Understanding axon guidance: are we nearly there yet?

During nervous system development, neurons extend axons to reach their targets and form functional circuits. The faulty assembly or disintegration of such circuits results in disorders of the nervous system. Thus, understanding the molecular mechanisms that guide axons and lead to neural circuit for...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development (Cambridge) Vol. 145; no. 10
Main Author: Stoeckli, Esther T
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England 15.05.2018
Subjects:
Animals
Axon Guidance - physiology
Axons - metabolism
Cell Movement - physiology
Growth Cones - metabolism
Humans
Mice
Nervous System Diseases - pathology
Netrin Receptors - metabolism
Netrins - metabolism
Neurons - physiology
Protein Transport
Signal Transduction - physiology
Guidance cues
Local translation
MicroRNA
Vesicular transport
Axon guidance
Neural development
ISSN:1477-9129, 1477-9129
Online Access:Get more information
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Summary:During nervous system development, neurons extend axons to reach their targets and form functional circuits. The faulty assembly or disintegration of such circuits results in disorders of the nervous system. Thus, understanding the molecular mechanisms that guide axons and lead to neural circuit formation is of interest not only to developmental neuroscientists but also for a better comprehension of neural disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated how crosstalk between different families of guidance receptors can regulate axonal navigation at choice points, and how changes in growth cone behaviour at intermediate targets require changes in the surface expression of receptors. These changes can be achieved by a variety of mechanisms, including transcription, translation, protein-protein interactions, and the specific trafficking of proteins and mRNAs. Here, I review these axon guidance mechanisms, highlighting the most recent advances in the field that challenge the textbook model of axon guidance.
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ISSN:1477-9129
1477-9129
DOI:10.1242/dev.151415