Confocal time-lapse imaging of a GFP-expressing developing chick retinal ganglion cell (RGC) in a flat-mount retina preparation. The sequence shows that application of a peptide mimetic of the cadherin juxtamembrane region (JMP), which disrupts both N-cadherin and b1-integrin mediated adhesion, results in rapid retraction of the RGC dendritic arbor. Lower right panels show that areas of dendritic loss (red) are much greater than areas of gain (blue) after 3 hr of peptide application. Together, the results indicate that dendritic arbors of developing RGCs are stabilized by b1-integrins.
See: Marrs et al., " Molecular & Cellular Neuroscience. 32:230-241.