX (*b), DVA (*a), RIB (*h), RIS (*a), BAG (*c) and AUA (*b); there are also a few synapses from FLP (*b), ALA (*a), AVK (*a), AIZ, RIG, PVC (*a) and RMG. There are gap junctions to RIM (*h), RME (g) and RMD (h) in the ring. AVE is predominantly presynaptic in the ventral cord and has
the same postsynaptic partners as AVD. It makes many synapses onto AVA (a) and also several
onto SAB (b, c), VAn (c, e), DAn (d) and ASn (f), usually in various dyadic combinations.
There are some striking synaptic complexes in the vicinity of the SAB cell bodies, where both AVEL and AVER have presynaptic specializations in the same region with processes of SAB, VA1 and DA1 sandwiched in between (c). There is some synaptic input from AVJ (*d) and AVB (*d) in the ventral cord.
Magnifications: (a, g, h) x 25500, (b-f) x 17000.
AVE ventral cord synapses
partners |
gap junctions |
synapses from |
synapses to and corecipients |
AVA |
- |
3m |
8, 6DA1, 5DA2, 4SABV, 4AS1, 4AVA, 2DA3, 2AS2, 2DB3, 2VA2, PVC, VA3,
DA4, AVD, 1VA4 |
SABV |
- |
- |
4SABD, 4AVA, 4DA1, 3VA1, 2SABV |
DA1 |
- |
- |
6AVA,4SABV,2SABD |
SABD |
- |
- |
4SABV, 2VA1, 2DA1 |
VA1 |
- |
- |
3SABV, 2SABD, VA3 |
VA3 |
- |
- |
3, AVA, VD3, VA1 |
DA2 |
- |
- |
1,5AVA |
AS1 |
- |
- |
1,4AVA |
DA3 |
- |
- |
2, 2AVA |
DB3 |
- |
- |
2AVA |
AS2 |
- |
- |
2AVA |
VA2 |
- |
- |
2AVA |
PVC |
- |
1m |
AVA |
DVB |
- |
- |
VD2 |
VD2 |
- |
- |
DVB |
VD3 |
- |
- |
VA3 |
DA4 |
- |
- |
AVA |
AVD |
- |
- |
AVA |
AS3 |
- |
- |
1 |
VA6 |
- |
- |
1 |
VA4 |
- |
- |
AVA |
AVJ |
- |
2+2m |
- |
AVB |
- |
1+1m |
- |
AVG |
- |
2m |
- |
AVL |
- |
1m |
- |
|
|
