Journal
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 431, Issue 2, Pages 280-283Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2012.12.115
Keywords
Axon guidance; Extracellular electric field; Voltage gradient; Retinal ganglion cell; Embryo
Categories
Funding
- Japan Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Research Foundation (JSBHRF)
- Strategic Promotion System for Brain Science, Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology (SCF)
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In addition to well-known mechanisms of chemical guidance, growing axons in the nervous system are directed by an extracellular electric field in a process known as galvanotropism. The galvanotropic behavior of nerve cells in vitro was first demonstrated as long ago as 1920. However, it remains unknown whether embryonic nerve tissues generate a similar electric field in order to guide growing axons. The present study reveals that an extracellular voltage gradient exists in the embryonic retina and that this gradient guides the axons of newborn retinal ganglion cells towards their targets. These findings indicate an important role for galvanotropism in the initial orientation of axons that extend over long distances, and provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the proper extension of developing axons in the embryonic brain. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available