Two neurons during development with their growth cones labeled in purple

Purple is the Color of Progress

These blue branches are the microtubules of developing neurons from a sea snail in the genus Aplysia. And the purple “fringe” on their ends are growth cones, which allow the neurons to grow in the proper direction toward their targets throughout the body.

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Two neurons during development with their growth cones labeled in purple

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Purple is the Color of Progress

These blue branches are the microtubules of developing neurons from a sea snail in the genus Aplysia. And the purple “fringe” on their ends are growth cones, which allow the neurons to grow in the proper direction toward their targets throughout the body.

What am I looking at?

This is an image of two fluorescently labeled neurons from a sea snail in the process of development. Their microtubules are blue (1) and the actin protein in the growth cones has been stained purple (2).

Biology in the background

Neurons communicate with each other and with other cells all over the body. Before they can do this, neurons need to establish a connection with their communication partners. They send projections throughout the brain and body to contact the other cells.  Some neurons can have projections that are extremely long – thousands of times the length of their cell bodies in some cases.

This means the growing cells need to find the targets for these projections from a long distance away. They do this using specialized structures called growth cones. The growth cones aid in the growth of the neurons. They also detect chemicals in the surrounding environment that help guide the neurons to their appropriate targets.

In members of the genus Aplysia, these growth cones can be up to 35 micrometers across, or roughly half the size of a human hair.

Technique

This image was created using confocal microscopy.

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Contributor(s)

Dylan T. Burnette, Vanderbilt University